दारुवनलीला—नीललोहितपरीक्षा, ब्रह्मोपदेशः, अतिथिधर्मः, संन्यासक्रमः
ततश्चोर्ध्वं चरेदेवं यतिः शिवविमुक्तये व्रतेनानशनेनापि तोयवृत्त्यापि वा पुनः
tataścordhvaṃ caredevaṃ yatiḥ śivavimuktaye vratenānaśanenāpi toyavṛttyāpi vā punaḥ
ततश्चोर्ध्वं चरेद् एवं यतिः शिवविमुक्तये । व्रतेनानशनेनापि तोयवृत्त्यापि वा पुनः ॥
Suta Goswami (narrating the discipline taught within the Linga Purana’s Shaiva framework)
It frames Linga-centered devotion as supported by ascetic discipline: vows, fasting, and water-only living purify the pashu (individual soul) and weaken pasha (bondage), making the seeker fit for Śiva’s liberating grace.
Śiva is implied as Pati—the liberating Lord—because “śiva-vimukti” is presented as the goal attained not merely by effort, but by aligning one’s life with Śiva through tapas and observance that invite His grace.
Pāśupata-oriented tapas: vrata (regulated observance), anaśana (fasting), and toya-vṛtti (water-only sustenance) as renunciant disciplines that aid inward withdrawal and steadiness in Śiva-focused sādhanā.