आश्रिताः शंकरं तस्मात् प्राप्नुवन्ति च शाश्वतम् ऋषय ऊचुः मायान्ताश्चैव घोराद्या ह्य् अष्टविंशतिरेव च
āśritāḥ śaṃkaraṃ tasmāt prāpnuvanti ca śāśvatam ṛṣaya ūcuḥ māyāntāścaiva ghorādyā hy aṣṭaviṃśatireva ca
Oleh itu, mereka yang berlindung pada Śaṅkara mencapai Yang Kekal. Para ṛṣi berkata: “Dan rangkaian yang bermula dengan Ghora, bersama Māyānta—sesungguhnya jumlahnya dua puluh lapan.”
Sages (Ṛṣayas) addressing Suta’s narration (dialogue cue: ṛṣaya ūcuḥ)
It frames refuge in Śaṅkara (Pati) as the direct cause of attaining the Eternal, and it links that salvific refuge to Shiva’s revealed manifestations—supporting Linga-worship as devotion to the transcendent Lord expressed through named forms.
Shiva is presented as Śaṅkara, the bestower of the śāśvata (imperishable) goal—Pati who liberates the paśu from pāśa—while also being knowable through a structured set of manifestations (counted here as twenty-eight).
The key practice implied is śaraṇāgati (taking refuge) in Śiva—central to Pāśupata orientation—alongside contemplation of His specific manifestations (e.g., Ghora) as aids for focused upāsanā and yogic absorption.