Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 2
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
नैमिषीया ऊचुः । भवान् कथमनुप्राप्तो ज्ञानमीश्वरगोचरम् । कथं च शिवभावस्ते ब्रह्मणो ऽव्यक्तजन्मनः
naimiṣīyā ūcuḥ | bhavān kathamanuprāpto jñānamīśvaragocaram | kathaṃ ca śivabhāvaste brahmaṇo 'vyaktajanmanaḥ
เหล่าฤๅษีแห่งไนมิษารัณยะกล่าวว่า “ท่านบรรลุญาณอันมีขอบเขตถึงองค์อีศวรเองได้อย่างไร? และท่านเป็นพรหมาผู้กำเนิดจากอวิยกตะ เหตุใดจึงได้บรรลุภาวะแห่งพระศิวะ?”
Sages of Naimisharanya (Naimiṣīya ṛṣis)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It highlights the highest aim of Śaiva teaching: attaining īśvara-gocara jñāna—knowledge that directly concerns the Supreme Lord (Pati)—and awakening śiva-bhāva, the transformed inner state aligned with Śiva that loosens the bonds (pāśa) of limitation.
By asking how one reaches knowledge “within the Lord’s range,” the verse points to upāsanā that gives the mind a divine object—classically the Śiva-liṅga and Saguna Śiva—through which devotion, purity, and concentration mature into direct realization of Śiva’s presence.
The takeaway is cultivation of śiva-bhāva through Śiva-upāsanā: japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), meditation on Śiva (often with liṅga-dhyāna), and purificatory disciplines like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where prescribed.