Shloka 49
Kṣetra–Kāla–Phala-kramaḥ
Hierarchy of Sacred Place, Time, and Ritual Fruit
धान्यमन्नं समृद्ध्यर्थं मधुराहारदं गुडम् । रौप्यं रेतोभिवृद्ध्यर्थं षड्रसार्थं तु लावणम्
dhānyamannaṃ samṛddhyarthaṃ madhurāhāradaṃ guḍam | raupyaṃ retobhivṛddhyarthaṃ ṣaḍrasārthaṃ tu lāvaṇam
For prosperity one should offer grains and cooked food; for the gift of sweet nourishment, jaggery. For increase of virile potency, silver; and for the attainment of the full range of the six tastes, salt indeed.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī’s Śiva is famed as Viśvanātha; the verse’s emphasis on anna (food) and prosperity resonates with Kāśī-Annapūrṇā’s sthala tradition where the Goddess feeds the world under Śiva’s lordship (a thematic, not direct, linkage).
Significance: Anna-dāna and feeding pilgrims in Kāśī is held to support dharma and prepare the devotee for Śiva’s liberating grace; prosperity is framed as service-capacity rather than mere enjoyment.
Shakti Form: Annapūrṇā
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that offerings in Shiva’s worship are not random: each naivedya (food-offering) is linked to a specific fruit, guiding devotees to align material wellbeing with devotion to Pati (Shiva) while keeping worship disciplined and sattvic.
In Saguna worship of the Shiva-Linga, devotees serve Shiva as the accessible Lord through tangible upacharas like food and auspicious substances; the verse maps specific items (grain, food, jaggery, silver, salt) to intended results, showing the Linga as the ritual focus of grace.
A practical takeaway is to include appropriate naivedya in Linga-puja—offering anna/dhanya with purity and devotion—while mentally dedicating the act to Shiva with steady remembrance (e.g., japa of the Panchakshara, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”).