Shloka 23
प्रणवार्थ-शिवतत्त्व-निर्णयः
The Determination of Śiva as the Meaning of Praṇava
त्रैवर्णिकानां सर्व्वेषां स्वस्वाश्रमरतात्मनाम् । श्रुतिस्मृत्युदितो धर्मोऽनुष्ठेयो नापरः क्वचित्
traivarṇikānāṃ sarvveṣāṃ svasvāśramaratātmanām | śrutismṛtyudito dharmo'nuṣṭheyo nāparaḥ kvacit
தத்தம் ஆச்ரமங்களில் நிலைத்திருக்கும் மூன்று வர்ணங்களின் எல்லா த்விஜர்களுக்கும், ஸ்ருதி-ஸ்மிருதிகளில் உரைக்கப்பட்ட தர்மமே அனுஷ்டிக்கத் தக்கது; எந்நேரமும் எங்கும் வேறொன்று அல்ல.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Kailasha Samhita teaching to the sages of Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pashu
FAQs
It grounds Shaiva life in śāstra: devotion to Shiva is not lawless or arbitrary; it is purified and made fit for grace (anugraha) when one follows one’s āśrama-dharma as taught by Śruti and Smṛti.
Linga/Saguna Shiva worship is to be performed in harmony with Vedic-Smṛti rules—daily duties, purity, and prescribed observances—so that worship becomes a disciplined upāya (means) aligned with dharma rather than personal invention.
Follow authorized practices: perform Shiva-pūjā and japa (such as the Pañcākṣarī) with śāstric discipline, along with customary Shaiva observances like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where prescribed by tradition.