Shloka 32
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
निधाय चैव तद्द्रव्यं पूजार्थं शिवसन्निधौ । पुनः स्नायात्तदा तत्र विधिपूर्वं नरोत्तमः
nidhāya caiva taddravyaṃ pūjārthaṃ śivasannidhau | punaḥ snāyāttadā tatra vidhipūrvaṃ narottamaḥ
Having placed those offering-materials there in the very presence of Śiva for the sake of worship, the best of men should then bathe again on that spot, in accordance with the prescribed rite.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Significance: Re-establishes ritual purity (śauca) before approaching Śiva; supports eligibility (adhikāra) for pūjā and mantra-japa.
FAQs
It teaches that approaching Śiva’s sannidhi requires inner and outer purification—placing offerings with reverence and renewing cleanliness so the worship becomes a disciplined, sattvic act of bhakti aligned with śāstric vidhi.
The verse assumes worship in Śiva’s immediate presence (often the Liṅga in a Jyotirliṅga shrine). By stressing proper preparation and bathing, it frames Saguna upāsanā as a sacred encounter where the devotee’s purity and orderliness honor the manifest form of Śiva.
A practical instruction is given: set the puja materials near Śiva and perform a second, rule-based bath (snāna) before continuing worship—supporting a focused mind for mantra-japa (such as the Pañcākṣarī) and orderly Liṅga-pūjā.