दिव्यरथारोहणम् — Śiva’s Ascent on the Divine Chariot
Pre-battle Portents
ये चाप्यन्ये करिष्यंति व्रतं पाशुपतं मम । मोक्ष्यंति ते न संदेहः पशुत्वात्सुरसत्तमाः
ye cāpyanye kariṣyaṃti vrataṃ pāśupataṃ mama | mokṣyaṃti te na saṃdehaḥ paśutvātsurasattamāḥ
Und auch andere, o Bester unter den Göttern, die dieses mein Pāśupata-Gelübde auf sich nehmen — ohne Zweifel werden sie befreit. Denn gerade als paśu, als gebundene Seelen, sind sie, wenn sie bei Paśupati, dem Herrn der Wesen, Zuflucht nehmen, zur Lösung aus den Fesseln bestimmt.
Lord Shiva (as Paśupati, instructing the devas in the Yuddhakhaṇḍa context)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Role: liberating
It asserts Śiva’s grace: any bound soul (paśu) who sincerely undertakes Śiva’s Pāśupata discipline becomes eligible for release from bondage (pāśa) and attains mokṣa under the Lordship of Paśupati (pati).
The Pāśupata vow is a Saguna-oriented refuge in Paśupati—commonly expressed through Linga-upāsanā, mantra-japa, and disciplined conduct—by which the soul turns from bonds toward the Lord’s liberating presence.
Undertake a Śaiva vrata: regular worship of Śiva (often via the Linga), japa of Śiva-mantras (such as the Pañcākṣarī), and observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa consistent with Pāśupata discipline.