Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 20
शिवाश्रम-नित्यनैमित्तिककर्मविधिः / Śaiva Āśrama-Duties: Daily and Occasional Rites
Morning Purity & Bath Procedure
अर्घमादाय देहस्थं सव्यनासापुटेन च । कृष्णवर्णेन बाह्यस्थं भावयेच्च शिलागतम्
arghamādāya dehasthaṃ savyanāsāpuṭena ca | kṛṣṇavarṇena bāhyasthaṃ bhāvayecca śilāgatam
Dengan mengambil arghya (persembahan suci) yang berada dalam tubuh sendiri dan mengalirkannya keluar melalui lubang hidung kiri, hendaklah pengamal bermeditasi bahawa ia menjadi nyata di luar—berwarna gelap—serta telah memasuki batu suci, iaitu Śiva-liṅga.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Vāyavīyasaṃhitā teachings to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Liṅgodbhava
Sthala Purana: The verse ritualizes ‘entry into stone’ (śilā-gamana) as liṅga-āveśa: the internal offering is projected and installed into the liṅga, echoing the broader Purāṇic theme of Śiva’s self-manifestation in liṅga form (liṅgodbhava).
Significance: Teaches internalization of pūjā: arghya is not merely external water but a subtle offering arising from the sādhaka’s consecrated body, culminating in liṅga-presence (sannidhāna).
Mantra: (Implied) oṃ namaḥ śivāya
Type: panchakshara
Role: liberating
Cosmic Event: Microcosm–macrocosm mapping: internal offering externalized and installed into liṅga (sūkṣma→sthūla).
FAQs
It teaches antar-yāga (inner worship): the devotee internalizes the offering and, through yogic visualization, unites that inner devotion with the outward Śiva-liṅga, expressing the Shaiva Siddhanta ideal of approaching Pati (Śiva) through disciplined practice and reverent bhāvanā.
The verse explicitly directs meditation on the offering entering the śilā (stone), i.e., the liṅga, showing how Saguna worship uses a tangible form as the sacred locus where the devotee’s inner act is consecrated and offered to Śiva.
A prāṇāyāma-linked visualization: treat the arghya as an inner offering, guide it out through the left nostril, and contemplate it merging into the liṅga—supporting focused dhyāna during Śiva-pūjā.