Shloka 24
अग्नियज्ञ-देवयज्ञ-ब्रह्मयज्ञ-गुरुपूजा-क्रमनिरूपणम् / Ordering and Definitions of Agniyajña, Devayajña, Brahmayajña, and Guru-Pūjā
स्थंडिले प्रतिमायां च ह्यग्नौ ब्राह्मणविग्रहे । समाराधनमित्येवं षोडशैरुपचारकैः
sthaṃḍile pratimāyāṃ ca hyagnau brāhmaṇavigrahe | samārādhanamityevaṃ ṣoḍaśairupacārakaiḥ
Vì thế, sự thờ phụng chân chính (samārādhana) được cử hành với mười sáu lễ phẩm—dù thờ Śiva trên nền đất đã được thánh hóa thành maṇḍala, trong tượng thánh, trong lửa thiêng, hay trong sự hiện thân sống động của một vị Brāhmaṇa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Affirms that Śiva can be properly worshipped through multiple valid media (maṇḍala, icon, fire, and honoring the Brāhmaṇa as a living locus of sacred presence), supporting accessible devotion when a temple-liṅga is unavailable.
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
The verse teaches that Śiva’s grace can be approached through orderly devotion—“samārādhana”—by offering the traditional sixteen honors, emphasizing sincerity and completeness in worship rather than limiting Śiva to a single medium.
It supports Saguna-upāsanā by affirming that Śiva may be reverently worshipped through concrete supports—such as a consecrated place, an image (and by extension the Liṅga), the sacrificial fire, or a revered Brāhmaṇa—while understanding that the Lord remains transcendent beyond them.
Perform ṣoḍaśopacāra-pūjā (sixteenfold worship)—optionally alongside mantra-japa such as the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—offering the services with devotion, purity, and steadiness of mind.