Shloka 29
प्रणवार्थ-शिवतत्त्व-निर्णयः
The Determination of Śiva as the Meaning of Praṇava
एवं क्रमेण शुद्धात्मा सर्व्वकर्म्माणि विन्यसेत् । सन्यस्य सर्व्वकर्म्माणि ज्ञानपूजापरो भवेत्
evaṃ krameṇa śuddhātmā sarvvakarmmāṇi vinyaset | sanyasya sarvvakarmmāṇi jñānapūjāparo bhavet
Thus, step by step, when the self becomes purified, one should lay aside all actions. Having renounced all actions, one should become devoted to the worship that is knowledge—steady contemplation of Śiva, the Lord (Pati), as the liberating Reality.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not site-specific; articulates the Siddhānta trajectory: purification through ordered practice, then relinquishing karmas, culminating in jñāna-pūjā (inner worship) centered on Śiva.
Significance: General: teaches that the highest worship is knowledge/realization of Śiva; external rites are progressively internalized and transcended.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It teaches a graded path: after inner purification, one transcends outward action and abides in jñāna-pūjā—worship as direct contemplative knowledge of Śiva, the liberator of the bound soul.
It implies progression from external Saguna worship (such as Linga-pūjā and ritual duties) toward internalized worship, where the same Śiva is adored through steady awareness and realization rather than mere outward acts.
A shift from ritual performance toward meditative worship: renouncing doership, maintaining purity, and practicing inward contemplation of Śiva—often supported by mantra-japa (e.g., the Pañcākṣarī) as one matures into jñāna-pūjā.