पाशुपतव्रतविधिः | The Procedure of the Supreme Pāśupata Vow
रागो विद्याकले चैव नियतिः काल एव च । माया च शुद्धिविद्या च महेश्वरसदाशिवौ
rāgo vidyākale caiva niyatiḥ kāla eva ca | māyā ca śuddhividyā ca maheśvarasadāśivau
欲爱(rāga)、知(vidyā)与有限之能(kalā),以及制约(niyati)与时间(kāla)——并且还有幻力(Māyā)与清净智(śuddhavidyā),连同大自在天(Maheśvara)与常住吉祥者(Sadāśiva):此皆为此教中所宣说之上位原理。
Suta Goswami (narrating Shaiva philosophy to the sages at Naimisharanya, as typical of Purāṇic discourse in the Vāyavīya section)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
The verse lists key Shaiva tattvas: the five limiting coverings (kāñcukas) that contract the soul’s awareness—kāla, niyati, rāga, vidyā, kalā—along with Māyā and higher principles (śuddhavidyā, Maheśvara, Sadāśiva). Spiritually, it teaches that bondage arises from limitation, and liberation comes by moving from Māyā-bound cognition toward pure knowledge and the Lord’s grace.
Saguna worship—especially of the Śiva-liṅga—focuses the mind beyond rāga (attachment) and the constraints of time and limitation. By devotion, mantra, and ritual purity, the seeker is led from Māyā and the contracted state toward śuddhavidyā, culminating in recognition of Śiva as Pati (Maheśvara/Sadāśiva) who bestows liberation.
A practical takeaway is steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with liṅga-pūjā and inner contemplation: observe how desire (rāga) and time-bound thinking (kāla) arise, then return the mind to Śiva. Supporting Shaiva disciplines like Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa can be adopted as reminders of dispassion and Śiva-centered awareness.
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