Pāśupata-vrata Māhātmya: Dvādaśa-Liṅga Mahāvrata, Month-wise Dravya, and Pūjā-krama
निवेदयेत्ततो भक्त्या पायसं च महाचरुम् सघृतं सोपदंशं च सर्वद्रव्यसमन्वितम्
nivedayettato bhaktyā pāyasaṃ ca mahācarum saghṛtaṃ sopadaṃśaṃ ca sarvadravyasamanvitam
Depois, com devoção, deve-se oferecer como naivedya o pāyasa (arroz-doce ao leite) e o grande caru (mahācaru), enriquecido com ghee, acompanhado de guarnições adequadas e preparado com todos os ingredientes necessários—honrando assim o Pati por meio de um culto completo e reverente.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-puja procedure to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It prescribes naivedya as an essential limb of Linga-puja: offering sanctified food (pāyasa, caru, ghee, and accompaniments) with bhakti to honor Shiva as Pati and to purify the worshipper (pashu) from pasha through disciplined ritual devotion.
Shiva-tattva is approached here as the supreme recipient of devotion—Pati—who is worshipped not by mere material abundance but by bhakti expressed through complete, orderly offerings that align the soul toward grace (anugraha).
The practice is naivedya in Shiva-linga puja—offering pāyasa and caru with ghee and proper accompaniments—an outer discipline that supports inner Pashupata orientation: humility, devotion, and consecration of action.