पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
बहिरेव तु पद्मस्य पञ्चमावरणे क्रमात् । दशदिक्पतयः पूज्याः सास्त्राः सानुचरास्तथा
bahireva tu padmasya pañcamāvaraṇe kramāt | daśadikpatayaḥ pūjyāḥ sāstrāḥ sānucarāstathā
Dann, außerhalb des Lotos—auf seinem fünften umschließenden Kreis der Ordnung gemäß—sind die Herren der zehn Richtungen zu verehren, zusammen mit ihren Waffen und ebenso mit ihren Gefolgen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
It teaches krama (ordered, concentric worship): honoring the dikpālas around the lotus-mandala establishes cosmic harmony and protection so the central devotion may culminate in Shiva, the Pati beyond all directions.
In āvaraṇa-pūjā, the linga (Saguna focus for meditation) is worshipped with surrounding circles of divine powers; the dikpālas form an outer protective ring, acknowledging Shiva’s sovereignty over all space and guardians.
Perform āvaraṇa-pūjā on a lotus diagram: after inner offerings, worship the ten direction-lords in the fifth enclosure with their astras and attendants, while maintaining Shiva-mantra japa (such as the Panchakshara) as the central contemplation.