Shloka 32
लिङ्गपूजनसंक्षेपः
Concise Teaching on Liṅga Worship / Śiva-arcana-vidhi
प्रथमं च गणाधीशं द्वारपालांस्तथैव च । दिक्पालांश्च सुसंपूज्य पश्चात्पीठं प्रकल्पयेत्
prathamaṃ ca gaṇādhīśaṃ dvārapālāṃstathaiva ca | dikpālāṃśca susaṃpūjya paścātpīṭhaṃ prakalpayet
D’abord, qu’on adore Gaṇādhiśa (le Seigneur Gaṇeśa) ainsi que les gardiens de la porte; puis, après avoir honoré comme il se doit les gardiens des directions, qu’on prépare et qu’on établisse le pīṭha, le siège sacré pour le culte de Śiva.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating Śiva-pūjā procedure to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya, within Rudra Saṃhitā context)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva-worship begins with establishing order and protection: honoring Gaṇeśa (remover of obstacles) and the guardians (threshold and directional powers) so the devotee’s mind and the ritual-space become fit to receive Śiva’s grace on the pīṭha.
The pīṭha is the consecrated base where the Liṅga or Śiva’s worship-form is installed and honored. By first worshipping Gaṇeśa and the protective deities, the sādhaka approaches Saguna Śiva with proper auspiciousness, purity, and unobstructed devotion.
Perform a brief pūrva-pūjā: invoke and offer worship to Gaṇeśa, then to the dvārapālas and dikpālas, and only afterward set up the pīṭha/altar for Śiva-pūjā—ideally while maintaining japa of “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” as steady inner orientation.