Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 31
लिङ्गपूजनसंक्षेपः
Concise Teaching on Liṅga Worship / Śiva-arcana-vidhi
पूजाविधिं समादाय स्वासने ह्युपविश्य वै । न्यासादिकं विधायादौ पूजयेत्क्रमशो हरम्
pūjāvidhiṃ samādāya svāsane hyupaviśya vai | nyāsādikaṃ vidhāyādau pūjayetkramaśo haram
Dengan mengambil tatacara pemujaan yang benar dan duduk di atas āsana yang ditetapkan bagi diri, hendaklah terlebih dahulu dilakukan upacara persediaan seperti nyāsa dan seumpamanya; kemudian, langkah demi langkah, pujalah Hara, yakni Śiva, menurut tertibnya.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s worship-method to the sages of Naimisharanya within the Rudra Saṃhitā context)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Nyāsa and krama-pūjā express the Siddhānta principle that the paśu approaches Pati through disciplined, revealed procedure (vidhi), culminating in receptivity to liberating grace.
Mantra: (implied) oṃ namaḥ śivāya
Type: panchakshara
Shakti Form: Umā
Role: liberating
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that devotion must be joined with discipline: by sitting steadily and performing nyāsa first, the worshipper purifies body-mind and then approaches Hara in an ordered, reverent way—supporting inner steadiness that leads toward Śiva’s grace.
The verse outlines pūjā-krama (sequence) used in saguna worship—commonly applied to the Śiva-liṅga—where external ritual order mirrors internal alignment, making the devotee fit to honor Śiva’s manifest form while contemplating His transcendence.
It specifically points to nyāsa (mantra-installation on the body) and other preliminaries before pūjā; practically, one sits on an āsana, centers the mind, performs nyāsa with Śiva-mantras (often aligned with the Pañcākṣarī), and then proceeds with worship step by step.