Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 17
दिव्यरथारोहणम् — Śiva’s Ascent on the Divine Chariot
Pre-battle Portents
शंभुरुवाच । मा वोऽस्तु पशुभावेऽपि पातो विबुधसत्तमाः । श्रूयतां पशुभावस्य विमोक्षः क्रियतां च सः
śaṃbhuruvāca | mā vo'stu paśubhāve'pi pāto vibudhasattamāḥ | śrūyatāṃ paśubhāvasya vimokṣaḥ kriyatāṃ ca saḥ
Śambhu sprach: „O ihr Besten unter den Göttern, möge es für euch keinen Fall geben—nicht einmal in den Zustand des paśu-bhāva, das Dasein der gebundenen Seele. Hört: Lasst den Weg der Befreiung aus dem Paśu-Sein vernommen werden, und lasst diese Erlösung vollzogen werden.“
Lord Shiva (Śambhu)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse frames bondage as “paśu-bhāva” (the condition of the bound soul) and presents Śiva as the compassionate Pati who prevents spiritual decline and reveals the practical means of release (vimokṣa) from that bondage.
By addressing the devas as vulnerable to “fall,” Śiva emphasizes that liberation is not merely status-based but attained through Śiva’s grace and prescribed discipline—classically expressed in Saguna worship such as Linga-upāsanā, where the devotee approaches Śiva as the accessible Lord who bestows moksha.
The verse signals initiation into a liberating teaching; in Shaiva Purana practice this is typically enacted through Śiva-upāsanā—especially japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and disciplined devotion—so that the “vimokṣa” taught by Śiva is actually put into practice (kriyatām).