वासिष्ठकथनम् (आदित्य–सोमवंशवर्णनम् तथा रुद्रसहस्रनाम-प्रशंसा)
प्रसादाद् ब्रह्मसूनोर् वै तण्डिनः प्राप्य शिष्यताम् अश्वमेधसहस्रस्य फलं प्राप्य तदाज्ञया
prasādād brahmasūnor vai taṇḍinaḥ prāpya śiṣyatām aśvamedhasahasrasya phalaṃ prāpya tadājñayā
По милости сына Брахмы он воистину обрёл ученичество у Танди́на; и по его повелению получил заслугу, равную тысяче ашвамедх — плод, обращённый к пути, где Пати (Шива) дарует пашу освобождение от паша.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It elevates guru-ājñā and divine grace as the true channel through which ritual merit becomes spiritually effective—supporting Linga-centered devotion where inner surrender surpasses mere external sacrifice.
Shiva-tattva is implied as Pati, the Lord whose grace ultimately determines the ripening of merit into liberation; even immense Vedic merit is portrayed as meaningful when aligned with the Shaiva path through proper guidance.
The verse highlights guru-disciple initiation/discipleship (a prerequisite for Pāśupata discipline), and frames the Aśvamedha’s vast merit as something that can be spiritually redirected by the guru’s command toward Shaiva realization.