Shloka 55
Adhyaya 89: शौचाचारलक्षणम् — सदाचार, भैक्ष्यचर्या, प्रायश्चित्त, द्रव्यशुद्धि, आशौच-निर्णय
वर्जयेत्सर्वयत्नेन वासो ऽन्यैर् विधृतं द्विजाः कौशेयाविकयो रूक्षैः क्षौमाणां गौरसर्षपैः
varjayetsarvayatnena vāso 'nyair vidhṛtaṃ dvijāḥ kauśeyāvikayo rūkṣaiḥ kṣaumāṇāṃ gaurasarṣapaiḥ
O twice-born ones, one should carefully avoid wearing garments that have been worn by others. Likewise, one should refrain from rough cloth—whether of silk or wool—and from linen that has been harshened or smeared with pale mustard-seed paste, for such impurity and coarseness obstruct the purity required for Śiva’s worship.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-puja injunctions to the sages of Naimisharanya)
FAQs
It establishes śauca (ritual purity) as a prerequisite for Linga-pūjā: the worshipper should avoid second-hand or ritually tainted clothing and coarse, impurity-associated fabrics so the offering to Pati (Śiva) is made with disciplined cleanliness.
By demanding careful purity, it implies Śiva as Pati—the supremely pure consciousness—approached through regulated conduct; the pashu (bound soul) loosens pāśa (impurity and negligence) by aligning outer actions with inner reverence.
It highlights pūjā-vidhi and ācāra: maintaining bodily and material cleanliness (especially clothing) as a supportive limb of Pāśupata-oriented discipline that steadies the mind for mantra, abhiṣeka, and worship.