Shloka 120
बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्
Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause
आदित्यादीन्ग्रहानिष्ट्वा सर्वहोमांत एव हि । ऋत्विभ्यो दक्षिणां दद्यान्नवरत्नं यथाक्रमम्
ādityādīngrahāniṣṭvā sarvahomāṃta eva hi | ṛtvibhyo dakṣiṇāṃ dadyānnavaratnaṃ yathākramam
Après avoir honoré comme il se doit les divinités planétaires en commençant par le Soleil, et véritablement à la fin de tous les homa, qu’on remette aux prêtres officiants la dakṣiṇā sous la forme du navaratna, les neuf gemmes, selon l’ordre prescrit.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: Kāśī ritual manuals often integrate graha-śānti as an ancillary to Śiva worship; worship of Āditya and other grahas is subordinated to the final completion of the homa, then dakṣiṇā is offered to ṛtviks.
Significance: Graha-śānti is treated as removing worldly impediments (upadrava) so the devotee’s practice can remain steady; dakṣiṇā sustains the Vedic-Śaiva ritual ecosystem in the kṣetra.
FAQs
It teaches that Shaiva worship is completed not only by mantra and homa, but also by dharmic closure—honoring sacred forces (grahas) and supporting the officiants through proper dakṣiṇā, which sustains the ritual order aligned with Shiva’s dharma.
In Linga-worship, the devotee approaches Saguna Shiva through orderly rites; graha-worship and concluding gifts are auxiliary disciplines that remove obstacles and stabilize the devotee’s outer and inner worship, allowing Shiva-bhakti to mature without ritual deficiency.
Perform the concluding steps of homa properly: offer final oblations, worship the grahas beginning with Surya (graha-śānti), and give dakṣiṇā—here specified as navaratna in order—while maintaining a devotional remembrance of Shiva as the inner Lord of all cosmic powers.