Shloka 56
बन्धमोक्षवर्णनम्
Bondage and Liberation: The Prakṛti–Karma Wheel and Śiva as the Transcendent Cause
निवृत्तानां परं सूक्ष्मलिंगमेव विशिष्यते । विभूत्यभ्यर्चनं कुर्याद्विभूतिं च निवेदयेत्
nivṛttānāṃ paraṃ sūkṣmaliṃgameva viśiṣyate | vibhūtyabhyarcanaṃ kuryādvibhūtiṃ ca nivedayet
Bagi mereka yang telah berpaling daripada keterikatan duniawi (nivṛtti), yang tertinggi dan paling unggul ialah Liṅga yang halus semata-mata. Hendaklah seseorang memuja Śiva dengan vibhūti (abu suci) dan mempersembahkan vibhūti itu juga dengan bhakti.
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating Śiva’s worship-teachings to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Moves from external supports to the ‘subtle liṅga’ (sūkṣma-liṅga) appropriate for nivṛtti: interiorization of worship, ash as emblem of vairāgya and impermanence, oriented toward grace and release.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that for the renunciate (nivṛtti-mārga), Śiva is best approached as the subtle Liṅga—an inward, refined mode of worship—supported by bhasma as a reminder of impermanence and the soul’s turning toward Pati (Śiva) for liberation.
The verse prioritizes sūkṣma-liṅga worship for those inclined to inner realization, while still using a tangible aid—vibhūti—showing how outer ritual (saguṇa-upacāra) can serve inner contemplation of Śiva beyond form.
Perform worship using vibhūti (bhasma), and offer vibhūti as an upacāra; inwardly contemplate the subtle Liṅga of Śiva—often paired in practice with japa of the Pañcākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and the spirit of renunciation.