Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 8
भक्ताधिकारि-द्विजधर्म-योगिलक्षणवर्णनम् / Duties of Qualified Devotees and Marks of Yogins
मद्यस्य मद्यगन्धस्य नैवेद्यस्य च वर्जनम् । सामान्यं सर्ववर्णानां ब्राह्मणानां विशेषतः
madyasya madyagandhasya naivedyasya ca varjanam | sāmānyaṃ sarvavarṇānāṃ brāhmaṇānāṃ viśeṣataḥ
Menjauhi arak yang memabukkan, bahkan baunya sekali pun, serta menolak naivedya (persembahan) yang tercemar olehnya—itulah peraturan umum bagi semua varṇa, dan terlebih-lebih lagi bagi para Brāhmaṇa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pasha
Sthala Purana: A general niyama: abstain from madya (liquor), even its odor, and offerings contaminated by it; framed as universal, stricter for brāhmaṇas.
Significance: Purity rule protecting ritual efficacy; in Siddhānta terms, reduces āṇava/karma-mala expression by restraining tamasic intoxication that strengthens bondage (pāśa).
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse teaches that Shiva-worship must be grounded in sattva (clarity and purity); intoxicants and their contamination disturb inner discipline and therefore obstruct steadiness in bhakti and yoga aimed at liberation.
In Saguna worship of Shiva as the Linga, naivedya is a sacred offering; anything associated with intoxication is treated as ritually unfit, so abstinence safeguards the sanctity of the offering and the devotee’s devotional state.
Maintain vrata-like restraint: avoid alcohol, its odor, and any food-offering connected to it; then offer pure naivedya while repeating the Panchakshara mantra (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) with a clean, focused mind.