Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 3

शैवधर्मप्रशंसा तथा पञ्चविधसाधनविभागः / Praise of Śaiva Dharma and the Fivefold Classification of Practice

Devanagari script

स तु पञ्चविधो ज्ञेयः पञ्चभिः पर्वभिः क्रमात् । क्रियातपोजपध्यानज्ञानात्मभिरनुत्तरैः

Transliteration

sa tu pañcavidho jñeyaḥ pañcabhiḥ parvabhiḥ kramāt | kriyātapojapadhyānajñānātmabhiranuttaraiḥ

Translation

วัตรปฏิบัตินั้นพึงรู้ว่าเป็นห้าประการ ค่อยๆ คลี่คลายเป็นห้าขั้น: กริยา (พิธีกรรมอันสูงส่ง), ตบัส (ตบะ), ชปะ (สวดมนต์ซ้ำ), ธยานะ (สมาธิภาวนา) และญาณะ (ญาณอันให้ความหลุดพ้น)

Word by Word

• saḥ: that (dharma)
• saḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Visheshya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; pronoun ‘he/that’

• tu: indeed
• tu: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle

• pañcavidhaḥ: fivefold
• pañcavidhaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca + vidha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘of five kinds’

• jñeyaḥ: to be known
• jñeyaḥ: Predicative (विधेय)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: √jñā (ज्ञा धातु) (कृत्य)
• Form: Gerundive/obligatory participle (तव्यत्/यत्-class: कृत्य), Masculine, Nominative, Singular; passive necessity ‘to be known’

• pañcabhiḥ: by/with five
• pañcabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण) (with parvabhiḥ)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pañca (संख्याप्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Instrumental (तृतीया), Plural; numeral used adjectivally

• parvabhiḥ: stages/steps
• parvabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: parva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Instrumental (तृतीया), Plural

• kramāt: in sequence
• kramāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: krama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Ablative singular used adverbially (पञ्चमी-प्रयोगः अव्ययीभाववत्): ‘in order/ क्रमशः’

• kriyā-tapo-japa-dhyāna-jñāna-ātmabhiḥ: by (means) whose nature is action, austerity, recitation, meditation, and knowledge
• kriyā-tapo-japa-dhyāna-jñāna-ātmabhiḥ: Karaṇa (करण) / Hetu (हेतु)
• Type: Noun
• Root: kriyā + tapas + japa + dhyāna + jñāna + ātman (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Instrumental (तृतीया), Plural; multi-member tatpuruṣa with final ātman ‘having the nature of’: ‘whose nature consists of action, austerity, recitation, meditation, and knowledge’

• anuttaraiḥ: unsurpassed/supreme
• anuttaraiḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: anuttara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental, Plural; agrees with kriyā-...-ātmabhiḥ (instrumental plural)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It outlines a graded Shaiva sādhana where the seeker matures from outer observance (kriyā) to inner absorption (dhyāna) and finally to liberating knowledge (jñāna) that reveals Pati (Shiva) as the supreme reality who frees the bound soul (paśu) from bondage (pāśa).

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

It supports Linga/Saguna worship as the starting strength of the path (kriyā), which purifies the devotee; as purification deepens, worship naturally becomes mantra-centered (japa), contemplative (dhyāna), and culminates in direct insight (jñāna) into Shiva beyond form.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Adopt a sequential practice: perform Shiva-pūjā (kriyā) with disciplined living (tapas), then steady Panchakshara mantra japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), followed by meditative contemplation on Shiva (dhyāna), aiming for clear knowledge of Shiva’s presence as the inner Lord (jñāna).