Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 18
विभूतिविस्तरप्रश्नः / Inquiry into the Expansion of Śiva’s Vibhūti
भस्मनोद्धूल्य तं मन्त्रैरग्निरित्यादिभिः क्रमात् । अथ पाशुपतं साक्षाद्व्रतं द्वादशमासिकम्
bhasmanoddhūlya taṃ mantrairagnirityādibhiḥ kramāt | atha pāśupataṃ sākṣādvrataṃ dvādaśamāsikam
பின்னர் ‘அக்னி…’ முதலிய மந்திரங்களை முறையாக உச்சரித்து அவனைத் திருநீற்றால் பூசினர். அதன் பின் சாட்சாத் இறைவனின் பாசுபத விரதத்தை—பன்னிரண்டு மாதங்கள்—ஆற்ற வேண்டும்.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Mantra: agnir iti-ādibhiḥ (mantrāḥ)
Type: rudram
FAQs
It teaches that liberation-oriented Shaiva practice begins with consecration through bhasma and mantra, and matures into sustained discipline—the year-long Pāśupata vrata—by which the pashu (bound soul) is oriented toward Paśupati (Śiva) and the cutting of pāśa (bondage).
Bhasma and mantra are external supports for Saguna worship—purifying the body-mind and establishing devotion and reverence—so the practitioner can approach Śiva (often worshiped as the Liṅga) with steadiness, purity, and regulated conduct befitting a vrata.
Apply sacred ash (bhasma), traditionally as Tripuṇḍra, while reciting the prescribed mantras in sequence, and then observe the Pāśupata vow continuously for twelve months with disciplined conduct, japa, and Shiva-centered worship.