Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 35
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
प्राणो ऽपानः समानश्च ह्युदानो व्यान एव च । नागः कूर्मश्च कृकलो देवदत्तो धनंजयः
prāṇo 'pānaḥ samānaśca hyudāno vyāna eva ca | nāgaḥ kūrmaśca kṛkalo devadatto dhanaṃjayaḥ
പ്രാണൻ, അപാനൻ, സമാനൻ, ഉദാനൻ, വ്യാനൻ—അതുപോലെ നാഗൻ, കൂർമൻ, കൃകലൻ, ദേവദത്തൻ, ധനഞ്ജയൻ—ഇവ ദേഹത്തിൽ പ്രവർത്തിക്കുന്ന പ്രാണവായുക്കളാണ്. അവയുടെ പ്രവർത്തനം അറിഞ്ഞ യോഗി പ്രാണശക്തിയെ സ്ഥിരപ്പെടുത്തി, സർവ്വശ്വാസാധിപനായ പരമേശ്വരൻ ശിവൻ (പതി) ദിശയിലേക്ക് അതിനെ അന്തർമുഖമാക്കുന്നു.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teaching to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
FAQs
It enumerates the ten vāyus (five main and five subsidiary) to show that embodied life is governed by subtle forces; by understanding and mastering them, the seeker loosens pāśa (bondage) and orients the inner current toward Śiva, the supreme Pati who is beyond the breath yet immanent as its regulator.
In Vāyavīya teachings, inner worship supports outer worship: stabilizing prāṇa makes japa, dhyāna, and Liṅga-pūjā steady and one-pointed, allowing Saguna Śiva (worshiped as the Liṅga) to be realized as the indwelling Lord who empowers all vital functions.
A practical takeaway is prāṇāyāma with Śiva-mantra japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), using calm inhalation–retention–exhalation to steady prāṇa and apāna, making the mind fit for Śiva-dhyāna; if done ritually, it can be paired with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa as supports for Shaiva sādhanā.