Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 20
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
वायुरुवाच । माया माहेश्वरी शक्तिश्चिद्रूपो मायया वृतः । मलश्चिच्छादको नैजो विशुद्धिश्शिवता स्वतः
vāyuruvāca | māyā māheśvarī śaktiścidrūpo māyayā vṛtaḥ | malaścicchādako naijo viśuddhiśśivatā svataḥ
Vāyu disse: «Māyā é o poder do Senhor, a śakti māheśvarī. O Si é de natureza de consciência (chid-rūpa), mas é velado por Māyā. O mala, impureza inata, é o que encobre a consciência; porém a pureza é a própria Śivatā, a condição de Śiva, por sua natureza.»
Vayu
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
FAQs
It states the Shaiva Siddhanta core: the soul is consciousness by nature, but bondage occurs because Māyā and the innate mala veil that consciousness; liberation is the revelation of one’s inherent Śiva-nature through purification.
Linga-worship and Saguna Śiva devotion function as grace-filled supports to pierce the veiling of Māyā and reduce the covering of mala, leading the devotee from obscuration toward the recognition of Śiva’s purity (śivatā).
A practical takeaway is disciplined purification—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), dhyāna on Śiva as pure consciousness, and traditional Śaiva practices like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa as aids to inner clarity and detachment from Māyā.