Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 49
भक्ताधिकारि-द्विजधर्म-योगिलक्षणवर्णनम् / Duties of Qualified Devotees and Marks of Yogins
प्रथमं कर्म यज्ञादेर्भक्त्या वित्तानुसारतः । बाह्येभ्यर्च्य शिवं पश्चादंतर्यागरतो भवेत्
prathamaṃ karma yajñāderbhaktyā vittānusārataḥ | bāhyebhyarcya śivaṃ paścādaṃtaryāgarato bhavet
First, one should perform acts such as sacrifice and other duties with devotion, according to one’s means. Having worshipped Śiva outwardly through external rites, one should thereafter become intent on the inner worship—offering the sacrifice within.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches a graded path: begin with devoted, capacity-based ritual duty (karma with bhakti), then mature into antaryāga—inner worship—where the offering becomes the purified mind directed to Śiva, the Pati who liberates the bound soul (paśu) from pāśa.
External worship (bāhya-arcana) includes Linga-pūjā and formal rites to Saguna Śiva; the verse then points beyond mere externals to internalization—recognizing Śiva as the indwelling Lord and transforming worship into contemplative inner offering.
Perform outward pūjā and yajña according to means, then shift to inner practice: japa (especially the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), dhyāna, and antaryāga—mentally offering breath, senses, and thoughts into Śiva with steady devotion.