Shloka 27
तामंजलौ निपतिता सा विमृश्य पुनः पुनः । अभक्ष्यमिति मत्वाथ दूरे प्राक्षिपदातुरा
tāmaṃjalau nipatitā sā vimṛśya punaḥ punaḥ | abhakṣyamiti matvātha dūre prākṣipadāturā
When it fell into the hollow of her joined palms, she examined it again and again. Concluding, in her distress, that it was unfit to be eaten, she threw it far away.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Sthala Purana: A distressed woman rejects what seems inedible; the narrative sets up an inadvertent offering that later becomes meritorious when it contacts a Śiva-liṅga.
Significance: Illustrates the Siddhānta theme that the bound soul (paśu), under mala and māyā, misjudges reality; yet Śiva can turn even error into a path toward purification.
FAQs
It highlights viveka (discernment): even in agitation, one should repeatedly reflect and reject what is adharmic or impure (abhakṣya). Such restraint supports inner purity, which Shaiva tradition treats as essential for approaching Shiva and sacred tirthas.
Linga-worship emphasizes śauca (purity) and disciplined conduct. By refusing what is unfit and casting it away, the verse mirrors the devotee’s need to remove inner impurity before offering worship to Saguna Shiva at a Jyotirlinga or in daily puja.
A practical takeaway is to cultivate śauca and self-restraint before puja: bathe, apply Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with reverence, and mentally discard impure impulses while repeating the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with steady attention.