Varaha Purana 21.77: Adhyaya 21, Shloka 77
The Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, the Hari-Hara Conflict, and the Establishment of Rudra’s Sacrificial Share
Pūrva Bhāga · Śaiva–Pāśupata Narrative (Names, Initiation, and Devotional Practice)
अतः पशुपतिर्नाम मम लोके भविष्यति । ये मां यजन्ति तेषां स्याद् दीक्षा पाशुपती भवेत् ॥ २१.७८ ॥
ataḥ paśupatir nāma mama loke bhaviṣyati | ye māṃ yajanti teṣāṃ syād dīkṣā pāśupatī bhavet || 21.78 ||
ataH pashupatirnAma mama loke bhaviShyati | ye mAM yajanti teShAM syAd dIkShA pAshupatI bhavet || 21.78 ||
इसलिए मेरे लोगों में मेरा नाम पशुपति होगा। जो लोग मुझे पूजा करेंगे, उनको एक स्पेशल दीक्षा मिलेगी। यह पशुपति वाली दीक्षा होगी।
Sandhi Notes
- पशुपतिर्नाम = पशुपतिः + नाम (विसर्ग-लोप/रेफ)
- स्याद् = स्यात् (अस्) + द् (परसवर्ण/सन्धि-लेखन)
- पाशुपती = पाशुपत + ई (स्त्रीप्रत्यय/प्रातिपदिक-निर्माण)
Varāha
Curious, seeking clarity on names/rites
How do divine epithets and sectarian rites (dīkṣā) arise, and what is the efficacy of worship tied to such identifiers?
Divine accessibility is mediated through recognized epithets and disciplined entry (dīkṣā), not merely casual devotion.
Seek qualified instruction for mantra/rite; treat worship as a vowed discipline with ethical restraints, not as a one-time act.
The verse encodes a Purāṇic model where cosmic lordship expresses itself through names (nāma) and rites (dīkṣā), mapping metaphysical authority into ritual institutions; ‘Paśupati’ signifies governance of the bound (paśu) and the possibility of release through consecrated discipline.
Dīkṣā as ritual ‘rebirth’ into yajña-order; Paśupati as the presiding lord over paśu (creatures/sacrificial victims), transforming ‘bondage’ into ‘offering’ through initiation.
Name-and-form (nāma-rūpa) as pedagogical upāya: the one Lord is approached via sanctioned forms; initiation marks adhikāra for sādhanā while ultimate reality remains non-dual/parama.
Worship of the Lord under the epithet ‘Paśupati’ is linked with a formal dīkṣā (initiation) designated ‘Pāśupata’.
Properly undertaken worship/initiatory discipline yields religious qualification and access to the deity’s ‘loka’; neglect implies loss of that specific adhikāra (eligibility).
Nearby narrative on Rudra/Brahmā establishing names and social-religious order
FAQs
It reflects Purāṇic recognition of the epithet “Paśupati” and references a distinct initiation (dīkṣā) associated with the Pāśupata tradition, indicating the textual visibility of Śaiva ritual lineages within broader Purāṇic discourse.
No specific geographic location is named in this verse; it speaks generally of “mama loke” (“in my realm/world”) rather than a place identifiable with a historical site.
The verse presents a normative linkage between worship (yajana) and disciplined affiliation through initiation (dīkṣā), emphasizing formal commitment as the framework for devotional practice.
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