Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 54
पूजास्थानशुद्धिः पात्रशोधनं च — Purification of the Worship-Space and Preparation of Ritual Vessels
पुनश्चाचमनीयं च मुखवासं ततः परम् । मुकुटं च शुभं भद्रं सर्वरत्नैरलंकृतम्
punaścācamanīyaṃ ca mukhavāsaṃ tataḥ param | mukuṭaṃ ca śubhaṃ bhadraṃ sarvaratnairalaṃkṛtam
De nouveau, qu’on offre l’eau d’ācamanam, puis, ensuite, le linge pour la bouche. Vient alors une couronne splendide et de bon augure—gracieuse et noble—ornée de toutes sortes de joyaux.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Highlights continued ritual refinement (repeated ācamanīya) and royal-style upacāras (mukhavāsa, mukuṭa), expressing the devotee’s bhāva of serving Śiva as the supreme sovereign.
FAQs
The verse highlights upacāra-pūjā—devotion expressed through orderly, reverent offerings. In Śaiva thought, such ritual honors Saguna Shiva while cultivating inner purity, humility, and one-pointed bhakti that matures toward liberation.
Items like ācamanīya, mouth-cloth, and a jeweled crown are classic pūjā services offered to Shiva’s manifest presence (Saguna)—whether envisioned in a form or invoked in the Liṅga. The external adorning mirrors the devotee’s intent to ‘adorn’ consciousness with purity and devotion.
It suggests formal upacāras in Shiva pūjā: offering ācamanīya (sanctified water), presenting a clean cloth (mukhavāsa), and symbolically crowning the Lord. Meditatively, one can pair each offering with the Pañcākṣarī mantra—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—as an inner act of surrender.