Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 19
पशुपाशपतिज्ञान-प्राप्तिः
Acquisition of Paśupati–Pāśa Knowledge
मुनय ऊचुः । केयं माया समा ख्याता किंरूपो मायया वृतः । मूलं कीदृक्कुतो वास्य किं शिवत्वं कुतश्शिवः
munaya ūcuḥ | keyaṃ māyā samā khyātā kiṃrūpo māyayā vṛtaḥ | mūlaṃ kīdṛkkuto vāsya kiṃ śivatvaṃ kutaśśivaḥ
诸仙人说道：“这被称为摩耶（Māyā）的究竟是什么？它的体性如何，谁又被摩耶所包覆？它的根源是什么，属何种类，从何处生起？又‘湿婆性’（śivatva）为何物？湿婆（Śiva）从何而得知并证悟？”
Sages (Munis) of Naimisharanya
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
This verse frames the core Shaiva inquiry: how bondage (Māyā/Pāśa) operates, what its origin is, and how the soul can realize śivatva—union with Shiva as the Supreme Pati who grants liberation.
By questioning who is ‘covered by Māyā’ and what ‘Shivahood’ is, the sages prepare for teachings that Saguna worship—such as Linga-upāsanā—purifies the mind, loosens Māyā’s bonds, and leads toward the realization of Shiva beyond all coverings.
The implied practice is inquiry supported by Shiva-upāsanā: japa of the Panchākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with devotion, along with purificatory Shaiva disciplines (bhasma/tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa) to weaken Māyā and steady meditation on Shiva.