Śivasaṃhitā 5.40

Śiva declaring this practice mama vallabha—“my beloved yoga”—is the highest possible legitimation within the Śivasaṃhitā’s framework: Śiva himself reveals this yoga to Pārvatī, his consort and disciple, as the practice he loves most. Sadyaḥ pratyayakārakaḥ—“that immediately produces conviction”—indicates that this practice’s results do not require years to verify: there is a rapid experiential confirmation that anchors the practitioner’s faith.

Gopanīya—“worthy of being secret” (from gup, “to guard,” “to protect”)—is the same term appearing in numerous tantric texts to protect the most potent teachings. Prayatna—“with effort,” “with care”—emphasizes that keeping the secret requires active attention, not passivity. Nirvāṇa—generally a Buddhist term—appears here in a Śaiva context, signaling the fluidity of vocabulary between traditions in first-millennium India.

The term nirvāṇa in a Śaiva text is notable and reflects the syncretism characterizing medieval India. While for Buddhism nirvāṇa implies extinction of desire and liberation from the saṃsāra cycle, in the Śivasaṃhitā’s Śaiva context it connotes dissolution into Śiva’s consciousness, which is full and positive rather than mere extinction. This usage reveals a permeable boundary between India’s classical liberationist traditions.