Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 53

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

Devanagari script

अभ्यर्चनान्ते तु पुनः प्राणानायम्य मानवः । सम्यक्चित्तं समाधाय शार्वं नामाष्टकं जपेत्

Transliteration

abhyarcanānte tu punaḥ prāṇānāyamya mānavaḥ | samyakcittaṃ samādhāya śārvaṃ nāmāṣṭakaṃ japet

Translation

继而于礼拜圆满之时，奉行者当再以调息（prāṇāyāma）摄持诸气；并善加收摄、安住其心于定中，诵念“沙尔瓦八名”（Śārva Nāma-aṣṭaka）——主沙尔瓦（湿婆）的八个圣名。

Word by Word

• abhyarcana-ante: at the end of worship
• abhyarcana-ante: Adhikaraṇa (अधिकरण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: abhyarcana (प्रातिपदिक) + anta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुषसमास) 'abhyarcanasya ante'; Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Saptamī vibhakti (सप्तमी/7th case, locative), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• tu: but/and then
• tu: Vākyasaṃbandha (वाक्यसम्बन्ध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tu (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adversative/contrast particle (निपात)

• punaḥ: again
• punaḥ: Kriyāviśeṣaṇa (क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: punaḥ (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya (अव्यय), adverb (पुनरावृत्तिसूचक)

• prāṇān: breaths, vital airs
• prāṇān: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: prāṇa (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Bahuvacana (बहुवचन)

• āyamya: having restrained
• āyamya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: ā√yam (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/य-प्रत्यय), 'having restrained/controlled'

• mānavaḥ: the man/devotee
• mānavaḥ: Karta (कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: mānava (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Masculine (पुंलिङ्ग), Prathamā vibhakti (प्रथमा/1st case), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• samyak-cittam: the well-collected mind
• samyak-cittam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: samyak (अव्यय/प्रातिपदिक) + citta (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Karmadhāraya-samāsa (कर्मधारयसमास) 'samyak cittam'; Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• samādhāya: having composed/fixed
• samādhāya: Pūrvakāla-kriyā (पूर्वकालक्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: sam-ā-√dhā (धातु)
• Form: Kṛdanta: Absolutive/Gerund (ल्यप्/य-प्रत्यय), 'having fixed/placed (in concentration)'

• śārvaṃ: of Śarva (Śiva)
• śārvaṃ: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: śārva (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Ekavacana (एकवचन); qualifies nāmāṣṭakam

• nāma-aṣṭakam: the octad of names
• nāma-aṣṭakam: Karma (कर्म)
• Type: Noun
• Root: nāman (प्रातिपदिक) + aṣṭaka (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Tatpuruṣa-samāsa (तत्पुरुषसमास) 'nāmnām aṣṭakam' (octad of names); Neuter (नपुंसकलिङ्ग), Dvitīyā vibhakti (द्वितीया/2nd case), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

• japet: should recite
• japet: Kriyā (क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √jap (धातु)
• Form: Vidhi-liṅ (विधिलिङ्, optative), Parasmaipada (परस्मैपद), Prathama-puruṣa (प्रथमपुरुष), Ekavacana (एकवचन)

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha

Mantra Metadata

Mantra: śārva-nāmāṣṭaka (aṣṭa nāmāni of Śarva/Śiva; text not quoted in this verse)

Type: stotra

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It teaches that outer worship should culminate in inner worship—prāṇāyāma and steady concentration—so devotion matures into inward absorption in Śiva, the Pati who liberates the bound soul.

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

After completing saguna, form-based pūjā (such as Liṅga worship), the practitioner turns inward through breath-regulation and mantra-japa, allowing the mind to rest in Śiva’s presence beyond mere external ritual.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Perform prāṇāyāma after pūjā, establish the mind in focused stillness, and then do japa of the Śārva Nāma-aṣṭaka (eight names of Śiva) as a concluding meditative offering.