Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
Śiva’s Freedom from Bondage and His Cosmic Support (शिवस्य अबन्धत्वं तथा सर्वाधिष्ठानत्वम्)
उपमन्युरुवाच । नशिवस्याणवो बंधः कार्यो मायेय एव वा । प्राकृतो वाथ बोद्धा वा ह्यहंकारात्मकस्तथा
upamanyuruvāca | naśivasyāṇavo baṃdhaḥ kāryo māyeya eva vā | prākṛto vātha boddhā vā hyahaṃkārātmakastathā
优波摩纽说道：“对湿婆而言并无任何系缚——既非阿ṇava之缚，亦非业（karma）所生之缚，亦非幻力（māyā）之缚；所谓属物质自然的（prākṛta）或属有限知者的（boddhā）之缚也不存在，因为此类系缚皆根植于我执（ahaṅkāra），而我执并不属于祂。”
Upamanyu
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: Doctrinal clarification: Śiva is never subject to āṇava, karma, or māyā bonds; bondage is a condition of paśu rooted in ahaṅkāra, not of Pati.
Significance: Establishes correct metaphysics for worship: the Lord approached in pilgrimage is eternally free (nitya-mukta); liberation depends on His grace, not on altering His state.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes Śiva as Pati—the eternally free Lord—untouched by the three bonds (āṇava, karma, and māyā). Bondage belongs to the ego-bound soul (paśu), not to Śiva, reinforcing devotion to Him as the liberator.
Linga-worship directs the mind to Śiva as the transcendent Pati who is beyond ego and impurity. Even when approached in saguna form through the Linga, the devotee contemplates His nirguṇa freedom from māyā and karma, seeking release from pasha.
A practical takeaway is ego-transcending japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with dhyāna on Śiva as ever-unbound, supported by Shaiva disciplines like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa as reminders to dissolve ahaṅkāra.