Shloka 72
Praṇava-Māhātmya and the Twofold Mantra (Sūkṣma–Sthūla) in Śaiva Sādhanā
निष्कामकर्मभोगस्तु तदूर्ध्वं परिकीर्तितः । तदर्वाक्परिवर्तंते बिंदुपूजापरायणाः
niṣkāmakarmabhogastu tadūrdhvaṃ parikīrtitaḥ | tadarvākparivartaṃte biṃdupūjāparāyaṇāḥ
Above this has been proclaimed the state of experiencing action without desire. Below that, however, revolve those devoted to the worship of the bindu, remaining within the cycle of return.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga legend; it distinguishes niṣkāma-karmabhoga (purifying, upward-leading) from limited ‘bindu’-fixated worship that remains below.
Significance: Reorients practice from narrow, result-oriented or merely technical focus to desireless discipline that becomes a vehicle for Śiva’s grace.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It distinguishes a higher path—desireless action that purifies and leads upward—from lower, limited devotion that keeps one revolving in repeated return, until worship matures into liberation-oriented Shaiva practice.
The verse implies that worship must not remain confined to a limited object-focus; in Shaiva Siddhanta, Linga worship becomes liberating when joined with niṣkāma karma, devotion, and Shiva-oriented knowledge—leading beyond mere cyclical attainment.
Practice niṣkāma karma alongside Shiva-upasana—Linga pūjā with mantra-japa (especially the Panchakshara), offering without personal craving—so worship becomes a means to purification rather than a cause for continued return.