Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 56
द्वितीयतृतीयावरणपूजाक्रमः | The Sequence of the Second and Third Enclosure Worship (Āvaraṇa-pūjā)
अनिरुद्धं दक्षिणतः प्रद्युम्नं पश्चिमे ततः । सौम्ये संकर्षणं पश्चाद्व्यत्यस्तौ वा यजेदिमौ
aniruddhaṃ dakṣiṇataḥ pradyumnaṃ paścime tataḥ | saumye saṃkarṣaṇaṃ paścādvyatyastau vā yajedimau
One should worship Aniruddha on the southern side, and then Pradyumna on the western side. Thereafter, on the northern (auspicious) side, (one should worship) Saṅkarṣaṇa; or else one may worship these two in reverse order.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches niyama (disciplined order) in worship: arranging divine forms by direction steadies attention, purifies intention, and supports the devotee’s movement from outer ritual (saguna upasana) toward inner clarity that culminates in Shiva-realization.
Directional worship is part of saguna-vidhi—honoring manifest forms around the sanctum. In Shaiva practice, such ordered reverence can be performed as subsidiary worship (parivara/avaranapuja) supporting the central focus on Shiva or the Shiva-linga.
Perform orderly puja by directions (dik-krama): place/visualize the named forms in their prescribed quarters, offer upacharas, and maintain steady japa—such as the Panchakshara mantra—while keeping the mind aligned with purity and devotion.