Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 7
अग्निकार्य-होमविधिः
Agnikārya and Homa Procedure
यथाशोभं प्रकुर्वीत श्लक्ष्णमिष्टं मृदा स्थिरम् । अश्वत्थपत्रवद्योनिं गजाधारवदेव वा
yathāśobhaṃ prakurvīta ślakṣṇamiṣṭaṃ mṛdā sthiram | aśvatthapatravadyoniṃ gajādhāravadeva vā
Qu’on le façonne avec grâce — lisse, agréable et ferme — au moyen d’une argile bien décantée. Et que sa base (yoni-pīṭha) soit formée soit comme une feuille d’aśvattha, soit comme le socle-support d’un éléphant.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Ardhanārīśvara
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It teaches that Saguna worship of Shiva should be done with beauty, steadiness, and purity—outer correctness (a smooth, stable form) supporting inner devotion and reverence to Pati (Shiva).
It gives practical guidance for shaping the liṅga’s base (yoni-pīṭha), indicating that proper form and stability are part of honoring Shiva’s manifest symbol while contemplating his transcendent (nirguṇa) reality.
A ritual takeaway is careful preparation of the liṅga setup (smooth, firm, well-made clay base) before abhiṣeka and mantra-japa—commonly with the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya” during Shiva-pūjā.