Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā
The Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, one of the great Purāṇas (sacred histories) devoted to Bhagavān Śiva, is made up of seven saṃhitās (books). The Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā is the seventh and last. It is told by Vāyu, the deva of the wind, to the ṛṣis (seers) gathered in the Naimiṣa forest, Naimiṣāraṇya. Many hold it to be the highest of the seven books.
It sets out the whole Śaiva path, both its teaching and its practice. It begins with the highest truths about Śiva as Parabrahman (the Supreme Reality). It then explains dīkṣā (initiation) and the ṣaḍadhva (purification of the “six paths”), and goes on to detailed methods for liṅga pratiṣṭhā (installing a Śivaliṅga) and aṣṭāṅga yoga (the eight-limbed yoga). It has two parts: the Pūrvakhāṇḍa (35 adhyāyas, or chapters) and the Uttarakhāṇḍa (40 adhyāyas, or 41 counting the closing chapter).
The Framing Story
The Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā is set in Naimiṣāraṇya, where the great ṛṣis (mahāṛṣis) were holding a sattra-yāga, a sacrifice lasting twelve years. When the sacrifice ended, Vāyu (also called Pavana), the deva of the wind, came before the ṛṣis. At their request he told them the complete wisdom of Śiva, as it had been handed down from Śiva himself.
Around this there is another layer. The outer narrator is Sūta (Romaharṣaṇa), who tells these events to Śaunaka and the ṛṣis of Naimiṣa. In the Uttarakhāṇḍa, chapters 1 to 36 give the teachings of the great ṛṣi Upamanyu to Śrī Kṛṣṇa, which came down to Sūta through Vyāsa and Sanatkumāra.
Pūrvakhāṇḍa (Chapters 1–35)
The Pūrvakhāṇḍa (first part) begins with the birth and tapas (austerities) of Upamanyu. From childhood he lived only on milk and gave himself wholly to Śiva. Later Kṛṣṇa came to Upamanyu, wishing for a son. The great ṛṣi taught him the full teaching of Śiva’s supremacy and initiated him into the Pāśupata vrata (the observance sacred to Śiva as Paśupati). Kṛṣṇa’s tapas on Śvetadvīpa bore fruit: Śiva appeared and granted him a boon. The birth of Sāmba to Kṛṣṇa is the central story of the Pūrvakhāṇḍa.
Main topics of the Pūrvakhāṇḍa:
- Upamanyu’s tapas and the milk-vrata: his childhood austerities, and how Śiva tested Upamanyu while disguised as Indra
- Kṛṣṇa’s visit to Upamanyu: seeking Śiva’s grace to have children
- Śiva’s supremacy shown: why Śiva is the supreme Parabrahman, above all the devas
- Pañcākṣara upadeśa: the handing down of the pañcākṣara mantra (the five-syllable mantra of Śiva)
- Pāśupata vrata: the highest observance for Śiva’s devotees
- Aṣṭamūrti: Śiva’s eight forms in the universe
- Dakṣa’s yajña and its destruction: Satī giving up her body in the fire, the creation of Vīrabhadra and the destruction of the yajña (sacrifice)
- Sāmba’s birth: through Śiva’s blessing on Kṛṣṇa
Uttarakhāṇḍa (Chapters 1–40)
The Uttarakhāṇḍa (second part) explains the Śaiva teaching in an orderly way over 40 adhyāyas. It is a dialogue in which Kṛṣṇa asks and Upamanyu teaches, all set within Vāyu’s telling to the ṛṣis of Naimiṣa.
