Narada Purana — Purva Bhaga, Shloka 6
The Description of the Caturdaśī Vrata Observed throughout the Twelve Months
लिंगमभ्यर्चयेच्चैवं स्नात्वा धौतांबरः सुधीः । गंधाद्यैरुपचारैश्च बिल्वपत्रैश्च सर्वतः ॥ ६ ॥
liṃgamabhyarcayeccaivaṃ snātvā dhautāṃbaraḥ sudhīḥ | gaṃdhādyairupacāraiśca bilvapatraiśca sarvataḥ || 6 ||
So soll der Weise, nachdem er gebadet und reine Gewänder angelegt hat, den Śiva-Liṅga ordnungsgemäß verehren: mit Opfergaben wie Sandelpaste und weiteren Diensten sowie mit ringsum ausgelegten Bilva-Blättern.
Narada (teaching in a dharma-ritual context; traditional dialogue framework with Sanatkumara lineage implied for this section)
Vrata: Śiva-vrata (implied continuation of the sequence)
Primary Rasa: bhakti
Secondary Rasa: shanta
FAQs
It emphasizes purity (bathing and clean clothes) and complete, respectful service (upacāras) as the inner and outer discipline that makes liṅga-worship spiritually effective.
Bhakti is expressed here as attentive service—offering fragrant substances and bilva leaves with reverence—showing devotion through careful, loving ritual action rather than mere words.
It reflects ritual discipline aligned with Kalpa (procedural rules of worship) and basic śauca (purity) principles—bathing, clean garments, and prescribed offerings like bilva leaves.