Shloka 39
कुशोदकं ततो दद्याद्यथाविधिविधानतः । तत उत्थाप्य वै कुर्य्यात्प्रदक्षिणनमस्कृती
kuśodakaṃ tato dadyādyathāvidhividhānataḥ | tata utthāpya vai kuryyātpradakṣiṇanamaskṛtī
Then, in accordance with the prescribed rule, one should offer water sanctified with kuśa grass. Thereafter, rising from the act of worship, one should perform circumambulation and make reverential prostrations.
Suta Goswami (narrating the prescribed method of Shiva worship to the sages at Naimisharanya, as typical of Purana discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Not site-specific; it completes the offering with kuśodaka and then prescribes embodied devotion—pradakṣiṇā and namaskāra—typical of Śaiva temple praxis.
Significance: Pradakṣiṇā and namaskāra are merit-multipliers; in Śaiva Siddhānta, bodily humility supports the soul’s turning from pāśa toward Pati.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It emphasizes that devotion (bhakti) is strengthened by disciplined sacred order (vidhi): the offering of purified water and the closing acts of pradakṣiṇā and namaskāra express surrender to Pati (Shiva) and humility of the pashu (individual soul).
In Linga/Saguna worship, the rite is completed not only by offerings but by embodied reverence—circumambulation and prostration—affirming Shiva’s presence as the accessible, worship-worthy form through which grace (anugraha) is sought.
Offer kuśa-sanctified water as an auspicious, purifying oblation, then conclude the puja by standing, performing pradakṣiṇā around the deity/linga, and offering namaskāra with a concentrated, surrendered mind.