Shloka 41
यममार्गे सुखदायकधर्माः
Dharmas that Grant Ease on the Path to Yama
अन्नदानेन ये लोकास्स्वर्गे विरचिता मुने । अन्नदातुर्महादिव्यास्ताञ्छृणुष्व महामुने
annadānena ye lokāssvarge viracitā mune | annadāturmahādivyāstāñchṛṇuṣva mahāmune
O sage, the worlds in heaven fashioned through the gift of food—those supremely divine abodes that belong to the giver of food—hear of them, O great sage.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not a specific Jyotirliṅga episode; the passage functions as a dharma-phala-śruti describing svarga-lokas attained by annadāna (food-gift), often framed in Purāṇas as a meritorious support of beings and yajña.
Significance: Encourages annadāna as a Śaiva dharma supportive of devotees and pilgrims; merit is said to yield luminous heavenly abodes and prosperity, and (in a Siddhānta reading) purifies mala/karma, preparing the paśu for higher sādhana.
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that annadāna (offering food) is a highly sattvic, compassion-based dharma that generates great puṇya, leading to exalted heavenly attainments; in Shaiva ethics, sustaining life is a direct form of service aligned with Shiva’s grace working through dharma.
While not naming the Liṅga directly, it supports Saguna Shaiva worship by emphasizing outward dharmic acts—like feeding others—as offerings made in the spirit of devotion, complementing temple worship and Liṅga-pūjā as lived bhakti.
Practice annadāna—feeding devotees, the poor, or guests—ideally after Shiva-pūjā, while mentally offering the act to Lord Shiva (e.g., with the Panchakshara ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’) as a devotional dedication of merit.