Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 81

प्रणवविभागः—वेदस्वरूपत्वं लिङ्गे च प्रतिष्ठा

The Division of Oṃ, Its Vedic Forms, and Its Placement in the Liṅga

Devanagari script

एतस्मिन्नंतरे चित्रमिंद्रजालवदैश्वरम् । लिंगं क्वापि तिरोभूतं न ताभ्यामुपलभ्यते

Transliteration

etasminnaṃtare citramiṃdrajālavadaiśvaram | liṃgaṃ kvāpi tirobhūtaṃ na tābhyāmupalabhyate

Translation

ในขณะนั้น ด้วยอานุภาพอันน่าอัศจรรย์ดุจมายาอินทรชาลของพระผู้เป็นเจ้า ลึงค์ได้อันตรธานไป ณ ที่ใดที่หนึ่ง; ทั้งสองจึงไม่อาจแลเห็นได้อีก

Word by Word

• etasmin: in this
• etasmin: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: etad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular (एकवचन); demonstrative pronoun used adjectivally

• antare: in the interval
• antare: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: antara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Locative (7th/सप्तमी), Singular; 'in the interval/meanwhile'

• citram: wonderful/strange
• citram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: citra (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; predicate adjective

• indrajāla-vat: like a magic illusion
• indrajāla-vat: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: indrajāla + vat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; suffix -vat = 'like/possessing'

• aiśvaram: divine
• aiśvaram: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: aiśvara (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; 'divine/lordly' qualifying the event

• liṅgam: the liṅga
• liṅgam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: liṅga (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular

• kvāpi: somewhere
• kvāpi: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: kvāpi (अव्यय)
• Form: Indeclinable adverb (क्रियाविशेषण)

• tirobhūtam: having disappeared/vanished
• tirobhūtam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Verb
• Root: tiro-bhū (धातु) + kta (कृत्)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त/कर्मणि), Neuter, Nominative (1st/प्रथमा), Singular; avyayībhāva: tiraḥ + bhū = 'to disappear'

• na: not
• na: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: na (अव्यय)
• Form: Negation particle (निषेध)

• tābhyām: by those two
• tābhyām: Karana (करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine/Neuter, Instrumental (3rd/तृतीया), Dual (द्विवचन); pronoun 'by those two'

• upalabhyate: is obtained/found
• upalabhyate: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: upa-√labh (धातु)
• Form: Present tense (लट्), Passive voice (कर्मणि), 3rd person (प्रथमपुरुष), Singular (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: The verse evokes the Liṅga’s self-manifest, ungraspable nature: Śiva’s aiśvarya operates like indrajāla (illusion), withdrawing the perceptible liṅga to demonstrate tirodhāna—concealment that humbles even Brahmā and Viṣṇu and redirects them from mere perception to dependence on grace.

Significance: Contemplation of tirodhāna teaches that the Lord is not an object captured by senses; pilgrimage/worship becomes inward—seeking Śiva through surrender and mantra rather than mere sight.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Tirodhāna (divine concealment) enacted as a didactic cosmic event—withdrawal of the liṅga from perception.

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Linga

FAQs

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

It highlights Shiva as Pati (the Supreme Lord) whose aiśvarya can both reveal and conceal the Liṅga, teaching that the Absolute is not grasped by mere outward searching but is realized through grace, devotion, and inner purification.

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

The Liṅga here functions as Saguna Shiva’s sacred presence, yet its disappearance shows that Shiva is not limited to a visible form; true Liṅga-worship matures from external darśana to contemplative recognition of Shiva’s all-pervading reality.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Steady Liṅga-dhyāna with the Panchākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) is implied—seeking not spectacle but inward focus; maintaining purity with bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and disciplined worship supports that inward perception.