Shloka 23

Adhyaya 33: Pashupata Conduct, Bhasma-Vrata, and Shiva’s Boon to the Sages

Devanagari script

सेव्यासेव्यत्वमेवं च ह्य् एतदिच्छाम वेदितुम् ततस्तेषां वचः श्रुत्वा भगवान्परमेश्वरः

Transliteration

sevyāsevyatvamevaṃ ca hy etadicchāma veditum tatasteṣāṃ vacaḥ śrutvā bhagavānparameśvaraḥ

Translation

„Wir wünschen diese Unterscheidung genau zu erkennen: was des Dienstes (und der Verehrung) würdig ist und was nicht.“ Als Bhagavān Parameśvara, der höchste Herr Śiva, ihre Worte vernommen hatte, bereitete er sich zur Antwort vor.

Word by Word

• sevyā-asevyatvam: the state of being fit/unfit to be served or worshipped

• evaṁ ca: thus, and also

• hi: indeed

• etat: this

• icchāma: we desire

• veditum: to know/understand

• tataḥ: then/thereupon

• teṣām: of them

• vacaḥ: words/speech

• śrutvā: having heard

• bhagavān: the Blessed Lord

• parameśvaraḥ: the Supreme Lord (Śiva)

Speaker

Narrator (Suta) introducing Śiva’s response after hearing the petitioners

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It frames a key Shaiva criterion: devotion must be directed to what is truly “sevya” (leading the pashu toward Pati), not to objects or acts that reinforce pasha (bondage).

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is presented as Parameśvara—the final authority who clarifies dharma and right worship, guiding souls from confusion to discriminative knowledge (viveka) aligned with liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse highlights the prerequisite of discernment (viveka) before practice—an essential Pāśupata orientation: choosing worship and service that purify and detach rather than bind.