With deep reverence, the seeker begins the sacred rite by establishing the fire according to the prescribed rules, preparing for a flawless homa. Into the consecrated flames, he offers ghee, sacred sticks, and cooked food, each in the order set forth by tradition. Once the vessel is refilled, he continues, aiming to purify the very principles of existence, offering again with the root mantra and the same sacred materials. As he proceeds, his offerings symbolically encompass the five elements—earth, water, fire, air, and space—their subtle forms, and the five organs of action. With careful discernment, he reflects upon the distinction between knowledge and action, the fivefold divisions of activity, the seven bodily substances beginning with skin, and the five vital airs that sustain life. He contemplates mind, intellect, ego, discernment, the qualities, nature and spirit, attachment, knowledge, the various powers, the order of the cosmos, and the flow of time itself. He acknowledges Māyā and pure knowledge, Maheśvara and Sadāśiva, the power and the principle of Śiva—each principle revealed in its proper succession. Through these pure mantras and offerings, the sacrificer is cleansed; by the grace of Shiva, he becomes truly wise. Then, with devotion, he takes cow dung, forms it into a lump, consecrates it with mantras, places it in the fire, and sprinkles it. On that day, he partakes of the sacrificial food. On the morning of the fourteenth day, after performing all the previously described rites, he observes a fast for the remainder of the prescribed time. At the sacred juncture of dawn, he performs the homa as before and carefully collects the ashes from the Rudra-fire. Having bathed, he adopts the appearance of an ascetic—his hair matted, head shaven, or tied in a single topknot. Clad only in the directions, he stands unashamed, or, if he chooses, dons ochre garments, a hide, a single cloth, or bark, and may carry a staff and girdle. After washing his feet, he sits again and, uniting his body in contemplation, carefully applies the ash from the pure fire. With the six Atharvan mantras beginning with ‘Agni’, he anoints his limbs in order, from head to feet, and then, in the same manner, sprinkles the ash over his entire body, invoking either the syllable Om or the name of Shiva. He marks three sacred lines, known as ‘triyāyuṣa’, upon himself, thus attaining the state of Shiva and commencing the yoga of Shiva. He performs the three daily sandhyās, for this is the Pāśupata vow—a vow that grants both worldly enjoyment and ultimate liberation, freeing one from the bonds of existence. Having cast off bondage and undertaken the Pāśupata vow, he worships the eternal Mahādeva in the form of the liṅga. He prepares a seat shaped like an eight-petaled golden lotus, adorned with nine gems and a central filament. If resources are limited, he substitutes a red or white lotus, or, if even that is unavailable, he creates the seat through contemplation alone. At the lotus’s center, he places a small liṅga upon a crystal pedestal, and worships it in the proper manner. After installing and purifying the liṅga, and preparing the seat, he visualizes the divine form with five faces. He bathes the liṅga with pañcagavya and other auspicious substances, as much as he is able, using water from eight sacred sources. He anoints the liṅga and its pedestal with fragrant substances—camphor, sandalwood, saffron, and others—and adorns them with ornaments. He offers bilva leaves, red and white lotuses, blue lotuses, and other fragrant flowers, as well as auspicious leaves, dūrvā grass, rice grains, and whatever else he can, following the procedures of the great worship. He presents incense, lamps, and food offerings, conducting each rite according to his means. All desirable and distinguished substances, acquired by rightful means, are offered, as this vow especially calls for generosity. The prescribed number of śrī-patra, blue lotuses, and lotuses is a thousand each, or one hundred and eight, as tradition allows. Yet, the bilva leaf is never to be omitted, for a single golden lotus is said to surpass a thousand ordinary lotuses. For blue lotuses and similar flowers, the same rule as for bilva leaves applies; for other flowers, there is no restriction—one offers whatever is available. The eightfold arghya is considered excellent, especially incense and unguents. Sandalwood is offered to the Vāmadeva face, haritāla to the Puruṣa face. Some authorities prescribe ash as the unguent for the Īśāna face, omitting incense there, since another kind is specified: white aguru for the Aghora face, black aguru for the mouth. For the Puruṣa face, guggulu is offered; for the Saumya face on the left, fragrant substances at the mouth; and for the Īśāna face, especially, incense such as uśīra is given. Sugar, honey, camphor, clarified butter, and mixtures of sandalwood, aguru, and other woods are regarded as general offerings. A camphor wick soaked in ghee is offered, followed by a row of lamps. Arghya and water for sipping are given to each face in turn. In the first enclosure, worship is offered to Heramba and Ṣaṇmukha, then to the limbs of Brahmā, after honoring the first enclosure. In the second enclosure, the lords of obstacles and sovereigns are worshipped; in the third, Bhava and the other eight forms. Therein dwell Mahādeva and his eleven forms; in the fourth enclosure, all the lords of the Gaṇas are worshipped. Finally, outside the lotus, in the fifth enclosure, the guardians of the ten directions—armed and attended—are worshipped in their proper order. Thus, with devotion, order, and purity, the sacred rites unfold, drawing the worshipper ever closer to the grace and presence of Shiva.