Shloka 18
Śiva-Naivedya-Grāhyatā-Nirṇayaḥ
On the Proper Acceptance and Merit of Śiva’s Consecrated Food-Offering
स्नापयित्वा विधानेन यो लिंगस्नापनोदकम् । त्रिःपिबेत्त्रिविधं पापं तस्येहाशु विनश्यति
snāpayitvā vidhānena yo liṃgasnāpanodakam | triḥpibettrividhaṃ pāpaṃ tasyehāśu vinaśyati
स्नापयित्वा विधानेन यो लिङ्गस्नापनोदकम्। त्रिः पिबेत्त्रिविधं पापं तस्येहाशु विनश्यति॥
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Jyotirlinga: Viśvanātha
Sthala Purana: In the Viśveśvara (Kāśī) milieu, liṅga-abhisheka is taught as immediately purifying; the abhiṣeka-water (caraṇāmṛta/tīrtha) is treated as Śiva’s grace made tangible.
Significance: Abhiṣeka-tīrtha taken as prasāda is said to destroy pāpa swiftly and strengthen eligibility for Śiva-bhakti and liberation-oriented life.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that properly performed Liṅga-abhisheka is not merely external ritual; it becomes a channel of Śiva’s grace. Receiving the abhisheka water as tīrtha symbolizes inner cleansing, and the “threefold sin” points to layered impurities that are dissolved through disciplined devotion.
The Liṅga is the accessible Saguna focus through which the devotee approaches the transcendent Śiva. By following vidhāna (scriptural method) and honoring the abhisheka water, the devotee treats the ritual as a living encounter with Śiva’s presence, not a symbolic act alone.
Perform Liṅga abhisheka according to injunctions, then respectfully partake of the abhisheka water as tīrtha three times. As an inner practice, do it with mantra-bhāva—especially remembrance of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—to align the mind with purification.