Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 28
दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship
आस्तां दूरेस्य कर्मान्यच्छिवनिर्माल्यलंघकः । प्रत्यक्षतोऽत्र वीक्षध्वमस्पृश्योऽयं भवादृशाम्
āstāṃ dūresya karmānyacchivanirmālyalaṃghakaḥ | pratyakṣato'tra vīkṣadhvamaspṛśyo'yaṃ bhavādṛśām
Lasst seine anderen Taten weit beiseite. Dieser Mann hat das Nirmālya, die heiligen Überreste der Śiva-Darbringung, übertreten; seht es hier mit eigenen Augen—für Leute wie euch ist er unberührbar.
Brahma (narrating within the Srishti Khanda context)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that devotion is not merely inner feeling but also reverent conduct: what has been offered to Śiva becomes sacred, and contempt toward it is a serious lapse that brings ritual and moral impurity.
In Liṅga/Saguṇa worship, offerings (flowers, bilva, garlands) consecrated by contact with Śiva are treated as Śiva-prasāda; violating or trampling such nirmālya is viewed as disrespect to the manifest presence of Śiva in worship.
Maintain śauca (purity) in Śiva-pūjā: receive Śiva-prasāda and nirmālya respectfully, avoid stepping over or discarding it carelessly, and reinforce devotion through mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”