Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 38
षडध्व-शुद्धिः
Purification of the Six Adhvans / Sixfold Cosmic Path
प्रक्षाल्य दंतपवनं त्यक्त्वाचम्य शिवं स्मरेत् । प्रविशेद्देशिकादिष्टः प्रांजलिः शिवमण्डलम्
prakṣālya daṃtapavanaṃ tyaktvācamya śivaṃ smaret | praviśeddeśikādiṣṭaḥ prāṃjaliḥ śivamaṇḍalam
Nachdem er den Zahnzweig gewaschen und anschließend das Ācamana vollzogen hat, soll er Śiva gedenken. Nach Weisung des Lehrers, mit ehrfürchtig gefalteten Händen, trete er dann in das Śiva-maṇḍala ein, den geweihten Raum der Śiva-Verehrung.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s ritual discipline as taught in the Vāyavīya Saṃhitā)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Type: panchakshara
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches that outer cleanliness and inner recollection (smaraṇa) must precede worship—purity of body and mind prepares the devotee to approach Pati (Śiva) with reverence, aligning action with devotion in a Shaiva Siddhanta spirit.
Entering the Śiva-maṇḍala implies approaching the consecrated space where Śiva is worshipped in a manifest form—often as the Liṅga—so the devotee first performs ācamana and then remembers Śiva, uniting ritual (kriyā) with devotion (bhakti).
Perform ācamana for purification, then do Śiva-smaraṇa (mental remembrance/meditation) and enter the worship area with añjali, following the guru’s instruction—an orderly preparation for mantra-japa and pūjā.