जम्बूद्वीपस्य नववर्षविभागः रुद्रस्य अष्टक्षेत्रसन्निधिः नाभि-ऋषभ-भरतकथा
यथाक्रमं स धर्मात्मा ततस्तु तपसि स्थितः तपसा भावितश्चैव स्वाध्यायनिरतस्त्वभूत्
yathākramaṃ sa dharmātmā tatastu tapasi sthitaḥ tapasā bhāvitaścaiva svādhyāyaniratastvabhūt
यथाक्रमं स धर्मात्मा ततस्तु तपसि स्थितः। तपसा भावितश्चैव स्वाध्यायनिरतस्त्वभूत्॥
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It frames Linga-oriented devotion as grounded in inner purification: tapas (austerity) and svādhyāya (sacred study) prepare the worshipper to approach Śiva as Pati with a disciplined mind.
Śiva-tattva is implied as the supreme goal (Pati) toward whom the dharmātmā turns through tapas and svādhyāya—practices that remove pāśa (bondage) obscuring the soul’s recognition of Śiva.
A Pāśupata-aligned discipline: sustained tapas and svādhyāya as daily yogic observance, cultivating steadiness, purity, and scriptural contemplation to weaken bondage.