Adhyaya 79 — Bhakti-Mahima and Linga-Archana-Vidhi
Condensed Ritual Sequence
अभक्ष्यभक्षी सम्पूज्य याक्षं प्राप्नोति दुर्जनः गानशीलश् च गान्धर्वं नृत्यशीलस्तथैव च
abhakṣyabhakṣī sampūjya yākṣaṃ prāpnoti durjanaḥ gānaśīlaś ca gāndharvaṃ nṛtyaśīlastathaiva ca
禁じられたものを食する悪しき者は、たとえ供養してもヤクシャの境を得る。歌を好む者はガンダルヴァの位に至り、舞を好む者もまた、それに応じた帰趣を得る。かくして具身のパシュ(魂)は、支配的な行いと傾向に従って特定の生へと移るが、真のシヴァ覚知は外なる行為のみを超えた浄化を要する。
Suta Goswami
It warns that mere worship without ethical purity does not ensure liberation; impure conduct (like eating forbidden foods) still yields lower karmic destinations, so Linga-puja must be joined with śuddhi (purification) and right living.
Implicitly, it distinguishes worldly attainments (yakṣa/gandharva states) from Śiva-tattva: Shiva as Pati grants true release only when the paśu is freed from pasha—bondage of impurity and karma—beyond external merit.
The takeaway is behavioral and ritual purity as a prerequisite for fruitful Shiva-puja; without niyama-like discipline and inner cleansing, practice yields only limited karmic results rather than Pashupata-oriented liberation.