Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 4
शिवसंस्कार-दीक्षानिरूपणम् (Śivasaṃskāra and the Typology of Dīkṣā)
सम्यक्कृताधिकारः स्यात्पूजादिषु नरो यतः । संस्कारः कथ्यते तेन षडध्वपरिशोधनम्
samyakkṛtādhikāraḥ syātpūjādiṣu naro yataḥ | saṃskāraḥ kathyate tena ṣaḍadhvapariśodhanam
ഈ സംസ്കാരത്തിലൂടെ മനുഷ്യൻ പൂജാദി കർമ്മങ്ങളിൽ സമ്യക് യോഗ്യത നേടുന്നു; അതിനാൽ ഇതിനെ ഷഡധ്വ-പരിശോധനം, അഥവാ ആറു അധ്വങ്ങളുടെ ശുദ്ധീകരണം എന്നു പറയുന്നു.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīya discourse to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Defines saṃskāra as that which grants adhikāra for pūjā and purifies the ṣaḍ-adhvan; for pilgrims/initiates, this is the doctrinal basis for becoming ‘fit’ to approach Śiva in temple worship.
Role: liberating
FAQs
It states that true fitness for Shiva-worship is not merely social or external; it arises from saṃskāra (consecratory purification) that refines the practitioner’s inner pathways of experience, aligning the soul (paśu) toward the Lord (Pati) by loosening impurity and bondage (pāśa).
Linga-puja is most fruitful when performed with proper adhikāra (eligibility). The verse teaches that eligibility is produced through purification (ṣaḍadhva-pariśodhana), so the devotee approaches Saguna Shiva with a sanctified body-mind and a Shaiva orientation, not as a mere ritual act.
It points to saṃskāra/dīkṣā-style purification prior to puja—practically expressed through disciplined preparatory observances such as mantra-japa (especially Shaiva mantras), ritual purity, and consecratory rites that make one fit for formal Shiva worship.