Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 42
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
मुनय ऊचुः । बुद्धीन्द्रियशरीरेभ्यो व्यतिरेकस्य कस्यचित् । आत्मशब्दाभिधेयस्य वस्तुतो ऽपि कुतः स्थितिः
munaya ūcuḥ | buddhīndriyaśarīrebhyo vyatirekasya kasyacit | ātmaśabdābhidheyasya vastuto 'pi kutaḥ sthitiḥ
Les sages dirent : «S’il existe quelque réalité véritablement distincte de l’intellect, des sens et du corps, quel fondement réel peut-il y avoir à l’existence de ce que l’on désigne par le mot “Ātman” ?»
The sages (Munis) addressing the narrator in the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā context
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a sthala-purāṇa passage; it opens an epistemic inquiry into whether a self (paśu) exists distinct from body-mind-senses, preparing for teaching on the Antaryāmin.
FAQs
It frames a core liberation-question: if the self (ātman/jīva) is not merely the body, senses, or intellect, then what establishes its real existence—prompting the Shaiva Siddhanta teaching that the bound soul (paśu) is a real, conscious principle known through awareness and ultimately clarified by Śiva’s grace.
By challenging identification with body and mind, the verse prepares the seeker to turn toward Pati (Śiva) as the transcendent reality; Linga-worship (Saguna support) becomes a disciplined means to purify cognition so the soul recognizes its dependence on Śiva rather than on the sensory-intellectual apparatus.
A practical takeaway is self-inquiry during japa—repeat the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) while observing that thoughts, senses, and bodily states are objects of awareness, not the seer; this aligns with Shaiva meditation that seeks Śiva’s grace to loosen pāśa (bondage).