बाह्यशौचेन युक्तः संस् तथा चाभ्यन्तरं चरेत् आग्नेयं वारुणं ब्राह्मं कर्तव्यं शिवपूजकैः
bāhyaśaucena yuktaḥ saṃs tathā cābhyantaraṃ caret āgneyaṃ vāruṇaṃ brāhmaṃ kartavyaṃ śivapūjakaiḥ
Sesiapa yang berbekal kesucian lahiriah hendaklah juga memupuk kesucian batin. Oleh itu, para pemuja Śiva wajib melaksanakan penyucian yang berkaitan dengan Api, Air, dan prinsip Brahmanik (Veda) menurut tatacara yang ditetapkan.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-puja injunctions to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It establishes that Linga-puja requires both external cleanliness and inner purification, and it prescribes three complementary modes of śuddhi—fiery (Agni), watery (Varuṇa), and Vedic/mantric (Brāhma)—as mandatory disciplines for Śiva’s worship.
Śiva is implied as Pati, approachable through purity of body and mind; inner purity particularly points to cleansing the pashu (individual soul) from pasha (impurities/bondage) so the worship becomes fit to receive Śiva’s grace.
Śauca as a core puja-dharma: bodily cleansing, water-based purification rites, fire-related sanctification (e.g., agni-samskāra/homa context), and brāhma-śuddhi through Vedic mantra—paired with inner discipline aligned with Pāśupata-oriented purification of the mind.