Shloka 59
Liṅga-pratiṣṭhāvidhiḥ — Installation Standards and Auspicious Parameters for Liṅga Worship
दाहं दशाहं मास्यं वा सपिंडीकरणं तु वा । आब्दिकं वा शिवक्षेत्रे क्षेत्रे पिंडमथापि वा
dāhaṃ daśāhaṃ māsyaṃ vā sapiṃḍīkaraṇaṃ tu vā | ābdikaṃ vā śivakṣetre kṣetre piṃḍamathāpi vā
Whether it be the cremation rites, the tenth-day observance, the monthly rite, the sapiṇḍīkaraṇa ceremony, or the annual śrāddha—if these are performed in Śiva’s sacred field, then even the offering of piṇḍas there becomes spiritually efficacious.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Paśupatinātha
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī (Avimukta-kṣetra) is praised as Śiva’s own kṣetra where rites for the departed (antyeṣṭi, śrāddha, piṇḍadāna) become exceptionally efficacious due to Śiva’s abiding presence and grace; the text frames the kṣetra itself as a salvific field for the bound soul.
Significance: Performance of antyeṣṭi/śrāddha and piṇḍadāna in Śiva-kṣetra is said to remove demerit and aid the departed toward auspicious gati; for the performer it accrues kṣetra-puṇya and Śiva’s anugraha.
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that rites for the departed—when done in a Śiva-kṣetra—gain heightened sacred potency, because Shiva as Pati sanctifies karma and supports the soul’s onward journey toward peace and liberation.
A Śiva-kṣetra is typically centered on Shiva’s saguna presence (often as a Liṅga); performing śrāddha and piṇḍa there links ancestral duty with devotion to Shiva, who is regarded as the ultimate purifier and bestower of auspiciousness.
It suggests performing śrāddha-related rites (daśāha, māsya, sapiṇḍīkaraṇa, ābdika, and piṇḍa-dāna) at a Shiva holy place; devotees may accompany the rite with Shiva-nāma or the Pañcākṣarī mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) for added sanctification.