Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
शैवधर्मप्रशंसा तथा पञ्चविधसाधनविभागः / Praise of Śaiva Dharma and the Fivefold Classification of Practice
ऋषय ऊचुः । किं तच्छ्रेष्टमनुष्ठानं मोक्षो येनपरोक्षितः । तत्तस्य साधनं चाद्य वक्तुमर्हसि मारुत
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | kiṃ tacchreṣṭamanuṣṭhānaṃ mokṣo yenaparokṣitaḥ | tattasya sādhanaṃ cādya vaktumarhasi māruta
เหล่าฤๅษีกล่าวว่า “วัตรปฏิบัติอันประเสริฐยิ่งนั้นคืออะไร ที่ทำให้โมกษะประจักษ์โดยตรง? และเครื่องมือหนทางเพื่อบรรลุคืออะไร? โอ้มารุตะ โปรดกล่าวแก่เราบัดนี้”
The sages (ṛṣis), addressing Vāyu (Māruta)
Tattva Level: pashu
Significance: Frames the core Śaiva aim: moving from parokṣa (mediated, scriptural) to aparokṣa (immediate) mokṣa; motivates pilgrimage/saṅga as supports but does not specify a shrine.
FAQs
It frames the central Shaiva inquiry: identifying the supreme sādhana that turns moksha from a merely “heard-of/remote” goal into direct realization, urging a clear, practical teaching on liberation.
By asking for the “best discipline” and its means, the sages open the way for Vāyu to explain the Shaiva path where Saguna worship (such as Linga-upāsanā, mantra, and devotion) purifies bondage and culminates in realization of Shiva as the supreme Pati.
The verse itself is a request rather than a prescription, but it points toward an authoritative exposition of sādhana—typically including Shiva-bhakti, mantra-japa (notably the Panchakshara), and yogic/meditative discipline leading to direct insight.