Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 57
शिवशक्त्यैक्य-तत्त्वविचारः / Inquiry into the Unity of Śiva and Śakti
Para–Apara Ontology
द्रष्टव्यं वस्तुरूपं तु बिभर्ति वक्तवल्लभा । द्रष्टा विश्वेश्वरो देवः शशिखंडशिखामणिः
draṣṭavyaṃ vasturūpaṃ tu bibharti vaktavallabhā | draṣṭā viśveśvaro devaḥ śaśikhaṃḍaśikhāmaṇiḥ
Kekasih Sang Penutur (Śakti) menyarung rupa benda yang hendak dipersepsi. Namun Sang Pelihat sejati ialah Viśveśvara, Tuhan semesta—yang mahkotanya dihiasi bulan laksana permata.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: By naming Viśveśvara, the verse naturally evokes Kāśī’s Viśvanātha: Śiva as Lord of the universe and ultimate Seer; Kāśī is famed as the place where Śiva grants liberation-teaching (tāraka) at death.
Significance: Darśana of Viśvanātha is held to purify perception itself; the teaching here frames all ‘seen objects’ as Śakti’s assumed forms, while the true Seer is Śiva—supporting liberating discernment (viveka) and grace.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It distinguishes the changing ‘seen’ (experienced objects and forms manifested through Śakti) from the unchanging ‘Seer’—Shiva as Viśveśvara, the supreme witness-consciousness (Pati) who grants liberation when recognized as one’s true Self.
The verse supports Saguna upāsanā by pointing to Shiva’s recognizable form (Chandrashekhara, the moon-crested Lord) while teaching that the Linga ultimately signifies the inner Seer beyond all perceived forms, guiding the devotee from form to transcendence.
Meditate on Shiva as the ‘Drashta’ (witness) while offering worship to the moon-crested Shiva (Chandrashekhara/Viśveśvara); repeat Om Namaḥ Śivāya with the contemplation: “All that is seen changes; Shiva alone is the Seer.”