Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 4

योगप्रकारनिर्णयः

Classification and Definition of Yoga

Devanagari script

तच्च तत्कारणं चैव तत्कालकरणानि च । तद्भेदतारतम्यं च वक्तुमर्हसि तत्त्वतः

Transliteration

tacca tatkāraṇaṃ caiva tatkālakaraṇāni ca | tadbhedatāratamyaṃ ca vaktumarhasi tattvataḥ

Translation

และขอท่านโปรดอธิบายตามความจริง—สิ่งนั้นคือหลักตत्त्वใด และเหตุของมันคืออะไร เครื่องมือ/ปัจจัยที่ทำงานในกาลนั้นมีอะไรบ้าง และในบรรดาแขนงต่าง ๆ ของมันมีลำดับชั้นและความแตกต่างกันอย่างไร.

Word by Word

• tat: that
• tat: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd: Nom/Acc), एकवचन; सर्वनाम

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चयबोधक (and)

• tat-kāraṇam: its cause
• tat-kāraṇam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kāraṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd: Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्य कारणम् = its cause)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• eva: indeed
• eva: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/अवधारण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: eva (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; अवधारण/निश्चयार्थक निपात (emphatic particle: indeed/just)

• tat-kāla-karaṇāni: the means/instruments at that time
• tat-kāla-karaṇāni: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + kāla (प्रातिपदिक) + karaṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd: Nom/Acc), बहुवचन; तत्पुरुष (तत्काले करणानि = instruments/means at that time)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• tat-bheda-tāratamyam: the gradation among its differences
• tat-bheda-tāratamyam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: tad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक) + bheda (प्रातिपदिक) + tāratamya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा/द्वितीया (1st/2nd: Nom/Acc), एकवचन; तत्पुरुष (तस्य भेदस्य तारतम्यम् = gradation among its varieties)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/समुच्चय)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्यय; समुच्चय (and)

• vaktum: to tell
• vaktum: Karma (कर्म/Objective of request)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच्) + tumun (तुमुन्)
• Form: तुमुनन्त (infinitive) ‘वक्तुम्’ = to speak/tell

• arhasi: you are able/ought
• arhasi: Kriyā (क्रिया/Predicate)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √arh (अर्ह्) (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार (Present), मध्यमपुरुष (2nd person), एकवचन; परस्मैपद

• tattvataḥ: in accordance with truth
• tattvataḥ: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/रीति)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tattva (प्रातिपदिक) + tas (तसिल्)
• Form: अव्यय; तसिलन्त क्रियाविशेषण (ablatival adverb: in truth/according to reality)

Speaker

A sage-disciple (the inquirer) addressing the main narrator/teacher in the Vāyavīya discourse (traditionally Sūta conveying the teaching lineage)

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pasha

Shiva Form: Īśāna

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Analytical inquiry into cause, instruments, and gradations mirrors the pilgrim’s inner yātrā through tattvas—discerning bondage (pāśa) and its hierarchy to reach Śiva.

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

The verse emphasizes tattvataḥ—knowing reality as it truly is—by asking for an exact account of a principle, its cause, and the graded distinctions within it. In Shaiva Siddhanta, such right knowledge supports liberation by clarifying Pati (Shiva), pashu (the soul), and pasha (bondage) and their relative status.

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

It frames worship as not merely ritual but informed devotion: understanding causes, instruments, and gradations helps the devotee move from external supports (saguna worship of Shiva as Linga) toward steadier insight into Shiva as the supreme Pati who governs time and the tattvas.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

The practical takeaway is śravaṇa-manana—listening and reflecting on Shiva-tattva teachings—alongside steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), using the clarity of “cause and gradation” to deepen meditation rather than remaining at a purely external level.