Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 1
पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
ऋषय ऊचुः । भगवञ्छ्रोतुमिच्छामो व्रतं पाशुपतं परम् । ब्रह्मादयो ऽपि यत्कृत्वा सर्वे पाशुपताः स्मृताः
ṛṣaya ūcuḥ | bhagavañchrotumicchāmo vrataṃ pāśupataṃ param | brahmādayo 'pi yatkṛtvā sarve pāśupatāḥ smṛtāḥ
诸仙人说道：“大德啊，我们愿闻至上的帕舒帕塔誓行（Pāśupata-vrata）；行此誓者，即便梵天等诸神，也都被称为帕舒帕塔——帕舒帕提（主宰众生之主、湿婆）的奉献者。”
The sages (Ṛṣis) addressing Sūta Gosvāmin (the narrator) in the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā context
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Significance: Frames the Pāśupata-vrata as a universally exalting observance—so potent that even the highest devas are counted as Paśupati’s followers by undertaking it.
FAQs
It establishes the Pāśupata Vrata as a supreme Shaiva discipline that transforms even the highest cosmic beings into devoted followers of Paśupati, implying that liberation and grace depend on Śiva-bhakti and right observance rather than status.
By seeking the Pāśupata observance, the sages point toward practical Saguna worship—vows, disciplines, and devotion directed to Paśupati, commonly expressed in Shiva Purana through Linga-centered worship and regulated Shaiva conduct.
The verse introduces a vow-based Shaiva practice (vrata) centered on Paśupati; in the Shiva Purana this typically unfolds into disciplines such as mantra-japa, purity observances, and Shaiva marks like bhasma (Tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa, as detailed in the subsequent narration.