Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 52

योगप्रकारनिर्णयः

Classification and Definition of Yoga

Devanagari script

ध्येयावस्थितचित्तस्य सदृशः प्रत्ययश्च यः । प्रत्ययान्तरनिर्मुक्तः प्रवाहो ध्यानमुच्यते

Transliteration

dhyeyāvasthitacittasya sadṛśaḥ pratyayaśca yaḥ | pratyayāntaranirmuktaḥ pravāho dhyānamucyate

Translation

جب چِتّ دھْیَے میں ثابت ہو اور اسی کے مشابہ ادراک پیدا ہو، جو دوسرے خیالات کی مداخلت سے پاک ہو کر مسلسل دھارا کی طرح بہتا رہے—اسی کو ‘دھیان’ کہا جاتا ہے۔

Word by Word

• dhyeya-avasthita-cittasya: of one whose mind is fixed on the object of meditation
• dhyeya-avasthita-cittasya: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive qualifier)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyeya (प्रातिपदिक) + avasthita (प्रातिपदिक; √sthā धातोः क्त) + citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, षष्ठी-विभक्ति (Genitive), एकवचन; बहुपद-तत्पुरुष-समासः (ध्येये अवस्थितं चित्तं यस्य/तस्य—here as genitive qualifier)

• sadṛśaḥ: similar/consistent
• sadṛśaḥ: Visheshaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: sadṛśa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; 'प्रत्ययः' इति विशेष्यस्य विशेषणम्

• pratyayaḥ: cognition/mental modification
• pratyayaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pratyaya (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

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

• yaḥ: which/that
• yaḥ: Karta (कर्ता/relative)
• Type: Noun
• Root: yad (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; सम्बन्धसूचक-यः (relative pronoun)

• pratyaya-antara-nirmuktaḥ: free from other intervening cognitions
• pratyaya-antara-nirmuktaḥ: Visheshaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pratyaya (प्रातिपदिक) + antara (प्रातिपदिक) + nirmukta (प्रातिपदिक; √muc धातोः क्त, नि-उपसर्ग)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन; तत्पुरुष-समासः (प्रत्ययान्तरात् निर्मुक्तः)

• pravāhaḥ: a flow/stream
• pravāhaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: pravāha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• dhyānam: meditation
• dhyānam: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dhyāna (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: नपुंसकलिङ्ग, प्रथमा-विभक्ति, एकवचन

• ucyate: is called
• ucyate: Kriya (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: vac (धातु)
• Form: लट्-लकार, प्रथमपुरुष, एकवचन; कर्मणि प्रयोग (Passive)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not tied to a Jyotirliṅga; it gives a technical definition: dhyāna is a continuous, homogeneous stream of cognition aligned with the dhyeya.

Significance: Establishes the inner criterion for valid meditation: pratyaya-pravāha without pratyayāntara (intrusive thoughts).

Shakti Dimension

Role: teaching

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It defines true meditation as an unbroken stream of Shiva-oriented awareness, where the mind remains aligned with the chosen dhyeya and does not wander into other thought-forms—supporting inner purification and readiness for Shiva-realization (Pati-jñāna) in a Shaiva Siddhanta frame.

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

The Linga (or a Saguna form of Shiva) can serve as the dhyeya; meditation is established when the mind’s cognition repeatedly takes the form of that sacred support without distraction, maturing from external worship (bahir-ārādhana) toward inward worship (antar-ārādhana).

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice steady japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) while holding one dhyeya—such as the Shiva-linga—so the mind maintains a continuous, undistracted flow; this aligns well with Shaiva disciplines often paired with bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrāksha as supports to recollection.