Shloka 6
Pārthiva-Śiva-liṅga Saṃkhyā-vidhāna
Enumeration and Procedure of Earthen Liṅga Worship
प्रथमावाहनं तत्र प्रतिष्ठा पूजनं पृथक् । लिंगाकारं समं तत्र सर्वं ज्ञेयं पृथक्पृथक्
prathamāvāhanaṃ tatra pratiṣṭhā pūjanaṃ pṛthak | liṃgākāraṃ samaṃ tatra sarvaṃ jñeyaṃ pṛthakpṛthak
There, first is the invocation (āvāhana); then the establishment (pratiṣṭhā) and the worship (pūjana)—each is to be performed as a distinct rite. In that worship, the liṅga-form is to be regarded as uniform and complete; yet all the ritual components are to be understood and carried out separately, each in its own proper manner.
Sūta Gosvāmi (narrating Shiva’s worship-teachings to the sages of Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga legend; it is a procedural teaching: āvāhana → pratiṣṭhā → pūjana, each as a distinct limb, while the liṅga-form remains one and the same (samam).
Significance: Highlights correct liturgical sequencing; the ‘one liṅga, many limbs’ principle trains the mind from scattered action toward unified contemplation of Śiva.
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches disciplined devotion: Saguna worship of Shiva as the Liṅga must be done with clarity of sequence and intention—invoking, establishing, and worshipping as distinct inner and outer acts—so the mind becomes one-pointed and fit for Shiva’s grace.
The verse frames the Liṅga as a complete, uniform focus of Saguna worship while insisting that the ritual limbs (āvāhana, pratiṣṭhā, pūjana) remain distinct. This preserves both reverence for Shiva’s manifested form and correctness of the worship-method.
Follow a clear Linga-pūjā sequence: consciously invoke Shiva (āvāhana), inwardly ‘seat’ Him through steadiness and mantra, then offer worship. Practically, this aligns well with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) alongside orderly offerings (water, bilva, etc.).