Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 2
पूजाविधान-व्याख्या (Pūjāvidhāna-vyākhyā) — Exposition of the Procedure of Worship
अंगमभ्यंतरं यागमग्निकार्यावसानकम् । विधाय वा न वा पश्चाद्बहिर्यागं समाचरेत्
aṃgamabhyaṃtaraṃ yāgamagnikāryāvasānakam | vidhāya vā na vā paścādbahiryāgaṃ samācaret
بعد أداء—أو حتى إن لم يُؤدَّ—العبادةَ الداخلية التي هي عضوٌ (أَنْغا) من الطقس وتُختَتم بأعمال القرابين النارية المقرَّرة، ينبغي بعد ذلك أن يُمارَس أيضًا الياغا الخارجي على الوجه اللائق.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Procedural linkage: internal rite (abhyantara-yāga) as an aṅga culminating in agni-kārya, followed by external worship (bahir-yāga). It reflects a synthetic ritual program rather than a locale.
Significance: Encourages completeness of worship: inner purification/intent plus outer observance; for pilgrims, it implies temple worship should be preceded by inner recollection and followed by proper upacāra.
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
It teaches that Shaiva practice is complete when inner worship (mental offering, mantra, yogic recollection of Shiva) is aligned with outer worship (formal puja and prescribed rites), so devotion becomes both inwardly purified and outwardly disciplined.
The verse supports a balanced approach: internal contemplation and mantra-japa culminate in—and are reinforced by—external Linga worship, where Saguna Shiva is honored through visible offerings while the mind remains fixed on Shiva as the indwelling Lord (Pati).
It implies abhyantara-yāga such as mental worship and japa (commonly with the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), followed by bahir-yāga—formal puja and, where prescribed, agni-kārya (homa/fire-offering) as the concluding rite.