Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 72
पूजाविधिः
Pūjā-vidhiḥ) — The Supreme Procedure of Worship (Morning Observances
एककृत्वे मुखे सप्तकृत्वः सर्वाङ्गं एव हि । ततो ध्यानं यथोक्तं वै कृत्वा मंत्रमुदीरयेत्
ekakṛtve mukhe saptakṛtvaḥ sarvāṅgaṃ eva hi | tato dhyānaṃ yathoktaṃ vai kṛtvā maṃtramudīrayet
Qu’on l’applique une fois sur le visage et sept fois sur tout le corps. Puis, après avoir accompli la méditation prescrite telle qu’enseignée, qu’on récite le mantra.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga narrative; it prescribes bodily application in counted measures (once on face, seven on body), then dhyāna and mantra—typical of preparatory purification and interiorization before recitation.
Significance: Highlights the transition from external upacāra to internal worship (dhyāna + mantra), a key Siddhānta movement from kriyā toward yoga/jñāna under Śiva’s veiling-and-revealing power.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that mantra-japa becomes fruitful when preceded by purification and focused dhyāna—aligning the body and mind so devotion (bhakti) and awareness can rest steadily in Shiva (Pati), leading toward liberation.
The sequence—purificatory application, then dhyāna, then mantra—supports saguna upāsanā: the devotee mentally installs Shiva’s presence (often in the Liṅga) through meditation and then energizes worship through mantra recitation.
A preparatory purification (such as bhasma application/nyāsa-like touching of face and body), followed by the instructed meditation, and then formal mantra-japa—commonly centered on the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”