Pāśupata-vrata Māhātmya: Dvādaśa-Liṅga Mahāvrata, Month-wise Dravya, and Pūjā-krama
षडङ्गसहितान् वेदान् मथित्वा तेन निर्मितम् सर्वदानोत्तमं पुण्यम् अश्वमेधायुताधिकम्
ṣaḍaṅgasahitān vedān mathitvā tena nirmitam sarvadānottamaṃ puṇyam aśvamedhāyutādhikam
ประหนึ่งได้กวนเวททั้งหลายพร้อมด้วยศฑังคะทั้งหก แล้วจึงก่อเกิดบุญนี้ขึ้น เป็นผลแห่งทานทั้งปวงอันยอดเยี่ยมยิ่ง—ศักดิ์สิทธิ์ยิ่งกว่าพิธีอัศวเมธะนับหมื่น.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Linga Purana’s teaching on dana in a Shaiva frame)
It elevates Shiva-aligned dharma—especially dana offered in a Shaiva spirit—as an essence extracted from Vedic revelation itself, presenting such merit as surpassing even grand Vedic sacrifices, thereby supporting Linga worship as a direct, potent path of punya.
By framing the highest merit as the distilled essence of Vedic wisdom, the verse implies that approach to Pati (Shiva) is not merely ritual magnitude but inner alignment with dharma that loosens pasha (bondage) for the pashu (soul)—a key Shaiva Siddhanta emphasis.
Dana (sacred charity) is highlighted as a superior merit-producing discipline—functioning as a purifier of karma that supports Shiva-bhakti and prepares the practitioner for deeper Shaiva sadhana (including Linga-puja and Pashupata-oriented restraint).