Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 3
योगप्रकारनिर्णयः
Classification and Definition of Yoga
यद्यस्ति मरणं पूर्वं योगाद्यनुपमर्दतः । सद्यः साधयितुं शक्यं येन स्यान्नात्महा नरः
yadyasti maraṇaṃ pūrvaṃ yogādyanupamardataḥ | sadyaḥ sādhayituṃ śakyaṃ yena syānnātmahā naraḥ
Jika kematian pramatang menjelang akibat gangguan atau kegagalan yoga dan disiplin yang berkaitan, ada suatu upaya yang dapat dilaksanakan serta-merta—dengannya seseorang tidak menjadi pembunuh Ātman (tidak jatuh ke dalam kebinasaan diri dan keruntuhan rohani).
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā teachings to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Vaidyanātha
Sthala Purana: Vaidyanātha is famed as Śiva the divine physician who removes fear of death and grants protection; the verse’s concern with premature death and ‘ātma-hatyā’ resonates with Śiva’s healing/anugraha function.
Significance: Protection from untimely death, relief from afflictions, and restoration of right spiritual course through Śiva’s grace.
Mantra: oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭivardhanam | urvārukamiva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt ||
Type: mahamrityunjaya
Role: nurturing
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches that even when one’s yogic discipline is shaken and danger is near, a prompt Shaiva remedy exists that preserves spiritual integrity—so one does not become an ātmahā, a person who ruins his own liberation-oriented path.
In the Vāyavīya philosophical frame, the “immediate means” is typically grounded in taking refuge in Pati (Shiva) through concrete Saguna supports—Linga-worship, mantra, and disciplined observance—when inner yoga becomes unstable.
The verse points to an immediately doable sādhana: re-establishing steadiness through Shiva-oriented practice such as japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), along with purificatory observances like bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and focused meditation on Shiva as the protector of prāṇa and dharma.