Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 50
भक्ताधिकारि-द्विजधर्म-योगिलक्षणवर्णनम् / Duties of Qualified Devotees and Marks of Yogins
रतिरभ्यंतरे यस्य न बाह्ये पुण्यगौरवात् । न कर्म करणीयं हि बहिस्तस्य महात्मनाः
ratirabhyaṃtare yasya na bāhye puṇyagauravāt | na karma karaṇīyaṃ hi bahistasya mahātmanāḥ
มหาบุรุษผู้มีความปีติอยู่ภายใน มิได้ยึดติดพิธีภายนอก—ด้วยความเคารพต่อความศักดิ์สิทธิ์แห่งความบริสุทธิ์ภายใน—ย่อมไม่จำเป็นต้องกระทำกิจภายนอกโดยข้อบังคับ
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
FAQs
It teaches that when devotion and awareness are firmly established within, the seeker is no longer driven by compulsory external rites; inner purity and God-realization become primary, with actions becoming natural and non-binding.
Linga-worship begins with outer pūjā, but its goal is inward absorption in Shiva; the verse points to that maturity where the Linga is contemplated within the heart, and external worship is no longer performed merely for merit-display.
It suggests inward worship through japa and meditation—especially steady remembrance of Shiva (e.g., Panchakshara ‘Om Namaḥ Śivāya’)—so that outer ritual becomes supportive rather than obligatory.