Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 50
भक्ताधिकारि-द्विजधर्म-योगिलक्षणवर्णनम् / Duties of Qualified Devotees and Marks of Yogins
रतिरभ्यंतरे यस्य न बाह्ये पुण्यगौरवात् । न कर्म करणीयं हि बहिस्तस्य महात्मनाः
ratirabhyaṃtare yasya na bāhye puṇyagauravāt | na karma karaṇīyaṃ hi bahistasya mahātmanāḥ
ذلك العظيم النفس الذي تكمن بهجته في الداخل وليس في الممارسات الخارجية—من منطلق التوقير لقدسية النقاء الداخلي—ليس لديه حاجة للقيام بأي عمل خارجي.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
FAQs
It teaches that when devotion and awareness are firmly established within, the seeker is no longer driven by compulsory external rites; inner purity and God-realization become primary, with actions becoming natural and non-binding.
Linga-worship begins with outer pūjā, but its goal is inward absorption in Shiva; the verse points to that maturity where the Linga is contemplated within the heart, and external worship is no longer performed merely for merit-display.
It suggests inward worship through japa and meditation—especially steady remembrance of Shiva (e.g., Panchakshara ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’)—so that outer ritual becomes supportive rather than obligatory.