Shloka 6
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
जो दुर्जन अभक्ष्य भक्षण करतो, तो पूजा करूनही याक्ष अवस्था प्राप्त करतो. गाण्यात आसक्त गान्धर्व अवस्था, आणि नृत्यात आसक्त तशीच अवस्था प्राप्त करतो.
Suta Goswami
FAQs
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.