Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 57
द्वितीयतृतीयावरणपूजाक्रमः | The Sequence of the Second and Third Enclosure Worship (Āvaraṇa-pūjā)
प्रथमावरणं प्रोक्तं द्वितीयावरणं शुभम् । मत्स्यः कूर्मो वराहश्च नरसिंहोथ वामनः
prathamāvaraṇaṃ proktaṃ dvitīyāvaraṇaṃ śubham | matsyaḥ kūrmo varāhaśca narasiṃhotha vāmanaḥ
Foi enunciado o primeiro círculo envolvente; o segundo recinto é auspicioso. Nesse (segundo) estão as formas: Matsya, Kūrma, Varāha, Narasiṃha e Vāmana.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga episode; the verse belongs to a maṇḍala/āvaraṇa-nyāsa style prescription where Vaiṣṇava avatāras are installed in successive enclosures as subordinate deities within a larger Śaiva ritual frame.
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It presents worship as layered (āvaraṇa-wise): the seeker approaches the supreme center through ordered, auspicious circles of divine powers and forms, reflecting disciplined ascent from outer supports to inner realization of Pati (Shiva) in Shaiva Siddhanta.
The verse implies an āvaraṇa-krama (tiered arrangement) around a sacred focus, a pattern commonly used in Saguna worship where the Linga is honored as the central reality, while revered divine forms are contemplated as attendant manifestations supporting devotion and concentration.
A practical takeaway is āvaraṇa-dhyāna: meditate in sequence on the named forms as protective, purifying presences around the sanctum/inner altar, while maintaining japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) to move from external visualization to inward stillness.