Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 14
पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
रागो विद्याकले चैव नियतिः काल एव च । माया च शुद्धिविद्या च महेश्वरसदाशिवौ
rāgo vidyākale caiva niyatiḥ kāla eva ca | māyā ca śuddhividyā ca maheśvarasadāśivau
O desejo (rāga), o conhecimento (vidyā) e a agência limitada (kalā), bem como a limitação (niyati) e o tempo (kāla) — e ainda Māyā e o Conhecimento puro (śuddhavidyā), juntamente com Maheśvara e Sadāśiva: estes são os princípios superiores proclamados neste ensinamento.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shaiva philosophy to the sages at Naimisharanya, as typical of Purāṇic discourse in the Vāyavīya section)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
FAQs
The verse lists key Shaiva tattvas: the five limiting coverings (kāñcukas) that contract the soul’s awareness—kāla, niyati, rāga, vidyā, kalā—along with Māyā and higher principles (śuddhavidyā, Maheśvara, Sadāśiva). Spiritually, it teaches that bondage arises from limitation, and liberation comes by moving from Māyā-bound cognition toward pure knowledge and the Lord’s grace.
Saguna worship—especially of the Śiva-liṅga—focuses the mind beyond rāga (attachment) and the constraints of time and limitation. By devotion, mantra, and ritual purity, the seeker is led from Māyā and the contracted state toward śuddhavidyā, culminating in recognition of Śiva as Pati (Maheśvara/Sadāśiva) who bestows liberation.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with liṅga-pūjā and inner contemplation: observe how desire (rāga) and time-bound thinking (kāla) arise, then return the mind to Śiva. Supporting Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa can be adopted as reminders of dispassion and Śiva-centered awareness.