Śiva-jñāna and the Non-dual Vision of a Śiva-maya Universe (शिवज्ञानम्—सर्वं शिवमयम्)
अल्पमूल्यं प्रजायेत तथा जीवोऽप्यहंयुतः
alpamūlyaṃ prajāyeta tathā jīvo'pyahaṃyutaḥ
Vật gì mua được với giá rẻ mạt thì bị xem là ít giá trị; cũng vậy, jīva—khi bị buộc vào ngã chấp (“ta”-niệm)—liền trở nên suy giảm về giá trị tâm linh.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Role: teaching
It warns that the jīva’s true dignity is obscured by ahaṅkāra; spiritual worth rises when the ‘I’-sense is surrendered to Shiva, the Pati (Lord) who frees the bound soul.
Linga-worship trains the devotee in humility and self-offering; by approaching Saguna Shiva with reverence rather than ego, the jīva’s contracted identity relaxes and devotion becomes purifying.
Practice Panchakshara japa ("Om Namaḥ Śivāya") with bhāva of surrender, and adopt a daily discipline of Tripuṇḍra/bhasma and self-inquiry to drop the ‘I am the doer’ attitude.