Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 62
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
स एष बध्यते पाशैः सुखदुःखाशनः पशुः । लीलासाधनभूतो य ईश्वरस्येति सूरयः
sa eṣa badhyate pāśaiḥ sukhaduḥkhāśanaḥ paśuḥ | līlāsādhanabhūto ya īśvarasyeti sūrayaḥ
ഈ ജീവൻ ‘പശു’—പാശങ്ങളാൽ ബന്ധിതൻ; സുഖവും ദുഃഖവും ഭക്ഷിക്കുന്നതുപോലെ അനുഭവിക്കുന്നു. ജ്ഞാനികൾ പറയുന്നു: അവൻ തന്നെയാണ് ഈശ്വരന്റെ ലീലയുടെ ഉപകരണമാകുന്നത്.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
FAQs
It summarizes the Shaiva Siddhanta triad: the jīva (paśu) is bound by pāśas (bondage such as karma, ignorance, and limitation) and therefore undergoes sukha and duḥkha; liberation arises when the soul turns to Pati (the Lord, Shiva) who alone can remove bondage.
By portraying the soul as bound and Shiva as the Lord (Īśvara/Pati), it supports Saguna worship—such as Linga-pūjā—as a practical means to gain grace, purify karmic bonds, and move from worldly experience toward Shiva-realization.
A direct takeaway is disciplined Shiva-upāsanā aimed at cutting pāśas: daily japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), Linga-abhiṣeka with a prayer for release from bondage, and steady meditation on Shiva as Pati beyond pleasure and pain.