Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 60
मङ्गलाचरणम्, तीर्थ-परिसरः, सूतागमनम् — Invocation, Sacred Setting, and the Arrival of Sūta
पञ्चमी कथिता चोमा षष्ठी कैलाससंहिता । सप्तमी वायवीयाख्या सप्तैवं संहिता इह
pañcamī kathitā comā ṣaṣṭhī kailāsasaṃhitā | saptamī vāyavīyākhyā saptaivaṃ saṃhitā iha
“Yang kelima dinyatakan sebagai Umā-saṃhitā; yang keenam ialah Kailāsa-saṃhitā; yang ketujuh dikenal sebagai Vāyavīya-saṃhitā. Demikianlah, di sini terdapat tujuh Saṃhitā dalam Śiva Purāṇa.”
Suta Goswami
Sthala Purana: This verse is a meta-catalogue of the Śiva Purāṇa’s internal Saṃhitā-structure (Umā, Kailāsa, Vāyavīya), not a Jyotirliṅga māhātmya episode.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes the canonical structure of the Śiva Purāṇa as seven Saṃhitās, guiding seekers to the later sections (Umā, Kailāsa, Vāyavīya) where deeper Shaiva teachings on Pati (Śiva), paśu (soul), and pāśa (bondage) are emphasized.
By mapping the Saṃhitās, it points devotees to the appropriate textual “pathways” within the Purāṇa—some stressing external devotion and Linga-worship, and others (like Vāyavīya) unfolding the inner meaning of worship, where Saguna practices mature into insight into Śiva as the supreme Pati.
No single rite is prescribed in this verse; its takeaway is to study and follow the Purāṇa in its intended order—using devotion, mantra, and yogic contemplation as taught especially in the Umā, Kailāsa, and Vāyavīya Saṃhitās.