दशशैवव्रतप्रश्नः — Inquiry into the Ten Principal Śaiva Vratas
ततश्च ब्राह्मणानां हि भोज्यो संकल्पमाचरेत् । अन्यत्सर्वं तथा कुर्याद्यावच्च द्वितयावधि
tataśca brāhmaṇānāṃ hi bhojyo saṃkalpamācaret | anyatsarvaṃ tathā kuryādyāvacca dvitayāvadhi
จากนั้นพึงตั้งสัตยสังกัลป์อันศักดิ์สิทธิ์เพื่อถวายภัตตาหารแก่พราหมณ์ทั้งหลาย และประกอบพิธีกรรมอื่น ๆ ตามแบบแผนเดิมโดยครบถ้วน จนกว่าจะสิ้นสุดการปฏิบัติสองวันนั้น।
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Frames dāna/anna-dāna (feeding brāhmaṇas) with saṅkalpa as an integral limb of Śiva-observance, reinforcing dharmic purity that supports receptivity to grace.
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
It emphasizes that Shaiva worship is completed not only by personal austerity but also by dharmic generosity—making a saṅkalpa and honoring Brāhmaṇas through feeding, which is treated as an offering that supports purity, gratitude, and the flow of merit toward Shiva-bhakti.
In Saguna Shiva worship, external acts (pūjā, vrata, dāna) are integral supports for inner devotion. Feeding Brāhmaṇas after worship functions as a concluding offering (upacāra), sealing the vow and dedicating the fruit of the rite to Lord Shiva.
A clear practice is to take a formal saṅkalpa and complete the vrata by Brahmana-bhojana, maintaining the prescribed observances through a two-day period; this pairs well with steady japa of the Panchākṣarī (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) during the vow.