Adhyaya 89: शौचाचारलक्षणम् — सदाचार, भैक्ष्यचर्या, प्रायश्चित्त, द्रव्यशुद्धि, आशौच-निर्णय
द्वितीये ऽहनि विप्रा हि यथा वै ब्रह्मघातिनी तृतीये ऽह्नि तदर्धेन चतुर्थे ऽहनि सुव्रताः
dvitīye 'hani viprā hi yathā vai brahmaghātinī tṛtīye 'hni tadardhena caturthe 'hani suvratāḥ
اے اہلِ سُوورت! دوسرے دن اس کی گناہ گار حالت برہمن کے قاتل کے مانند کہی گئی ہے۔ تیسرے دن وہ اس کا نصف رہ جاتی ہے اور چوتھے دن اس سے بھی کم—یوں درجے بیان کیے گئے ہیں۔
Suta Goswami
It frames purification as a graded process over days, implying that consistent Śiva-oriented discipline (vrata, japa, pūjā) progressively loosens pāśa (karmic bondage) so the worshipper approaches the Linga with increasing inner śuddhi.
Implicitly, Śiva is Pati—the liberating Lord—because sin is treated as a measurable bondage that can be diminished through dharma and Śaiva purification, culminating in fitness for grace (anugraha) rather than mere punishment.
A day-by-day prāyaścitta framework: maintaining suvrata (disciplined vows) alongside purificatory observances—typically including Śiva-pūjā, mantra-japa, fasting/regulated diet, and vrata-based restraint—so the burden of fault diminishes in stages.