Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 54
पूजाविधिः
Pūjā-vidhiḥ) — The Supreme Procedure of Worship (Morning Observances
चतुर्थ्यंतपदेनैव सर्वं कुर्याद्यथाक्रमम् । ततः पाद्यं प्रदद्याद्वै ततोर्घ्यं शंकराय च
caturthyaṃtapadenaiva sarvaṃ kuryādyathākramam | tataḥ pādyaṃ pradadyādvai tatorghyaṃ śaṃkarāya ca
En employant les mots au datif (quatrième cas), qu’on accomplisse chaque offrande selon l’ordre prescrit. Ensuite, qu’on présente le pādya, l’eau pour laver les pieds, puis qu’on offre aussi l’arghya à Śaṅkara.
Suta Goswami (narrating the prescribed order of Śiva-pūjā to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya, as typical in the Rudrasaṃhitā’s instructional passages)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Sthala Purana: This verse is a general paddhati (procedure) for Śiva-pūjā, not tied to a specific Jyotirliṅga legend; it reflects the pan-Indian temple/household sequence of upacāras (honorific services) offered to the Liṅga as Śaṅkara.
Significance: Establishes correct upacāra-krama (sequence) and śabda-śuddhi (grammatical correctness) in worship, held to increase ritual efficacy and receptivity to Śiva’s grace (anugraha).
FAQs
It teaches that devotion becomes refined when worship is done with right intention and right order—each act consciously offered “to Śiva.” In Shaiva Siddhanta, such disciplined upacāra-pūjā helps purify the soul (paśu) from bonds (pāśa) and turns attention toward the Lord (Pati).
Pādya and arghya are classic upacāras offered to Saguna Śiva—often to the Śiva-liṅga as the accessible, compassionate form of the formless Reality. The dative formulation (“to Śaṅkara”) emphasizes that every substance and gesture is consecrated as an offering to the Lord present in the liṅga.
Perform Śiva-pūjā sequentially with offering-mantras in the dative case (e.g., “śaṅkarāya namaḥ”), then offer pādya and arghya with focused bhakti. As a meditative takeaway, maintain one-pointed awareness that each upacāra is being surrendered to Śiva.