Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 16

Śiva’s Freedom from Bondage and His Cosmic Support (शिवस्य अबन्धत्वं तथा सर्वाधिष्ठानत्वम्)

Devanagari script

स पुंविशेषः परमो भगवानन्तकांतकः । चेतनचेतनोन्मुक्तः प्रपञ्चाच्च परात्परः

Transliteration

sa puṃviśeṣaḥ paramo bhagavānantakāṃtakaḥ | cetanacetanonmuktaḥ prapañcācca parātparaḥ

Translation

彼为至上超越之人位——薄伽梵湿婆，灭死之主。既不为有情亦不为无情所缚，超出一切显现宇宙；乃至高之上更高者。

Word by Word

• सः: he
• सः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: तद् (सर्वनाम-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; सर्वनाम (pronoun)

• पुं-विशेषः: the supreme Person (distinct male principle)
• पुं-विशेषः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: पुंस् (प्रातिपदिक) + विशेष (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः (genitive determinative): ‘पुंसः विशेषः’

• परमः: supreme
• परमः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: परम (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण (qualifier)

• भगवान्: the Blessed Lord
• भगवान्: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: भगवत् (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; ‘भगवत्’ शब्दः (possessor of bhaga)

• अन्तक-अन्तकः: the destroyer of Death
• अन्तक-अन्तकः: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: अन्तक (प्रातिपदिक) + अन्तक (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; षष्ठी-तत्पुरुषः: ‘अन्तकस्य अन्तकः’ (destroyer of Death)

• चेतन-अचेतन-उन्मुक्तः: free from both the sentient and the insentient
• चेतन-अचेतन-उन्मुक्तः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: चेतन (प्रातिपदिक) + अचेतन (प्रातिपदिक) + उन्मुक्त (कृदन्त-प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; समासः (determinative): ‘चेतनाच्च अचेतनाच्च उन्मुक्तः’ (free from sentient and insentient); ‘उन्मुक्त’ = क्त-प्रत्ययान्त (past passive participle) from √मुच् (मुच् धातु) with उद्-उपसर्ग

• प्रपञ्चात्: from the phenomenal world
• प्रपञ्चात्: Apādāna (अपादान/Source)
• Type: Noun
• Root: प्रपञ्च (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; अपादान (source/separation)

• च: and
• च: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: च (अव्यय)
• Form: समुच्चय-अव्यय (conjunction)

• परात्: than the beyond (from what is beyond)
• परात्: Apādāna (अपादान/Standard of comparison)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग (contextual), पञ्चमी (5th/Ablative), एकवचन; ‘पर’ = beyond; used in comparative sense ‘than the beyond’

• परः: higher
• परः: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: पर (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग, प्रथमा (1st/Nominative), एकवचन; विशेषण

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pati

Shiva Form: Kālāntaka

Jyotirlinga Context

Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single Jyotirliṅga; ‘Antakāntaka’ (slayer of Death) is a pan-Indian epithet often invoked at cremation-ground kṣetras and in mṛtyu-jaya contexts.

Significance: Assures devotees that Śiva transcends both cetana and acetana and grants fearlessness (abhaya) regarding death and saṃsāra.

Mantra Metadata

Type: mahamrityunjaya

Shakti Dimension

Role: liberating

Cosmic Context

Cosmic Event: Implicit mahā-pralaya transcendence: ‘beyond the cosmos’ (prapañcāt parātparaḥ)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It declares Śiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who is utterly free from all limiting conditions (both conscious beings and inert matter) and who transcends the entire prapañca; realizing Him as “beyond the beyond” is presented as the ground of liberation.

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

Though Śiva is described as transcendent, the Shiva Purana teaches that devotees approach this same Supreme through saguna supports like the Śiva-liṅga; worship begins with form and culminates in recognition of the formless, all-surpassing Lord.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Meditate on Śiva as Antakāntaka while repeating the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), offering worship to the liṅga with a mindset of detachment from both body-mind (cetana) and material objects (acetana).