Shloka 51
मुक्तयतिदेहसंस्काररहस्यं — The Esoteric Rites for the Bodies of Liberated Ascetics
खनित्वा देवयजनं दण्डमात्रप्रमाणतः । प्रणवव्याहृतिभ्यां च प्रोक्ष्य चास्तीर्य्य च क्रमात्
khanitvā devayajanaṃ daṇḍamātrapramāṇataḥ | praṇavavyāhṛtibhyāṃ ca prokṣya cāstīryya ca kramāt
Having dug the divine altar (the place of worship) to the measure of one daṇḍa, one should sprinkle it with sanctified water while uttering the Praṇava (Oṁ) along with the vyāhṛtis, and then spread the ritual covering upon it in due order.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Mantra: oṃ (praṇava) + vyāhṛtayaḥ: bhūḥ bhuvaḥ svaḥ (and extended mahāvyāhṛtis in some prayogas)
Type: gayatri
FAQs
It teaches that Shaiva worship begins with inner and outer purification—measuring, preparing, and sanctifying the worship-space while invoking Oṁ and the vyāhṛtis, aligning the devotee’s action with cosmic order.
The verse describes the preliminary rite for establishing a purified sacred area where Saguna Shiva is approached in worship—typically culminating in Linga-pūjā performed on a ritually consecrated ground.
Prepare a dedicated altar-space, then perform prokṣaṇa (sprinkling for purification) while chanting Oṁ with the vyāhṛtis, proceeding step-by-step—an outer discipline that supports focused mantra-japa and devotional concentration.