Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 8
नैमित्तिकविधिक्रमः
Occasional Rites and Their Procedure
वैशाख्यां तु विशाखायां कुर्यात्पुष्पमहालयम् । ज्येष्ठे मूलाख्यनक्षत्रे शीतकुम्भं प्रदापयेत्
vaiśākhyāṃ tu viśākhāyāṃ kuryātpuṣpamahālayam | jyeṣṭhe mūlākhyanakṣatre śītakumbhaṃ pradāpayet
No mês de Vaiśākha, quando prevalece a constelação Viśākhā, deve-se preparar um grande recinto de oferendas florais (puṣpa-mahālaya) para o culto de Śiva. No mês de Jyeṣṭha, quando está presente o nakṣatra chamado Mūlā, deve-se oferecer um pote de água refrescante — devoção que alivia os seres e agrada ao Senhor.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not a specific Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse gives a calendrical vrata/pujā schedule (nakṣatra–māsa based) for pleasing Śiva through seasonal offerings and dāna.
Significance: Merit through timed upacāras: floral pavilion (puṣpa-mahālaya) and cooling-water charity (śīta-kumbha-dāna) are framed as acts that delight Śiva and relieve beings—thus accruing puṇya and Śiva’s prasāda.
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It links devotion to Śiva with compassionate acts performed at auspicious times: adorning worship with flowers (beauty offered to the Pati) and donating cooling water (relief offered to living beings). In Shaiva Siddhanta, such puja and dāna purify the pashu (bound soul) and loosen pāśa (bondage) through grace-inviting devotion.
The verse prescribes tangible, saguna modes of worship—flower arrangements and ritual charity—well-suited to Linga-puja where Śiva is approached through sacred form. These offerings express bhakti and reverence, preparing the mind for deeper contemplation of Śiva beyond form.
A practical takeaway is seasonal Shiva-puja: create a flower-pavilion/abundant flower offering in Vaiśākha under Viśākhā, and donate a cool water-pot in Jyeṣṭha under Mūlā. While not explicit here, such puja is traditionally accompanied by japa of the Panchakshara ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") and respectful observances of purity.