Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 9
पाशुपतज्ञानप्रश्नः — Inquiry into Pāśupata Knowledge
Paśu–Pāśa–Paśupati
कथं पशुपतिर्देवः पशवः के प्रकीर्तिताः । कैः पाशैस्ते निबध्यंते विमुच्यंते च ते कथम्
kathaṃ paśupatirdevaḥ paśavaḥ ke prakīrtitāḥ | kaiḥ pāśaiste nibadhyaṃte vimucyaṃte ca te katham
いかにして主はパシュパティ（束縛された魂の主）と呼ばれるのか。誰がパシュ（個々の霊魂）と言われるのか。いかなる絆（パーシャ）によって彼らは縛られ、またいかにしてその絆から解き放たれるのか。
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya teaching to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya; the verse frames the inquiry on Pati–Paśu–Pāśa)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
FAQs
This verse introduces the core Shaiva Siddhānta framework—Pati (Śiva), Paśu (the individual soul), and Pāśa (bondage). It sets up the teaching that liberation is not self-made egoic achievement, but the soul’s release from bonds through Śiva’s grace, right knowledge, and disciplined practice.
Calling Śiva “Paśupati” points to Him as the compassionate Lord who governs and frees bound beings. Linga worship (Saguna focus) becomes a concrete means to approach the transcendent Pati—purifying the paśu and weakening pāśas through devotion, mantra, and consecrated ritual.
The verse implies a mokṣa-oriented sādhanā: regular Śiva-pūjā and japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), supported by purity disciplines such as bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where taught in the Purāṇa, aimed at loosening the bonds of ignorance and karma.