Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 51

पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः

Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge

Devanagari script

यच्छरीरमिदं प्रोक्तं पुरुषस्य ततः परम् । अशुद्धमवशं दुःखमध्रुवं न च विद्यते

Transliteration

yaccharīramidaṃ proktaṃ puruṣasya tataḥ param | aśuddhamavaśaṃ duḥkhamadhruvaṃ na ca vidyate

Translation

กายนี้ที่กล่าวว่าเป็นของปุรุษะ แท้จริงเป็นสิ่งอื่นจากอาตมัน มันไม่บริสุทธิ์ ถูกพันธนาการครอบงำ เป็นที่ตั้งแห่งทุกข์ และไม่เที่ยง—ไม่มีความมั่นคงเลย

Word by Word

• yat: which
• yat: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (यद् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd: प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); relative pronoun

• śarīram: body
• śarīram: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śarīra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd: प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन)

• idam: this
• idam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: idam (इदम् प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd: प्रथमा/द्वितीया), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun

• proktam: said / declared
• proktam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + vac (वच् धातु) + kta (क्त) → prokta (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; past passive participle (क्त)

• puruṣasya: of the person
• puruṣasya: Ṣaṣṭhī-sambandha (षष्ठीसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Noun
• Root: puruṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Genitive (6th/षष्ठी), Singular (एकवचन)

• tataḥ: from that / thereafter
• tataḥ: Apādāna/Hetu nuance (अपादान/हेतु)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tatas (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; adverb (क्रियाविशेषण) meaning 'thereafter/from that'

• param: beyond / other than
• param: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: para (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; used predicatively

• aśuddham: impure
• aśuddham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + śuddha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; predicate adjective (विशेषण)

• avaśam: helpless / uncontrolled
• avaśam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + vaśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; 'not under control'

• duḥkham: painful
• duḥkham: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; used as predicate adjective

• adhruvam: impermanent
• adhruvam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a- + dhruva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napumsaka (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Nominative/Accusative (1st/2nd), Singular; 'impermanent'

• na: not
• na: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; negation particle (निषेध-निपात)

• ca: and
• ca: Samuccaya (समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• vidyate: exists / is found
• vidyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vid (विद् धातु)
• Form: Laṭ-lakāra (लट्, present), Ātmanepada (आत्मनेपद), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन); existential sense 'is found/exists'

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya philosophical teaching to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It cultivates viveka (discernment): the body is not the true Self, but a temporary, impure, suffering-prone instrument bound by pasha (limitations). This insight turns the seeker toward Pati (Shiva) as the liberator and toward moksha rather than bodily identity.

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

By exposing the body’s instability, the verse redirects devotion from perishable supports to the eternal Lord. Linga-worship (Saguna Shiva) becomes a steady focus for the mind, leading the bound soul beyond bodily identification toward Shiva’s transcendent reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice daily Shiva-smarana with the Panchakshara mantra ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and cultivate detachment through meditation on the body’s impermanence; support this with Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrāksha as reminders of Pati and the goal of liberation.