Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 20
लिङ्गपूजनसंक्षेपः
Concise Teaching on Liṅga Worship / Śiva-arcana-vidhi
शुद्धां मृदं द्विजो लिप्यात्पंचवारं विशुद्धये । क्षत्रियश्च चतुर्वारं वैश्यो वरत्रयं तथा
śuddhāṃ mṛdaṃ dvijo lipyātpaṃcavāraṃ viśuddhaye | kṣatriyaśca caturvāraṃ vaiśyo varatrayaṃ tathā
Pour une purification parfaite, le « deux-fois-né » doit s’enduire d’argile pure cinq fois ; le Kṣatriya quatre fois, et le Vaiśya de même trois fois.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga narrative; it codifies graded śauca rules (clay application counts) by varṇa as part of preparatory purity before worship and social-ritual order.
Significance: Frames bodily purification as removing ‘mala’ (impurity) before approaching the sacred—supporting eligibility for mantra/pujā.
FAQs
It teaches that ritual purity supports mental clarity and steadiness, making the practitioner fit for Shiva-upāsanā; outer cleansing is treated as a doorway to inner purification.
Linga worship emphasizes śauca (cleanliness) and disciplined preparation; applying pure earth is part of readying the body-mind so devotion can be offered to Saguna Shiva with reverence and focus.
A graded purification practice using pure clay/earth applied a specified number of times according to varṇa, as a preparatory observance before Shiva worship, mantra-japa, or temple/linga rituals.