Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 2

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

Devanagari script

वायुरुवाच । शैवो हि परमो धर्मः श्रेष्ठानुष्ठानशब्दितः । यत्रापरोक्षो लक्ष्येत साक्षान्मोक्षप्रदः शिवः

Transliteration

vāyuruvāca | śaivo hi paramo dharmaḥ śreṣṭhānuṣṭhānaśabditaḥ | yatrāparokṣo lakṣyeta sākṣānmokṣapradaḥ śivaḥ

Translation

伐由说道：“确然，湿婆之道（Śaiva）乃至上正法，被称为一切圣行中最胜者；因为在其中，湿婆得以直接现见，而正是这位湿婆——作为当下的真实——赐予解脱。”

Word by Word

• vāyuḥ: Vāyu
• vāyuḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: vāyu (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• uvāca: said
• uvāca: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √vac (वच् धातु)
• Form: Perfect (लिट्), 3rd Person, Singular, Parasmaipada

• śaivaḥ: Śaiva
• śaivaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śaiva (प्रातिपदik)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; used as substantive (‘Śaiva [dharma]’)

• hi: indeed
• hi: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: hi (अव्यय)
• Form: Particle (निपात), emphasis/cause

• paramaḥ: supreme
• paramaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: parama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with dharmaḥ

• dharmaḥ: dharma
• dharmaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Visheshya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: dharma (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

• śreṣṭhānuṣṭhānaśabditaḥ: called ‘the best practice’
• śreṣṭhānuṣṭhānaśabditaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śreṣṭha + anuṣṭhāna + śabdita (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘called (śabditaḥ) [as] best-practice (śreṣṭha-anuṣṭhāna)’; śabdita = past passive participle from √śabd (शब्द्) ‘to name/call’

• yatra: where
• yatra: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yatra (अव्यय)
• Form: Relative adverb (देशवाचक अव्यय)

• aparokṣaḥ: directly manifest
• aparokṣaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: a-parokṣa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; agrees with śivaḥ

• lakṣyeta: is to be perceived
• lakṣyeta: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √lakṣ (लक्ष् धातु)
• Form: Optative (विधिलिङ्), 3rd Person, Singular, Ātmanepada; passive sense ‘would be perceived/recognized’

• sākṣāt: directly/in person
• sākṣāt: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: sākṣāt (अव्यय)
• Form: Adverb (रीतिवाचक अव्यय)

• mokṣapradaḥ: bestower of liberation
• mokṣapradaḥ: Visheshana (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: mokṣa + prada (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular; tatpuruṣa: ‘giver of mokṣa’

• śivaḥ: Śiva
• śivaḥ: Karta (कर्ता) / Visheshya (विशेष्य)
• Type: Noun
• Root: śiva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine, Nominative, Singular

Speaker

Vayu

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Sadāśiva

Jyotirlinga Context

Significance: Affirms Śaiva-dharma as the path where Śiva becomes aparokṣa (immediately intuited/realized), the hallmark of true tīrtha: darśana culminating in mokṣa through Śiva’s grace.

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Vayu

FAQs

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

It declares Śaiva Dharma as supreme because it culminates in aparokṣa-anubhava—direct realization of Śiva as Pati—through which bondage is cut and mokṣa is granted.

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

Śaiva observance commonly begins with saguna upāsanā such as Liṅga worship to purify mind and devotion, and matures into direct recognition of Śiva’s presence—moving from symbol and form toward immediate realization.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

It points to disciplined Śaiva anuṣṭhāna—regular worship, japa, and contemplation—aimed at direct experience of Śiva; practical takeaways include Panchākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and steady dhyāna on Śiva as the giver of mokṣa.