Adhyaya 79 — Bhakti-Mahima and Linga-Archana-Vidhi
Condensed Ritual Sequence
शिवाय दीपं यो दद्याद् विधिना वापि भक्तितः सूर्यायुतसमैः श्लक्ष्णैर् यानैः शिवपुरं व्रजेत्
śivāya dīpaṃ yo dadyād vidhinā vāpi bhaktitaḥ sūryāyutasamaiḥ ślakṣṇair yānaiḥ śivapuraṃ vrajet
Wer Śiva eine Lampe darbringt—nach rechter Vorschrift oder auch allein aus Bhakti—wird in Śivas Stadt (Śivapura) gelangen, getragen von erlesenen Wagen, strahlend wie zehntausend Sonnen.
Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It teaches that offering light (dīpa-dāna) to Śiva in Linga-pūjā is a powerful act of merit: even if formal ritual is incomplete, sincere bhakti is accepted and leads the devotee toward Śiva’s abode.
Śiva is implied as the supreme Pati who receives devotion and grants transcendental passage beyond bondage; the imagery of overwhelming radiance points to Śiva-tattva as consciousness and inner illumination that outshines worldly light.
The practice is dīpa-dāna (offering a lamp) as a limb of Śiva-pūjā; yogically, it supports the Shaiva theme of awakening inner light—turning the pashu (bound soul) toward Pati through bhakti rather than mere external formality.