Adhyaya 89: शौचाचारलक्षणम् — सदाचार, भैक्ष्यचर्या, प्रायश्चित्त, द्रव्यशुद्धि, आशौच-निर्णय
माल्यं च शयनस्थानं पात्रं छायां च यत्नतः यज्ञोपकरणाङ्गं च न स्पृशेद् वै पदेन च
mālyaṃ ca śayanasthānaṃ pātraṃ chāyāṃ ca yatnataḥ yajñopakaraṇāṅgaṃ ca na spṛśed vai padena ca
مالا، سونے کی جگہ، برتن اور دوسرے کی چھایا—ان سب کو بھی احتیاط سے پاؤں سے نہ چھوئے۔ نیز یَجْیَہ سے متعلق کسی عضو یا آلے کو بھی پاؤں سے نہ لگائے۔ یہ ضبط شیو پوجا کے لیے درکار طہارت کو محفوظ رکھتا ہے۔
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva-puja conduct to the sages of Naimisharanya)
It defines a core rule of śaucācāra: avoiding contact with the foot—seen as ritually impure—with items and spaces dedicated to Śiva’s worship, safeguarding the sanctity (pavitrata) of the pūjā.
By stressing meticulous purity around offerings and ritual instruments, it implies Śiva as Pati—the supreme, all-pure consciousness—approached through disciplined reverence that loosens pasha (bondage) formed by negligence and disrespect.
A practical discipline of bodily restraint and attentiveness (niyama-like conduct) within pūjā—training the worshipper (pashu) to act with sacred awareness while handling yajña-upakaraṇas and Linga-pūjā materials.