Shloka 45
दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
यथाशक्ति द्विजाञ्छैवान्यतिनश्च विशेषतः । भोजयित्वा सुसन्तोष्य स्वयं भोजनमाचरेत्
yathāśakti dvijāñchaivānyatinaśca viśeṣataḥ | bhojayitvā susantoṣya svayaṃ bhojanamācaret
According to one’s capacity, one should feed the dvijas, and especially the Śaiva ascetics, gratifying them fully; only after satisfying them should one partake of one’s own meal.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Sthala Purana: Vrata completion is sealed by feeding dvijas and, especially, Śaiva yatis—an ethic of honoring Śiva’s community (śivabhakta-saṅgha) as an extension of worship.
Significance: Service to Śaiva ascetics is treated as direct service to Paśupati; it purifies the practitioner’s limited selfhood and supports grace-bearing lineages.
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that devotion to Shiva must mature into seva (service): feeding and honoring the twice-born and especially Shaiva renunciants purifies the worshipper, reduces ego, and supports dharma—making one fit for Shiva’s grace.
In Linga/Saguna Shiva worship, honoring Shiva’s devotees is treated as honoring Shiva Himself; the rite is completed not merely by offering to the Linga but by extending that sanctity outward through hospitality and annadāna.
A practical upacāra is indicated: after Shiva-puja (often with mantra-japa such as the Panchakshara), feed Brahmins and particularly Shaiva yatis to full satisfaction, then only eat—cultivating humility, restraint, and devotional discipline.