Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 38

Devanagari script

ज्ञनान्वयवशात्पुंसः संसारे दोषदर्शनम् । ततो विषयवैराग्यं वैराग्याद्भावसाधनम्

Transliteration

jñanānvayavaśātpuṃsaḥ saṃsāre doṣadarśanam | tato viṣayavairāgyaṃ vairāgyādbhāvasādhanam

Translation

Quando o conhecimento desponta numa pessoa, ela passa a perceber os defeitos inerentes ao saṃsāra. Daí nasce o desapego aos objetos dos sentidos (vairāgya); e do desapego vem o cultivo do bhāva verdadeiro: uma absorção devocional firme dirigida ao Senhor Śiva, o Pati que liberta a alma atada.

Word by Word

• jñāna-anvaya-vaśāt: due to the influence of connection with knowledge
• jñāna-anvaya-vaśāt: Hetu (हेतु/Reason)
• Type: Noun
• Root: jñāna (प्रातिपदिक) + anvaya (प्रातिपदिक) + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular; तद्धित/समासान्त-प्रयोगः: ‘...वशात्’ = ‘...वशेन’ (by the influence of ...)

• puṃsaḥ: of a man/person
• puṃsaḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Possessor)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pumān (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular

• saṃsāre: in worldly existence (saṃsāra)
• saṃsāre: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण/Location)
• Type: Noun
• Root: saṃsāra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular

• doṣa-darśanam: perception/seeing of faults
• doṣa-darśanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: doṣa (प्रातिपदिक) + darśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• tataḥ: thereupon/from that
• tataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Sequence)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning ‘thereupon/from that’

• viṣaya-vairāgyam: dispassion toward sense-objects
• viṣaya-vairāgyam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: viṣaya (प्रातिपदिक) + vairāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• vairāgyāt: from dispassion
• vairāgyāt: Hetu (हेतु/Cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vairāgya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Ablative (5th/पञ्चमी), Singular

• bhāva-sādhanam: means/attainment of (spiritual) state/realization
• bhāva-sādhanam: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhāva (प्रातिपदिक) + sādhana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It presents a Shaiva path of inner ascent: right knowledge reveals the limitations of saṁsāra, which naturally produces detachment, and that detachment matures into bhāva—stable God-centered devotion and meditative orientation toward Śiva that leads toward liberation.

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

Seeing the defects of sense-enjoyment turns the mind away from outward objects and toward a sacred support for contemplation; Linga-worship (Saguna focus) becomes a means to stabilize bhāva, gradually refining the devotee toward the realization of Śiva beyond limitation.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is to cultivate vairāgya and then steady bhāva through daily japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with Śiva-dhyāna; supporting disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa may be adopted as aids to constancy and purity of intention.