Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 69
लिङ्ग-बेर-प्रतिष्ठाविधिः / The Procedure for Installing the Liṅga and the Bera
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पूजां च महतीं कुर्याद्देवमावाह्य पूर्ववत् । अलब्धे स्थापिते लिंगे शिवस्थाने जले ऽथ वा
pūjāṃ ca mahatīṃ kuryāddevamāvāhya pūrvavat | alabdhe sthāpite liṃge śivasthāne jale 'tha vā
Nachdem man die Gottheit wie zuvor herbeigerufen hat, soll man eine große, feierliche Verehrung vollziehen. Ist kein geweihter und aufgestellter Liṅga verfügbar, so verehre man an einem Śiva-heiligen Ort oder sogar im Wasser.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Generalized sthala principle: if no consecrated liṅga is available, Śiva may be approached in any Śiva-kṣetra (śivasthāna) or even through jalādhāra (water) as an accessible support (ālambana) for worship.
Significance: Affirms Śiva’s universal accessibility: devotion and correct invocation can substitute for lack of a formal pratimā/liṅga, emphasizing anugraha over material limitation.
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva’s grace is accessible through proper invocation and devotion; even without a formally consecrated Liṅga, worship can be valid when performed in a Śiva-sanctified place or with water as a pure support for worship.
The Liṅga is affirmed as a primary Saguna support for worship, yet the verse broadens the method: when a consecrated Liṅga is not at hand, Śiva may still be worshipped through sanctioned alternatives (Śiva-sthāna or water) after due āvāhana (invocation).
Perform āvāhana (invocation) and then conduct ‘pūrvavat’ worship—i.e., the previously taught Shiva-pūjā sequence; if needed, use a Śiva-sacred site or water as the worship-support, accompanied by mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).