Varaha Purana 33.27: Adhyaya 33, Shloka 27
The Origin of Rudra, the Disruption of Dakṣa’s Sacrifice, and the Establishment of Paśupati
Pūrva Bhāga · Śaiva–Vaiṣṇava Intersect Narratives (Pāśupata Epithet & Liberation Motif)
महादेव उवाच । भवन्तः पशवः सर्वे भवन्तु सहिताः इति । अहं पतिर् वो भवतां ततो मोक्षम् अवाप्स्यथ । तथेति देवास् तं प्राहुस् ततः पशुपतिर् भवत ॥ ३३.२७ ॥
mahādeva uvāca | bhavantaḥ paśavaḥ sarve bhavantu sahitā iti | ahaṃ patir vo bhavatāṃ tato mokṣam avāpsyatha | tatheti devās taṃ prāhus tataḥ paśupatir bhavata || 33.27 ||
mahAdeva uvAcha | bhavantaH pashavaH sarve bhavantu sahitA iti | ahaM patirvo bhavatAM tato mokShamavApsyatha | tatheti devAstaM prAhustataH pashupatirbhavat || 33.27 ||
महादेव ने कहा, तुम सब पशु बन जाओ, साथ में रहो। मैं तुम्हारा मालिक बनूँगा। तब तुम्हे मोक्ष मिलेगा। देवा बोले, ठीक है। तब से वो पशुपति कहलाए।
Sandhi Notes
- devās taṃ → devāḥ tam (visarga sandhi)
- patir vo → patiḥ vaḥ
- prāhus → prāhuḥ
- paśupatir bhavata → paśupatiḥ bhavata
Mahādeva (Śiva)
How does accepting lordship over bound beings (paśus) become a means to their liberation, and how does this generate the epithet Paśupati?
Bondage (paśutva) is not denied but placed under a liberating lordship; relationship to the Lord becomes the bridge from bandha to mokṣa.
Reframe spiritual discipline as moving from self-ruled bondage to God-ruled surrender; cultivate devotion and ethical restraint as ‘paśu’ under ‘pati’.
33.33.28-31 (tithi assignment; ritual consequences; etiology of Rudra’s status)
FAQs
It preserves an etiological (name-origin) explanation for the title “Paśupati,” presenting it as a designation acknowledged by the gods within a Purāṇic narrative frame and linking divine lordship to liberation (mokṣa).
No geographic location is named in this verse; the focus is on a theological designation (Paśupati) and the relationship between bound beings (paśu) and lordship (pati).
The verse foregrounds a philosophical instruction about bondage and release: beings characterized as “paśu” (bound) are presented as capable of attaining liberation through alignment with a guiding lord/principle (pati), emphasizing unity (sahita) as a supporting condition.
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