Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 29
लिङ्ग-बेर-प्रतिष्ठाविधिः / The Procedure for Installing the Liṅga and the Bera
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आचार्यात्पादमर्धं वा होत्ःणां स्थपतेरपि । तदर्धं देयमन्येभ्यः सदस्येभ्यश्च शक्तितः
ācāryātpādamardhaṃ vā hotḥṇāṃ sthapaterapi | tadardhaṃ deyamanyebhyaḥ sadasyebhyaśca śaktitaḥ
From the due honorarium, one should give a quarter—or else a half—to the ācārya (preceptor), and likewise to the hotṛ priests and the sthapati (ritual superintendent). Half of that share should then be given, according to one’s capacity, to the other officiants and learned members of the assembly.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Teaches dharmic redistribution within śaiva ritual economy: honoring ācārya and ṛtviks sustains śāstra-transmission and correct performance, which is itself a vehicle of Śiva’s anugraha.
Role: teaching
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches dharmic redistribution: honoring the ācārya and principal priests first, then supporting the wider sacred assembly according to one’s means—purifying wealth through righteous giving in a Shaiva setting.
In Linga-centered worship and Shaiva rites, dakṣiṇā offered with devotion sustains the ordained ritual order; honoring teachers and officiants is treated as service to Saguna Shiva manifest in the sacrificial and temple tradition.
A practical takeaway is to offer appropriate dakṣiṇā after Shiva worship or yajna—prioritizing the ācārya and chief priests, then giving to other qualified participants as capacity allows.