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
แล้วจึงทาเขาด้วยเถ้าศักดิ์สิทธิ์ (ภัสมะ) พร้อมสวดมนต์ตามลำดับที่ขึ้นต้นด้วย “อัคนิ…” เป็นต้น จากนั้นพึงปฏิบัติพรตปาศุปตะ อันเป็นพรตโดยตรงของพระผู้เป็นเจ้า เป็นเวลา ๑๒ เดือน
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.