Pāśupata-vrata Māhātmya: Dvādaśa-Liṅga Mahāvrata, Month-wise Dravya, and Pūjā-krama
वक्तुमर्हसि चास्माकं यथापूर्वं त्वया श्रुतम् सूत उवाच पुरा सनत्कुमारेण पृष्टः शैलादिरादरात्
vaktumarhasi cāsmākaṃ yathāpūrvaṃ tvayā śrutam sūta uvāca purā sanatkumāreṇa pṛṣṭaḥ śailādirādarāt
“Xin hãy kể cho chúng tôi đúng như điều ngài đã nghe thuở trước.” Sūta nói: Thuở xưa, khi Sanatkumāra cung kính hỏi Śailādi, thì Śailādi đã đáp lại với lòng tôn kính thích đáng.
Suta
It establishes the authority of transmission (śravaṇa-paramparā): teachings on the Liṅga and Śiva are conveyed faithfully “as previously heard,” grounding Liṅga-upāsanā in an authenticated lineage of hearing and telling.
Indirectly, it frames Śiva-tattva as a revelatory truth accessed through disciplined inquiry and faithful recitation—knowledge of Pati (Śiva) that liberates the paśu from pāśa is approached through reverent questioning and received teaching.
Śravaṇa (listening to sacred teaching) and praśna (reverent inquiry) are highlighted as foundational practices—preconditions for deeper Pāśupata-oriented understanding and subsequent Liṅga-pūjā or yogic discipline.