Śiva’s Nature and the Deeper Teaching (Chapters 1–11)
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 1 | Śiva’s Aṣṭamūrti: eight forms that identify Śiva with earth, water, fire, wind, ether, sun, moon and the one who offers the sacrifice |
| 2 | Saptāvaraṇa: the seven layers around the bhuvanas (worlds) |
| 3 | Śiva as Āditya (sūrya-rūpa, the form of the sun); a list of past vyāsa-avatāras |
| 4 | Gaurī-Śaṅkara vibhūti yoga: Śiva as all male beings, Pārvatī as all female beings; three śaktis (powers) |
| 5 | Śiva tattva nirūpaṇa: aparabrahma and parabrahma; Kṣara, Akṣara and Kṣarākṣarapara |
| 6 | Śiva mahimā: Oṃkāra as the word that names Śiva (vācaka); the four mātrās (parts) of Oṃkāra |
| 7 | Śivānugraha mahimā: the 27 forms of Śakti; the paths of prasāda, parama and bhaktiyoga |
| 8 | Śiva as Āditya; the yogācārya avatāras introduced |
| 9 | The 28 yogācāryas of the present Vaivasvata manvantara, with their 112 disciples |
| 10 | Śivabhakti mahimā: eight signs of a true bhakta (devotee) |
| 11 | Śivajñāna mahimā: the six aṅgas (limbs) of the Śaiva path |
Mantra and Practice (Chapters 12–20)
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 12 | Pañcākṣara mantra māhātmya: the mantra as what names and what is named (vācya-vācaka); Brahmā receiving it and passing it on |
| 13 | The pañcākṣarī in the Kali Yuga: the mantra’s three states (susiddha, siddha, sādhya) |
| 14 | Japa vidhāna: the guru’s role; kinds of japa; materials for the mālā (rosary); counts and rules |
| 15 | Guru mahimā: three kinds of dīkṣā; Śaktipāta (descent of grace); qualities of guru and śiṣya (disciple) |
| 16 | Śiva saṃskāra vidhi: the complete method of initiation |
| 17 | Ṣaḍadhva śodhana: purifying the six paths |
| 18 | Tattva śodhana: purifying the pāśas (bonds); the five kalās placed in the body |
| 19 | Pañcākṣarī puraścaraṇa: japa counts and the daily method |
| 20 | Ācārya abhiṣeka: installing a disciple as a teacher |
Daily and Occasional Practice (Chapters 21–28)
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 21 | Nitya naimittika karmas: the morning routine, bhasma-tripuṇḍra (three lines of sacred ash), rudrākṣa, Śiva’s eight names |
| 22 | Nyāsa and the five yajñas: māṭṛkā-nyāsa; pañcabrahma-nyāsa; karma, tapas, japa, dhyāna and jñāna |
| 27 | Agnikārya: evening pūjā; arranging Śiva’s resting chamber |
| 28 | Śivadharma naimittika karma: the monthly tithis (lunar days) and yearly festivals of Śiva |
Pūjā and Kāmya Karma (Chapters 29–33)
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 29 | Kāmya karma (rites done for a particular wish): the design of the maṇḍala for pūjā; the five-layer pañcāvaraṇa pūjā introduced |
| 30 | The pañcāvaraṇa in detail: pañcabrahma, vidyeśvaras, aṣṭamūrtis, trimūrtis, the vyūhas of Viṣṇu, Brahmā with his sons, Sūrya with the planets |
| 31 | Śiva mahā stotra: a complete hymn to Śiva, Pārvatī, Gaṇapati, Kumāra and the pañcabrahma |
| 32 | Śivapūjā phala: the fruits of the yogeśvara karma |
| 33 | Śivaliṅga mahāvrata: offering a perfumed liṅga to one’s guru |
Accounts of the Liṅga and Its Installation (Chapters 34–36)
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 34 | Brahmā-Viṣṇu vivāda: their quarrel over who is supreme; the Mahāliṅga appears |
| 35 | Śivaliṅga āvirbhāva: Oṃkāra comes from the liṅga and splits into the four Vedas; the pañcākṣara is passed on again |
| 36 | Śivaliṅga pratiṣṭhā: the full ritual for installing a liṅga or mūrti |
Yoga (Chapters 37–39)
| Chapter | Topic |
|---|---|
| 37 | Aṣṭāṅga yoga: five kinds of yoga; yama and niyama; āsana; prāṇāyāma; pratyāhāra; dhāraṇā; dhyāna; samādhi |
| 38 | Yoga abhyāsa niyamālu: ten obstacles to yoga; the yogic siddhis (powers) listed element by element |
| 39 | Śiva dhyāna vidhi: sthūla (gross) and sūkṣma (subtle) meditation; the six cakras and their bīja mantras; dying in a Śivakṣetra (holy place of Śiva) |
Closing (Chapter 40)
The last adhyāya tells of the Naimiṣīya mahārṣi yātrā, the journey of the great ṛṣis of Naimiṣa. When the twelve-year sattra was over, Sarasvatī appeared as a river for the avabhṛtha (the closing bath of the sacrifice), and the ṛṣis set out toward Vārāṇasī. On the way they met Sanatkumāra seated beneath a kalpavṛkṣa (wish-fulfilling tree). They were then blessed by Nandīśvara, who arrived in a celestial vimāna (flying chariot). With one glance he freed them from the bonds of their karma and taught them the final truth of the Śaiva path.
Why It Matters
The Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā is the crown of the Śiva Mahāpurāṇa. It preserves:
- The fullest account of the paśu-pāśa-pati teaching of Śaiva Siddhānta (the soul, its bonds, and Śiva as Pati, the master of souls)
- The line of 28 yogācārya avatāras of Śiva in the present manvantara
- The meaning and practice of the pañcākṣara as the heart of all mantras
- The system of dīkṣā and ṣaḍadhva śodhana
- Complete instructions for liṅga pratiṣṭhā and pañcāvaraṇa pūjā
Its closing blessing by Vyāsa says:
“The Śiva Purāṇa is bhukti-mukti-pradāyaka (it gives both enjoyment and liberation), equal to the Veda, and beloved of Śiva himself.”
Sources
- Śiva Mahāpurāṇa, Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā (Book 7)