Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 70
पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
उचितां निष्कृतिं कुर्यात्पूजाहोमजपादिभिः । आसमाप्तेर्व्रतस्यैवमाचरेन्न प्रमादतः
ucitāṃ niṣkṛtiṃ kuryātpūjāhomajapādibhiḥ | āsamāptervratasyaivamācarenna pramādataḥ
พึงประกอบการชดใช้โทษอันสมควรด้วยการบูชา โหมะ(บูชาไฟ) การสวดมนต์ภาวนา และอื่น ๆ ดังนี้จนกว่าพรตจะสำเร็จครบถ้วน จงปฏิบัติโดยไม่ประมาท
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Frames expiation (niṣkṛti) as a grace-restoring mechanism: through pūjā, homa, and japa the vratin re-aligns with Śiva’s ordinance and completes the vow without loss of merit.
Role: liberating
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches vow-dharma in a Shaiva way: if faults arise during a vrata, one should purify them through prescribed expiation—puja, homa, and japa—so devotion remains steady and the mind becomes fit for Shiva’s grace.
Puja and homa are core forms of Saguna Shiva worship (often centered on the Linga). The verse emphasizes continuity and carefulness in such upasana until the vrata is completed, so the worship bears its intended fruit.
Mantra-japa along with Shiva-puja and homa is recommended as niṣkṛti (remedial purification), to be maintained diligently until the end of the vow—especially relevant for vrata observances like Mahashivratri.