Shloka 19
पानीयदान-प्रपादान-वापीकूपतडाग-निर्माण-प्रशंसा
Praise of Water-Gift and the Construction of Wells and Tanks
पुष्पैस्सुरगणान्सर्वान्फलैश्चापि तथा पितॄन् । छायया चातिथीन्सर्वान्पूजयंति महीरुहाः
puṣpaissuragaṇānsarvānphalaiścāpi tathā pitṝn | chāyayā cātithīnsarvānpūjayaṃti mahīruhāḥ
With their flowers, the great trees honor all the hosts of the gods; with their fruits, they likewise honor the Pitṛs, the ancestral spirits; and with their shade, they honor all guests—thus do the great trees continually perform worship through selfless giving.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Defines a ‘distributed pūjā’: trees continuously ‘worship’ devas, pitṛs, and guests through flowers, fruits, and shade—modeling temple-like service in the world.
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It presents an ideal of dharma aligned with Shaiva Siddhanta: true worship is expressed as selfless service—supporting devas (cosmic order), pitṛs (ancestral continuity), and atithis (living beings)—without expectation of reward.
In Saguna Shiva worship, devotion is not confined to the shrine; honoring Shiva’s creation through compassionate giving becomes an extension of Linga-pūjā, since Shiva as Pati sustains all beings and accepts offerings made in the spirit of dharma.
Practice atithi-sevā and dāna as a daily vrata: offer food/fruit/water to guests and the needy, remember the Pitṛs with simple offerings, and mentally dedicate the act to Shiva with the Panchākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”