Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 19
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
मुनय ऊचुः । केयं माया समा ख्याता किंरूपो मायया वृतः । मूलं कीदृक्कुतो वास्य किं शिवत्वं कुतश्शिवः
munaya ūcuḥ | keyaṃ māyā samā khyātā kiṃrūpo māyayā vṛtaḥ | mūlaṃ kīdṛkkuto vāsya kiṃ śivatvaṃ kutaśśivaḥ
Para resi berkata: “Apakah māyā yang disebut-sebut ini? Bagaimanakah sifatnya, dan siapakah yang diselubungi oleh māyā? Apakah akarnya, bagaimana jenisnya, dan dari manakah ia timbul? Dan apakah ‘śivatva’ (ke-Siva-an), serta dari manakah Śiva dikenal dan disedari?”
Sages (Munis) of Naimisharanya
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
This verse frames the core Shaiva inquiry: how bondage (Māyā/Pāśa) operates, what its origin is, and how the soul can realize śivatva—union with Shiva as the Supreme Pati who grants liberation.
By questioning who is ‘covered by Māyā’ and what ‘Shivahood’ is, the sages prepare for teachings that Saguna worship—such as Linga-upāsanā—purifies the mind, loosens Māyā’s bonds, and leads toward the realization of Shiva beyond all coverings.
The implied practice is inquiry supported by Shiva-upāsanā: japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotion, along with purificatory Shaiva disciplines (bhasma/tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa) to weaken Māyā and steady meditation on Shiva.