Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 3
नैमित्तिकविधिक्रमः
Occasional Rites and Their Procedure
अयने विषुवे चैव ग्रहणेषु विशेषतः । कर्तव्या महती पूजा ह्यधिका वापि शक्तितः
ayane viṣuve caiva grahaṇeṣu viśeṣataḥ | kartavyā mahatī pūjā hyadhikā vāpi śaktitaḥ
Zu den Sonnenwenden und Tagundnachtgleichen, und besonders bei Finsternissen, soll man eine große Pūjā für Śiva vollziehen; oder, je nach Vermögen, eine noch erhabenere Verehrung unternehmen.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific māhātmya; the verse gives a general kāla-viśeṣa (time-qualification) for intensified Śiva-pūjā at ayana/viṣuva and especially during grahaṇa, when merit is held to multiply and concealment (tirodhāna) is ritually countered by focused worship.
Significance: Encourages kāla-sādhana: performing Śiva worship at cosmically charged times is said to yield amplified puṇya and quicker purification, supporting eligibility for Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
Offering: pushpa
Cosmic Event: grahaṇa (eclipse); also ayana (solstice) and viṣuva (equinox) as calendrical cosmic thresholds
FAQs
It teaches that certain cosmic junctions (solstice, equinox, eclipse) are spiritually potent, so a devotee should intensify Śiva-pūjā then—offering more devotion and discipline within one’s means—so the soul (paśu) turns more fully toward Pati (Śiva) and loosens bondage (pāśa).
The instruction is practical and ritual-oriented: at these times one performs “mahatī pūjā,” typically expressed as Liṅga-arcana (water, bilva, lamps, naivedya) to Saguna Śiva, using the visible form as the doorway to the formless Supreme.
Increase Śiva worship according to capacity: longer Liṅga-pūjā, more japa of the Pañcākṣarī ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya"), and observances like purity/fasting; if aligned with one’s tradition, apply bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and wear rudrākṣa while maintaining focused meditation on Śiva.