Shloka 28
ज्योतिर्लिङ्ग-तदुपलिङ्ग-माहात्म्यवर्णनम्
Narration of the Greatness of the Jyotirliṅga and Associated Liṅgas
ग्राह्यमेषां च नैवेद्यं भोजनीयं प्रयत्नतः । तत्कर्तुः सर्व्वपापानि भस्मसाद् यान्ति वै क्षणात्
grāhyameṣāṃ ca naivedyaṃ bhojanīyaṃ prayatnataḥ | tatkartuḥ sarvvapāpāni bhasmasād yānti vai kṣaṇāt
One should accept the offered naivedya (consecrated food) and partake of it with due care. For the performer of this act, all sins are instantly reduced to ashes in a moment.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: General instruction: honoring Śiva’s prasāda (naivedya) is itself purificatory; the ‘ash’ metaphor aligns with Śiva’s bhasma symbolism.
Significance: Teaches prasāda-sevā as a purifier: accepting and consuming consecrated offering removes pāpa and strengthens sambandha (bond) with Śiva.
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that honoring sacred offerings (naivedya/prasāda) with reverence is a Shaiva act of purification, where impurity (pāpa) is said to be burned away like ashes—reflecting Shiva’s power to dissolve bondage.
In Saguna Shiva worship—especially in Jyotirlinga contexts—food is offered to Shiva and returned as prasāda; accepting and consuming it is part of completing the pūjā and receiving Shiva’s grace (anugraha).
Offer naivedya to Shiva with mantra and devotion, then respectfully take the prasāda yourself (and share it), maintaining purity and attentiveness; the verse frames this as a direct purifier akin to bhasma’s symbolism.