Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 59
पूजास्थानशुद्धिः पात्रशोधनं च — Purification of the Worship-Space and Preparation of Ritual Vessels
अष्टौ प्रदीपान्परितो विधायैकं तु मध्यमे । तेषु वामादिकाश्चिन्त्याः पूज्याश्च नव शक्तयः
aṣṭau pradīpānparito vidhāyaikaṃ tu madhyame | teṣu vāmādikāścintyāḥ pūjyāśca nava śaktayaḥ
ചുറ്റും എട്ട് ദീപങ്ങൾ സ്ഥാപിച്ച് നടുവിൽ ഒരു ദീപം വെച്ച്, അവിടെ വാമാ മുതലായ ഒൻപതു ശക്തികളെ ധ്യാനിച്ച് ദിവ്യശക്തിരൂപമായി പൂജിക്കണം।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Meditation on the śaktis and their worship is a means to invoke Śiva’s anugraha through His inseparable power (śakti), stabilizing the sādhaka’s inner and outer maṇḍala.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: liberating
Offering: dipa
FAQs
The verse teaches that Śiva’s grace is approached through ordered worship and contemplation: the nine Śaktis are meditated upon as Śiva’s operative powers, guiding the sādhaka from outer ritual (lamps) to inner illumination (center lamp) and toward liberation.
In Saguna worship, the Linga is honored as Śiva’s manifest presence, while the Śaktis are revered as His inseparable energies. The surrounding lamps symbolize the periphery of manifestation, and the central lamp reflects the heart of consciousness—Śiva—supported by Śakti for effective worship.
Arrange eight lamps in a circle with one in the center, then perform dhyāna and pūjā of the nine Śaktis beginning with Vāmā—optionally alongside japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) to unify devotion, concentration, and inner light.