Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 50

अनुग्रह-स्वातन्त्र्य-प्रमाणविचारः | Inquiry into Pramāṇa, Divine Autonomy, and Grace

Devanagari script

यत्तु गौणमगौणं च तत्सर्वमनुगृह्णतः । न गुणाय न दोषाय शिवस्य गुणवृत्तयः

Transliteration

yattu gauṇamagauṇaṃ ca tatsarvamanugṛhṇataḥ | na guṇāya na doṣāya śivasya guṇavṛttayaḥ

Translation

Apa jua yang disebut sebagai sekunder (gauṇa) atau utama (agauṇa), Śiva menerimanya semuanya dengan rahmat-Nya. Namun cara-cara Śiva menzahirkan diri melalui guṇa tidak menjadi pahala atau cela bagi-Nya, kerana Dia tetap suci, tidak tersentuh oleh apa-apa.

Word by Word

• yat: whatever/that which
• yat: Visheshya (विशेष्य) / Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd: प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• tu: but/indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), contrast/emphasis

• gauṇam: secondary/figurative
• gauṇam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: gauṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular; adjective used substantively

• agauṇam: non-secondary/literal
• agauṇam: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-gauṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; negative prefix a-

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Conjunction (समुच्चयबोधक अव्यय)

• tat: that
• tat: Visheshya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; demonstrative pronoun

• sarvam: all (of it)
• sarvam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sarva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative/Accusative, Singular; adjective used substantively

• anugṛhṇataḥ: of (him) who bestows grace
• anugṛhṇataḥ: Karta (कर्ता) (genitive of agent/कर्तृ-षष्ठी)
• Type: Verb
• Root: anu-√grah (ग्रह् धातु) (वर्तमान कृदन्त)
• Form: Present active participle (शतृ/वर्तमान कृदन्त), Genitive Singular (षष्ठी एकवचन) used as ‘of one who is favoring’; from anu+gṛhṇat

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• guṇāya: for merit/virtue
• guṇāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान) / Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dative (4th/चतुर्थी), Singular

• na: nor/not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• doṣāya: for fault/blame
• doṣāya: Sampradana (सम्प्रदान) / Prayojana (प्रयोजन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Dative (चतुर्थी), Singular

• śivasya: of Śiva
• śivasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• guṇavṛttayaḥ: the modes/operations of qualities
• guṇavṛttayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Visheshya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: guṇa + vṛtti (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Feminine (स्त्रीलिङ्ग), Nominative (प्रथमा), Plural (बहुवचन); षष्ठी-तत्पुरुष: ‘vṛttayaḥ of guṇa-s’

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse teaches that Shiva, the Pati (Lord), compassionately accepts diverse ways devotees describe and approach Him, while remaining intrinsically beyond the guṇas—so liberation depends on His grace, not on attributing merit or defect to Him.

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

Linga and other saguna forms are gracious supports for devotion; Shiva accepts such worship, yet the verse clarifies that these quality-based manifestations do not limit His true nature, which transcends virtue/defect and all guṇa-conditioning.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice steady bhakti with japa of the Panchakshara ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") while contemplating that the form worshipped is a compassionate means, and Shiva’s reality is untouched by guṇas—supporting inward detachment and meditation.