तन्मध्ये लेखयेद्दिव्यं लिंगतो भद्रमण्डलम् । अथवा सर्वतोभद्रं मण्डपान्तः प्रकल्पयेत्
tanmadhye lekhayeddivyaṃ liṃgato bhadramaṇḍalam | athavā sarvatobhadraṃ maṇḍapāntaḥ prakalpayet
En su centro, debe trazarse un maṇḍala divino y auspicioso en relación con el Liṅga. O bien, dentro del propio maṇḍapa, puede disponerse un «sarvatobhadra», formación benéfica y propicia en todas las direcciones.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-worship procedures to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: General liturgical instruction: inscribe an auspicious maṇḍala centered on/around the liṅga, or arrange a sarvatobhadra within the maṇḍapa.
Significance: Emphasizes correct sacred-space construction (kṣetra-śuddhi) as supportive of effective liṅga-upāsanā and merit on Śivarātri.
It teaches that the worship space must be consciously sacralized—by an auspicious maṇḍala centered on the Liṅga—so the devotee’s mind becomes ordered, pure, and receptive to Shiva’s grace (anugraha), supporting the Shaiva aim of liberation through devotion and right practice.
The Liṅga is Saguna Shiva’s worship-form through which the formless (Nirguṇa) is approached. Drawing the maṇḍala ‘with reference to the Liṅga’ makes the Liṅga the axis of the rite, turning the entire maṇḍapa into a focused field for offerings, mantra, and contemplation.
Prepare the maṇḍapa and mark a bhadra-maṇḍala (or sarvatobhadra layout) around the Liṅga, then proceed with mantra-japa (commonly the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), dhyāna on Shiva, and orderly upacāras; the verse emphasizes sacred spatial arrangement as part of the sādhanā.