Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 23
मुनिप्रश्नवर्णनम्
Description of the Sages’ Questions
शंभोर्गुणानुवादात्को विरज्येत पुमान्द्विजाः । विना पशुघ्नं त्रिविधजनानन्दकरात्सदा
śaṃbhorguṇānuvādātko virajyeta pumāndvijāḥ | vinā paśughnaṃ trividhajanānandakarātsadā
โอ้ทวิชะทั้งหลาย ผู้ใดเล่าจะหันเหจากการสรรเสริญคุณแห่งศัมภุ? นอกจากปศุฆนะ ผู้ยังความยินดีแก่สัตว์สามจำพวกอยู่เสมอแล้ว ใครเล่าจะประทานความปีติได้ตลอดกาลเช่นนั้น
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; the epithet ‘Paśughna’ is interpreted theologically: Śiva destroys paśutva (bonded animality) by severing pāśa through grace.
Significance: Frames Śiva as the unique source of ānanda for ‘threefold beings’ and as the remover of bondage—aligning pilgrimage with inner transformation from paśu to mukta through pati’s anugraha.
Type: stotra
Role: liberating
FAQs
It declares that praising Śiva’s qualities is intrinsically uplifting and cannot lead to boredom or aversion, because Śiva alone removes the paśu-state (bonded, instinct-driven existence) and continually grants bliss—pointing to bhakti as a direct means toward liberation.
Guṇānuvāda (praise of Śiva’s virtues) is a Saguna approach—contemplating Śiva with attributes such as compassion and liberating power. In Śiva-pūjā, this becomes stotra, nāma-japa, and Liṅga-arcana, where the devotee experiences Śiva’s grace as the Paśughna who cuts bondage.
Regular recitation of Śiva-stotras and nāma-japa (especially the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotional remembrance of Śiva as Paśughna; this can be paired with Liṅga-abhiṣeka and wearing/using rudrākṣa for steady bhakti and inner purification.