Shloka 86
प्रणवार्थ-शिवतत्त्व-निर्णयः
The Determination of Śiva as the Meaning of Praṇava
आदाय होमद्रव्याणि समिधादीनि च क्रमात् । समुद्रतीरे नद्यां वा पर्व्वते वा शिवालये
ādāya homadravyāṇi samidhādīni ca kramāt | samudratīre nadyāṃ vā parvvate vā śivālaye
Having taken, in due order, the materials for the fire-offering—beginning with the sacred fuel-sticks (samidh)—one should perform it on the seashore, or by a river, or on a mountain, or in a temple of Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
Sthala Purana: Not a specific Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse gives general adhikāra for performing homa in naturally pure/desacralized-to-sacralized spaces (sea/river/mountain/Śiva-temple), aligning with Purāṇic–Āgamic ideas of tīrtha and kṣetra as accelerants of merit and purity.
Significance: Choosing a tīrtha/kṣetra (seashore/riverbank/mountain/Śivālaya) is presented as conducive to śuddhi and siddhi of the rite; in Siddhānta terms, it supports the soul’s readiness (adhikāra) for Śiva-anugraha through correct kriyā.
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva-worship through homa should be performed with discipline (krama) and in sanctified environments, aligning the devotee’s outer rite with inner purity—so devotion becomes a direct means toward Śiva’s grace.
By recommending a Śiva-ālaya (Śiva temple) and other sacred natural sites, the verse supports Saguna Śiva worship where the Linga and consecrated spaces serve as focal points for offering, remembrance, and receiving Śiva’s anugraha (grace).
It suggests performing a Śaiva homa with proper samidh and offerings in a prescribed order, ideally in a Śiva temple or sacred natural setting; practitioners commonly accompany the rite with Śiva-mantra japa (such as the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) while offering into the fire.