Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 85
पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
सो ऽत्याश्रमी च विज्ञेयो महापाशुपतस्तथा । स एव तपतां श्रेष्ठ स एव च महाव्रती
so 'tyāśramī ca vijñeyo mahāpāśupatastathā | sa eva tapatāṃ śreṣṭha sa eva ca mahāvratī
അവനെ എല്ലാ ആശ്രമങ്ങളെയും അതിക്രമിച്ച ‘അത്യാശ്രമീ’ എന്നും ‘മഹാപാശുപതൻ’ എന്നും അറിയണം. അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് തപസ്സികളുടെ ശ്രേഷ്ഠൻ; അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് മഹാവ്രതധാരി।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Identifies the initiated vow-holder as ‘mahāpāśupata’ and ‘atyāśramī’, presenting a trans-social ideal often mirrored in tīrtha cultures that honor renunciant Śaiva lineages.
FAQs
It proclaims Shiva as Pati—the supreme Lord who transcends all social stages (āśramas) and stands as the highest exemplar of tapas and vow, teaching that liberation is grounded in the Lord’s transcendence and grace, not merely worldly status.
By calling Shiva the great Pāśupata and the foremost ascetic, the verse supports Saguna worship (such as the Linga) as devotion to the transcendent Pati who, though beyond all āśramas, becomes approachable for the bound souls (paśu) through sacred forms and rites.
It points toward disciplined tapas and steadfast vrata—regular japa of Shiva-mantras (especially the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), along with vow-based observances (like Mahāśivarātri fasting and night vigil) as Shaiva means to purify the bonds (pāśa).