Shaiva Siddhanta rests upon a triadic vision of reality: Pati, Pashu, and Pasha. Pati is Shiva, the supreme, independent Lord, the efficient cause of the universe, endowed with perfect knowledge, will, activity, and bliss. Pashu refers to the individual souls, infinite in number, conscious yet bound and limited, eternally distinct from Shiva yet dependent upon him. Pasha denotes the bonds that constrain these souls: anava, the primordial finitude or ignorance; karma, the chain of actions and their consequences; and maya, the subtle principle that underlies materiality and illusion. These three—Lord, souls, and bonds—are treated as enduring realities, forming the basic framework through which existence, bondage, and the possibility of liberation are understood.

This metaphysical vision is elaborated through a detailed cosmology of 36 tattvas, or principles, which unfold from Shiva and Shakti down to the gross elements. The tattva system describes a graded structure of reality, in which Shiva is both transcendent and immanent, and Shakti is the dynamic power by which the universe is manifested. Within this structure, the world is not dismissed as mere unreality but is seen as the field in which the soul’s bondage and spiritual evolution are worked out. The eternal relationship between Pati, Pashu, and Pasha is thus not an abstract doctrine alone, but a way of interpreting every level of experience, from the subtlest inner awareness to the most concrete forms of ritual and social life.

Liberation, or moksha, is portrayed as the soul’s release from the three bonds and its attainment of likeness to Shiva, without losing its distinct identity. The liberated soul realizes Shiva as its innermost reality and shares in his knowledge and bliss, yet does not become the Lord or creator. This transformation is never attributed to human effort alone; divine grace (anugraha or shaktipata) is regarded as indispensable. Grace is mediated especially through diksha, or initiation, and through the guru, who is revered as the living channel of Shiva’s power and insight. In this way, Shaiva Siddhanta holds together a strong sense of human responsibility with an equally strong affirmation of dependence on Shiva’s compassion.

The path leading toward this goal is traditionally described in four stages: charya, kriya, yoga, and jnana. Charya emphasizes ethical conduct and external worship; kriya deepens this through more elaborate ritual and devotional observances; yoga turns the attention inward through disciplined control of mind and breath; and jnana culminates in right understanding of Pati, Pashu, and Pasha, granted and sealed by grace. Temple worship, mantra, and communal ritual are not secondary embellishments but central disciplines that purify the bonds and align the soul with Shiva. Through this integration of metaphysics, devotion, and practice, Shaiva Siddhanta presents a theistic and realistic vision in which the soul journeys from bondage to a state of enduring communion and service to the supreme Lord.