Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 10

आवरणपूजाविधानम् / The Procedure of Āvaraṇa (Enclosure) Worship

Devanagari script

बद्धांजलिपुटा ध्येयाः समासीना यथासुखम् । सर्वावरणदेवानां स्वाभिधानैर्नमोयुतैः

Transliteration

baddhāṃjalipuṭā dhyeyāḥ samāsīnā yathāsukham | sarvāvaraṇadevānāṃ svābhidhānairnamoyutaiḥ

Translation

സൗകര്യമായി ആസനത്തിൽ ഇരുന്ന്, അഞ്ജലി ചേർത്ത് ധ്യാനിക്കണം. എല്ലാ ആവരണദേവതകൾക്കും അവരുടെ സ്വന്തം നാമങ്ങളോടുകൂടെ ‘നമഃ’ എന്നു പറഞ്ഞു നമസ്കരിക്കണം.

Word by Word

• बद्ध-अञ्जलि-पुटाः: those with hands joined in a cupped añjali
• बद्ध-अञ्जलि-पुटाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: बद्ध (√बन्ध् क्त) + अञ्जलि (प्रातिपदिक) + पुट (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Nominative plural; बहुव्रीहि: येषां बद्धः अञ्जलि-पुटः ते

• ध्येयाः: should be meditated upon
• ध्येयाः: Vidhi (विधि)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ध्यै (धातु)
• Form: तव्यत्/यत्-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (gerundive), प्रथमा बहुवचन; 'to be meditated upon/should be contemplated'

• समासीनाः: seated
• समासीनाः: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सम्+आ+√सद् (धातु)
• Form: क्त-प्रत्ययान्त कृदन्त (past participle), पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, बहुवचन; seated

• यथा-सुखम्: comfortably/as one pleases
• यथा-सुखम्: Adhikarana (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय) + सुख (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: अव्ययीभाव समास; अव्ययवत् प्रयोग (adverbial)

• सर्व-आवरण-देवानाम्: of all the enclosure-deities
• सर्व-आवरण-देवानाम्: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/षष्ठी)
• Type: Noun
• Root: सर्व (प्रातिपदिक) + आवरण (प्रातिपदिक) + देव (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Genitive plural; तत्पुरुष: आवरणस्य देवाः

• स्व-अभिधानैः: with their own names
• स्व-अभिधानैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: स्व (प्रातिपदिक) + अभिधान (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; तत्पुरुष: स्वस्य अभिधानम्

• नमः-युतैः: accompanied by 'namaḥ' (salutation)
• नमः-युतैः: Karana (करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: नमः (अव्यय/निपात) + युत (√युज् क्त)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया-विभक्ति, बहुवचन; Instrumental plural; तत्पुरुष: नमसा युताः (endowed with 'namaḥ')

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific (sthala) passage; it gives a general Śaiva pūjā-krama emphasizing āvaraṇa-devatā (retinue deities) honored around the central Śiva-principle.

Significance: Establishes correct inner disposition (bhāva) and ordered reverence to attendant deities, supporting purity of worship and eligibility for Śiva’s grace (anugraha).

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: … svābhidhānaiḥ namaḥ-yutaiḥ (each deity invoked by its own name with “namaḥ”).

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It teaches disciplined, reverent contemplation: the devotee sits steadily, joins the hands, and honors the entire divine mandala around Shiva, cultivating humility (namaḥ) and one-pointed devotion that supports liberation.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Āvaraṇa-devatā worship is a standard limb of Saguna Shiva pūjā (including Liṅga worship), where one reverently acknowledges the attendant deities and protective circles before focusing the mind on Shiva as the central Lord (Pati).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Sit comfortably (āsana), form añjali, and mentally (or verbally) offer “namaḥ” with the names of the āvaraṇa-devatās as part of pūjā/nyāsa, then continue into japa and dhyāna centered on Shiva.