śṛṇu, bhagavan! paśubhedaḥ prathamaṃ nirdiśyate—yaḥ saṅgavarjitaḥ, sa paśuḥ ucyate; sa tu svatantraḥ na bhavati, parādhīnaḥ san paśubhāvam atikrāntum na śaknoti. ataḥ, atra yaḥ tattvajñaḥ, sa eva muktimān mokṣadaśca—na tu kevalam lakṣaṇaiḥ samupetaḥ, sarvaśāstraviśāradaḥ api. sarvakarmopāyān jñātvāpi, yadi tattvaṃ na labhyate, tasya sarvaṃ niṣphalam; yasya tu buddhiḥ tattvānubhavasamānatāṃ yāti, sa eva sārthakaḥ. tasyā darśanādibhyaḥ paramānandaḥ prajāyate; tena saṅgāt prabodhaḥ sukhaṃ ca jāyate. ataḥ, dhīman guruṃ tameva varayet, nānyam; sa guruḥ śiṣyebhyaḥ yathāvinayaṃ śīlavān yogyatamaḥ. yāvat tattvajñānaṃ na prāptam, tāvat mokṣārthinaḥ sevāṃ kuryuḥ; jñāte sati, yāvat tattvasamāśrayaḥ, bhaktir dṛḍhā bhavet. tattvaṃ kadāpi na tyājyam, nāpi kadācit parihātavyaṃ, yatra na sukhaṃ na prabodhaḥ svalpakaṃ vā labhyate. ekavatsarāt api, śiṣyaḥ anyam guruṃ upasthātuṃ arhati; kintu pūrvaguruṃ, tadbhrātṛn, putrān, ācāryān, upadeṣṭṛn ca avamānyaṃ na kuryāt. tatra, prathamam vedavid brāhmaṇam upagamya, dhīmantam, śivam, priyadarśanam guruṃ pūjayet. yaḥ sarvabhayapradāyī, dayālur manasā, tam manasā, karmabhiḥ, vāca ca toṣayitum yateta. yāvat guruḥ tuṣṭo bhavati, tāvat śiṣyaḥ pūjayet; guruṣuṣṭau sati, śiṣyasya pāpāni kṣipram vinaśyanti. ataḥ, dhanaṃ ratnāni kṣetrāṇi gṛhāḥ bhūṣaṇāni, vastrāṇi, yānāni, śayyāsanāni—etāni sarvāṇi śraddhayā gurave yathāśakti dātavyāni; dhanasya vañcanāṃ na kuryāt, paramaṃ mārgaṃ yaḥ icchati. sa eva pitā mātā bhartā bandhūḥ dhanaṃ sukham mitraṃ sahāyaḥ; tasmāt sarvaṃ tasmai samarpayet. samarpya, ātmānaṃ kulam dravyāṇi salilaṃ ca tasmai nivedya, sadā tasya vaśe tiṣṭhet. yadā śivasya, gurvātmane, ātmā samarpitaḥ, tadā śaivaḥ bhavati; tataḥ punaḥ janma na bhavati. guruḥ śaraṇāgataṃ śiṣyaṃ ekavatsaraṃ parīkṣayet; brāhmaṇaṃ kṣatriyaṃ vaiśyaṃ vā dvau trīṃśca varṣān. prāṇadānaṃ dhanadānaṃ saṅkṣiptādeśena ca, śreṣṭhā adhamān karmabhiḥ vivecayet. ye tu ninditā api, hataḥ api, na śocanti, te śivakarmasu yogyāḥ, niyamāḥ, śuddhāḥ. ahiṃsakāḥ, dayālavaḥ, satatam udyatamānasaḥ, vinītāḥ, buddhimantaḥ, amatsarāḥ, priyavādinaḥ ca; sāmpratamāḥ, mṛduḥ, śuciḥ, yatavān, dhṛtimān, śīlena visuddhāḥ, śivabhaktāḥ, dvijātayaḥ ca—etādṛśāḥ śuddhavākkāyamānasaḥ śāstravidhiṃ yathā, pariśodhitāḥ upadiṣṭavyāḥ iti śāstraniścayaḥ. strīṇāṃ tu svatantrāyāḥ śivakarmasu na adhikāraḥ; patisamādeśāt eva, yadi sā bhagavatbhaktā. pativarjitāyāḥ, putrādeśād vā adhikāraḥ; kumāryāḥ, pitṛsamādeśāt; śūdrāṇāṃ, manuṣyāṇāṃ, patitānāṃ ca viśeṣataḥ— sambhūtaḥ yadi, śuddhikarma na vihitaṃ; kintu, yadi kalpitaḥ, śive paramakāraṇe—pādodakādibhiḥ pāpapariśuddhiḥ kartavyā; tatra, yathāyogyaṃ jātasambandhāḥ dvijātibhiḥ saha yogyāḥ. teṣāṃ śuddhikarma ca anyāni, mātṛgotrānusāreṇa kāryāṇi; kumārī pitṛsamādeśāt vā śivadharme niyuktā—sā bhaktebhyaḥ dātavyā, nānyasmai vā prativādine; yadi aparādhāt prativādine dattā, patiṃ śikṣayet. śaknoti cet, parityajet, dharme manasā tiṣṭhet; yathā pativratā, maharṣiṃ tyaktvā api, patim anuvartate. sā pūrvam śaṅkaraṃ tapasyā pūjayitvā svārthaṃ sādhyā, yathā pāṇḍavāḥ nārāyaṇam tapasyā pūjayitvā patīn prāptāḥ dharmeṇa, na tu jyeṣṭhaiḥ niyujyamānāḥ; atra svātantryābhāvajanyaṃ doṣaḥ na satyam. śivadharme niyuktā, śivasya samādeśāt, kim bahunā? yaḥ kaścit śaraṇaṃ śivaṃ gataḥ—yadi dīkṣitavyaḥ, gurvādīnaṃ āśritaḥ, dīkṣā na bhidyate; kevalaṃ gurudarśanena, sparśena, vāgapi. yasya jñānam utpadyate, tasya parājayaḥ na vidyate; manasā dīkṣā yogamārgeṇa kṛtā—sātra na prakāśyate, guhyā guruvākyāt avagantavyā. yā dīkṣā vidhinā, maṇḍapavedikāpurvayā, sā samāsena vakṣyate; vistaraḥ na śakyaḥ. śubhadine, doṣavarjite śuddhadeśe, guruḥ prathamaṃ samayasaṃjñāṃ dīkṣāṃ kuryāt. bhūmiṃ śilpigranthavidhiṃ anusṛtya, gandharasavarṇādinā vicārya, tatra maṇḍapaṃ nirmāya, vedikāṃ kārayet. vedikāyāṃ madhye agnikundāni aṣṭasu dikṣu, antarikṣadigṣu, punar īśāne ca, krameṇa viniyojayet. pradhānaṃ kuṇḍaṃ vā paścime kāryam; ekam eva pradhānaṃ kṛtvā, tatra śobhāṃ vidhāya, chatrālaṅkārair, patākāpuṣpamālābhiḥ vividhaistathā punarapi, vedikāmadhye maṅgalalakṣaṇaiḥ maṇḍalaṃ kuryāt.