Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 59
पूजास्थानशुद्धिः पात्रशोधनं च — Purification of the Worship-Space and Preparation of Ritual Vessels
अष्टौ प्रदीपान्परितो विधायैकं तु मध्यमे । तेषु वामादिकाश्चिन्त्याः पूज्याश्च नव शक्तयः
aṣṭau pradīpānparito vidhāyaikaṃ tu madhyame | teṣu vāmādikāścintyāḥ pūjyāśca nava śaktayaḥ
Nachdem man ringsum acht Lampen aufgestellt und eine in die Mitte gesetzt hat, soll man dort die neun Śaktis, beginnend mit Vāmā, meditativ vergegenwärtigen und sie als göttliche Kräfte verehren.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Meditation on the śaktis and their worship is a means to invoke Śiva’s anugraha through His inseparable power (śakti), stabilizing the sādhaka’s inner and outer maṇḍala.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
Offering: dipa
FAQs
The verse teaches that Śiva’s grace is approached through ordered worship and contemplation: the nine Śaktis are meditated upon as Śiva’s operative powers, guiding the sādhaka from outer ritual (lamps) to inner illumination (center lamp) and toward liberation.
In Saguna worship, the Linga is honored as Śiva’s manifest presence, while the Śaktis are revered as His inseparable energies. The surrounding lamps symbolize the periphery of manifestation, and the central lamp reflects the heart of consciousness—Śiva—supported by Śakti for effective worship.
Arrange eight lamps in a circle with one in the center, then perform dhyāna and pūjā of the nine Śaktis beginning with Vāmā—optionally alongside japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to unify devotion, concentration, and inner light.