Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 70
पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
उचितां निष्कृतिं कुर्यात्पूजाहोमजपादिभिः । आसमाप्तेर्व्रतस्यैवमाचरेन्न प्रमादतः
ucitāṃ niṣkṛtiṃ kuryātpūjāhomajapādibhiḥ | āsamāptervratasyaivamācarenna pramādataḥ
പൂജ, ഹോമം, ജപം മുതലായവയിലൂടെ യഥോചിതമായ പ്രായശ്ചിത്തം ചെയ്യണം. ഇങ്ങനെ വ്രതം സമാപിക്കുന്നതുവരെ അശ്രദ്ധയില്ലാതെ ആചരിക്കണം.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Frames expiation (niṣkṛti) as a grace-restoring mechanism: through pūjā, homa, and japa the vratin re-aligns with Śiva’s ordinance and completes the vow without loss of merit.
Role: liberating
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches vow-dharma in a Shaiva way: if faults arise during a vrata, one should purify them through prescribed expiation—puja, homa, and japa—so devotion remains steady and the mind becomes fit for Shiva’s grace.
Puja and homa are core forms of Saguna Shiva worship (often centered on the Linga). The verse emphasizes continuity and carefulness in such upasana until the vrata is completed, so the worship bears its intended fruit.
Mantra-japa along with Shiva-puja and homa is recommended as niṣkṛti (remedial purification), to be maintained diligently until the end of the vow—especially relevant for vrata observances like Mahashivratri.