Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 52

ध्यानप्रकारनिर्णयः / Determination of the Modes of Meditation

on Śrīkaṇṭha-Śiva

Devanagari script

यथा हि मरणं श्रेष्ठमुशंत्यनशनादिभिः । शास्त्रविश्रंभधीरेण मनसा क्रियते यतः

Transliteration

yathā hi maraṇaṃ śreṣṭhamuśaṃtyanaśanādibhiḥ | śāstraviśraṃbhadhīreṇa manasā kriyate yataḥ

Translation

ഉപവാസാദി ആചാരങ്ങളാൽ മരണത്തെ പരമശ്രേയസ്സെന്നു ചിലർ പ്രസ്താവിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ, ശാസ്ത്രവിശ്വാസത്തിൽ ധീരമായ മനസ്സാൽ തന്നെയാണ് അത് സംഭവിപ്പിക്കപ്പെടുന്നത്।

Word by Word

• यथा: as/just as
• यथा: प्रकार (Manner/प्रकार)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यथा (अव्यय)
• Form: उपमान/प्रकारवाचक अव्यय (as/just as)

• हि: indeed/for
• हि: निपातार्थ (Particle function/निपातार्थ)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: हि (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतौ/निश्चयार्थक निपात (indeed/for)

• मरणम्: death
• मरणम्: कर्ता/विषय (Subject/विषय)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मरण (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचन

• श्रेष्ठम्: best/supreme
• श्रेष्ठम्: विधेयविशेषण (Predicate adjective/विधेयविशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: श्रेष्ठ (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा, एकवचन; विशेषण (agreeing with मरणम्)

• उशन्ति: they approve/consider (as desirable)
• उशन्ति: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: वश्/उश् (धातु; 'to desire/approve')
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष (3rd person), बहुवचन; परस्मैपदम्

• अनशन-आदिभिः: by fasting and other (austerities)
• अनशन-आदिभिः: करण/साधन (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अनशन (प्रातिपदिक) + आदि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), बहुवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (अनशनम् आदिः येषां तैः)

• शास्त्र-विश्रंभ-धीरेण: by one steadfast through trust in scripture
• शास्त्र-विश्रंभ-धीरेण: करण (Karaṇa/करण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: शास्त्र (प्रातिपदिक) + विश्रंभ (प्रातिपदिक) + धीर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन; समासः तत्पुरुषः (शास्त्रे विश्रंभः यस्य सः; तेन)

• मनसा: with the mind
• मनसा: करण (Karaṇa/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: मनस् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचन

• क्रियते: is done/performed
• क्रियते: क्रिया (Verb/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: कृ (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि प्रयोगः (passive: 'is done')

• यतः: because/since
• यतः: हेतु (Cause/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: यतस् (अव्यय)
• Form: हेतुवाचक अव्यय (because/since)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific verse; it critiques/frames the notion that ‘death is supreme’ via austerities, and shifts emphasis to the mind steadied by śāstra-trust—implying inner orientation over mere location.

Significance: Indirectly relativizes pilgrimage/austerity: the decisive factor is śāstra-viśrambha and mental steadiness, not the external act alone.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

FAQs

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

It emphasizes that outcomes associated with severe austerities are fundamentally shaped by inner intention: a mind stabilized by trust in śāstra directs one’s spiritual trajectory, underscoring the primacy of disciplined consciousness over mere external acts.

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

Linga-worship and Saguna Shiva devotion become transformative when performed with a mind anchored in scriptural understanding and steady faith; the verse points to the inner bhāva (resolved intention) as the power that makes rites fruitful rather than mechanically performed.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Undertake vrata practices like fasting with śāstra-guided steadiness—combine devotion (e.g., Om Namaḥ Śivāya japa) with a firm, calm mind, so the outer observance is supported by inner discipline.