Shloka 24
अग्नियज्ञ-देवयज्ञ-ब्रह्मयज्ञ-गुरुपूजा-क्रमनिरूपणम् / Ordering and Definitions of Agniyajña, Devayajña, Brahmayajña, and Guru-Pūjā
स्थंडिले प्रतिमायां च ह्यग्नौ ब्राह्मणविग्रहे । समाराधनमित्येवं षोडशैरुपचारकैः
sthaṃḍile pratimāyāṃ ca hyagnau brāhmaṇavigrahe | samārādhanamityevaṃ ṣoḍaśairupacārakaiḥ
Thus, true worship (samārādhana) is performed with the sixteen offerings—whether Śiva is worshipped on a consecrated ground-maṇḍala, in an image, in the sacred fire, or in the embodied presence of a Brāhmaṇa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Affirms that Śiva can be properly worshipped through multiple valid media (maṇḍala, icon, fire, and honoring the Brāhmaṇa as a living locus of sacred presence), supporting accessible devotion when a temple-liṅga is unavailable.
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse teaches that Śiva’s grace can be approached through orderly devotion—“samārādhana”—by offering the traditional sixteen honors, emphasizing sincerity and completeness in worship rather than limiting Śiva to a single medium.
It supports Saguna-upāsanā by affirming that Śiva may be reverently worshipped through concrete supports—such as a consecrated place, an image (and by extension the Liṅga), the sacrificial fire, or a revered Brāhmaṇa—while understanding that the Lord remains transcendent beyond them.
Perform ṣoḍaśopacāra-pūjā (sixteenfold worship)—optionally alongside mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—offering the services with devotion, purity, and steadiness of mind.