यममार्गे सुखदायकधर्माः
Dharmas that Grant Ease on the Path to Yama
अन्नेन धार्य्यते सर्वं विश्वं जगदिदं मुने । अन्नमूर्जस्करं लोके प्राणा ह्यन्ने प्रतिष्ठिताः
annena dhāryyate sarvaṃ viśvaṃ jagadidaṃ mune | annamūrjaskaraṃ loke prāṇā hyanne pratiṣṭhitāḥ
噢,牟尼圣者,此整个宇宙——这流转的世界——皆由食物所维系。于世间,食物是力量与精气之源,因为诸生命之气确实安立于食物之中。
Lord Shiva (instructing as a philosophical teacher within the Umāsaṃhitā dialogue)
Tattva Level: pasha
Shiva Form: Sadyojāta
It teaches that embodied life depends on anna (food), and therefore sustaining the body responsibly is part of dharma; in Shaiva Siddhanta, the body becomes a fit instrument for Shiva-worship and liberation when nourished and governed with purity.
Linga worship is performed through the body and breath; since prana rests upon food, honoring food with restraint and purity supports steady puja, japa, and devotion to Saguna Shiva, making worship stable and effective.
Adopt sattvic, moderate eating (mitāhāra) to steady prāṇa for japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and meditation; on vrata days like Mahashivratri, fasting or light intake is done to refine prāṇa for worship.