Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 30
लिङ्ग-बेर-प्रतिष्ठाविधिः / The Procedure for Installing the Liṅga and the Bera
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ततः श्वभ्रे वृषं हैमं कूर्चं वापि निवेश्य च । मृदंभसा पञ्चगव्यैः पुनः शुद्धजलेन च
tataḥ śvabhre vṛṣaṃ haimaṃ kūrcaṃ vāpi niveśya ca | mṛdaṃbhasā pañcagavyaiḥ punaḥ śuddhajalena ca
Ensuite, dans une fosse, qu’il dépose un taureau d’or, ou bien un faisceau rituel de kūrca; puis qu’il le purifie avec la terre et l’eau, avec les cinq produits de la vache (pañcagavya), et de nouveau avec de l’eau pure.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Ritual purification (śodhana) with pañcagavya and water symbolizes loosening pāśa (impurity/bondage) so the worshipper may approach the liṅga with adhikāra; the ‘golden bull’ evokes dharma and Śiva’s vṛṣa-dhvaja identity.
Role: nurturing
FAQs
It teaches śuddhi (purification) as a support for Shaiva worship: by cleansing the ritual base with earth, water, and pañcagavya, the devotee cultivates outer purity that mirrors inner purification, making the mind fit to approach Pati (Shiva) beyond pāśa (bondage).
The verse describes preparatory rites—installing an auspicious emblem (golden bull/Nandi-symbol or a kūrca substitute) and purifying it—before approaching Saguna Shiva in formal worship; such ordered preparation expresses reverence and steadies devotion prior to Linga-upāsanā.
A practical takeaway is ritual śuddhi: prepare the worship spot, place the prescribed emblem, cleanse with earth and water, apply pañcagavya purification, and conclude with śुद्ध-jala; inwardly, accompany the acts with Shiva-smaraṇa and japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to align mind and rite.