Shloka 49
Kṣetra–Kāla–Phala-kramaḥ
Hierarchy of Sacred Place, Time, and Ritual Fruit
धान्यमन्नं समृद्ध्यर्थं मधुराहारदं गुडम् । रौप्यं रेतोभिवृद्ध्यर्थं षड्रसार्थं तु लावणम्
dhānyamannaṃ samṛddhyarthaṃ madhurāhāradaṃ guḍam | raupyaṃ retobhivṛddhyarthaṃ ṣaḍrasārthaṃ tu lāvaṇam
لأجل الرخاء تُقدَّم الحبوب والطعام المطبوخ؛ ولمنح الغذاء الحلو تُقدَّم السُّكَّرة (jaggery). ولزيادة الفحولة تُقدَّم الفِضّة؛ ولتحصيل تمام المذاقات الستة يُقدَّم الملح حقًّا.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī’s Śiva is famed as Viśvanātha; the verse’s emphasis on anna (food) and prosperity resonates with Kāśī-Annapūrṇā’s sthala tradition where the Goddess feeds the world under Śiva’s lordship (a thematic, not direct, linkage).
Significance: Anna-dāna and feeding pilgrims in Kāśī is held to support dharma and prepare the devotee for Śiva’s liberating grace; prosperity is framed as service-capacity rather than mere enjoyment.
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that offerings in Shiva’s worship are not random: each naivedya (food-offering) is linked to a specific fruit, guiding devotees to align material wellbeing with devotion to Pati (Shiva) while keeping worship disciplined and sattvic.
In Saguna worship of the Shiva-Linga, devotees serve Shiva as the accessible Lord through tangible upacharas like food and auspicious substances; the verse maps specific items (grain, food, jaggery, silver, salt) to intended results, showing the Linga as the ritual focus of grace.
A practical takeaway is to include appropriate naivedya in Linga-puja—offering anna/dhanya with purity and devotion—while mentally dedicating the act to Shiva with steady remembrance (e.g., japa of the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”).