Śivasaṃhitā 3.5

This verse serves as a declarative seal on the enumeration just completed, with Śiva himself asserting authorship of the teaching. The phrase mayoktāni — ‘stated by me’ — is a hallmark of āgamic literature, where the divine speaker lends ultimate authority to the doctrinal content. This is not mere rhetorical flourish; it situates the Śivasaṃhitā within the revealed scriptural tradition of Shaiva tantra.

The word śāstraka, a diminutive form of śāstra (normative treatise or teaching), carries a subtly intimate tone, as though Śiva is presenting a compact, accessible guide rather than an exhaustive compendium. The phrase describing the vāyus as performing functions ‘incited by their own actions’ points to an autonomous, self-regulating quality inherent in prāṇic forces—they are not passive conduits but active agents.

In yogic pedagogy, the memorization of such lists was a prerequisite for practice. A student who could not name and locate the ten vāyus was not yet prepared to work with them through prāṇāyāma or bandha. This verse marks the transition from enumeration to hierarchy, preparing the reader for the prioritization that follows in the next verse.