The Exposition of the Rite of Worship

Verse 1 (shiva.vayaviya.58.1)

उपमन्युरुवाच । व्याख्यां पूजाविधानस्य प्रवदामि समासतः । शिवशास्त्रे शिवेनैव शिवायै कथितस्य तु

upamanyuruvāca | vyākhyāṃ pūjāvidhānasya pravadāmi samāsataḥ | śivaśāstre śivenaiva śivāyai kathitasya tu

Upamanyu said: I shall now declare in brief the exposition of the rite of worship — that which was taught by Shiva himself, in the scripture of Shiva, to Śivā.

Verse 2 (shiva.vayaviya.58.2)

अङ्गमभ्यन्तरं यागमग्निकार्यावसानकम् । विधाय वा न वा पश्चाद् बहिर्यागं समाचरेत्

aṅgamabhyantaraṃ yāgamagnikāryāvasānakam | vidhāya vā na vā paścād bahiryāgaṃ samācaret

Having performed, or not performed, the inward worship up to the fire-oblation, he should afterward perform the outward worship.

Verse 3 (shiva.vayaviya.58.3)

तत्र द्रव्याणि मनसा कल्पयित्वा विशोध्य च । ध्यात्वा विनायकं देवं पूजयित्वा विधानतः

tatra dravyāṇi manasā kalpayitvā viśodhya ca | dhyātvā vināyakaṃ devaṃ pūjayitvā vidhānataḥ

There, having mentally arranged and purified the ritual substances, and meditated upon the god Vināyaka, and duly worshipped him —

Verse 4 (shiva.vayaviya.58.4)

दक्षिणे चोत्तरे चैव नन्दीशं सुयशां तथा । आराध्य मनसा सम्यगासनं कल्पयेद्बुधः

dakṣiṇe cottare caiva nandīśaṃ suyaśāṃ tathā | ārādhya manasā samyagāsanaṃ kalpayedbudhaḥ

and having, to the right and to the left, mentally worshipped Nandīśa and Suyaśā, the wise one should then duly arrange his seat.

Verse 5 (shiva.vayaviya.58.5)

आराधनादिकैर्युक्तः सिंहयोगासनादिकम् । पद्मासनं वा विमलं तत्त्वत्रयसमन्वितम्

ārādhanādikairyuktaḥ siṃhayogāsanādikam | padmāsanaṃ vā vimalaṃ tattvatrayasamanvitam

Endowed with the preceding worship, he should assume the lion-pose or similar postures, or the stainless lotus-posture, together with the three tattvas.

Verse 6 (shiva.vayaviya.58.6)

तस्योपरि शिवं ध्यायेत् साम्बं सर्वमनोहरम् । सर्वलक्षणसम्पन्नं सर्वावयवशोभनम्

tasyopari śivaṃ dhyāyet sāmbaṃ sarvamanoharam | sarvalakṣaṇasampannaṃ sarvāvayavaśobhanam

Upon that seat, he should meditate upon Shiva together with the Mother, altogether captivating, endowed with every auspicious mark, beautiful in every limb —

Verse 7 (shiva.vayaviya.58.7)

सर्वातिशयसंयुक्तं सर्वाभरणभूषितम् । रक्तास्यपाणिचरणं कुन्दचन्द्रस्मिताननम्

sarvātiśayasaṃyuktaṃ sarvābharaṇabhūṣitam | raktāsyapāṇicaraṇaṃ kundacandrasmitānanam

possessed of every excellence, adorned with every ornament, his face, hands, and feet ruddy, his countenance smiling like jasmine and the moon —

Verse 8 (shiva.vayaviya.58.8)

शुद्धस्फटिकसङ्काशं फुल्लपद्मत्रिलोचनम् । चतुर्भुजमुदाराङ्गं चारुचन्द्रकलाधरम्

śuddhasphaṭikasaṅkāśaṃ phullapadmatrilocanam | caturbhujamudārāṅgaṃ cārucandrakalādharam

resembling pure crystal, three-eyed like a blossoming lotus, four-armed, of noble form, bearing the lovely crescent of the moon —

Verse 9 (shiva.vayaviya.58.9)

वरदाभयहस्तं च मृगटङ्कधरं हरम् । भुजङ्गहारवलयं चारुनीलगलान्तरम्

varadābhayahastaṃ ca mṛgaṭaṅkadharaṃ haram | bhujaṅgahāravalayaṃ cārunīlagalāntaram

Hara, his hands showing the gestures of boon-granting and fearlessness, holding a deer and an axe, wearing serpents as necklace and bracelets, his throat lovely and dark —

Verse 10 (shiva.vayaviya.58.10)

सर्वोपमानरहितं सानुगं सपरिच्छदम् । ततः सञ्चिन्तयेत्तस्य वामभागे महेश्वरीम्

sarvopamānarahitaṃ sānugaṃ saparicchadam | tataḥ sañcintayettasya vāmabhāge maheśvarīm

beyond all comparison, together with his attendants and retinue. Then he should contemplate, at his left side, Maheśvarī —

Verse 11 (shiva.vayaviya.58.11)

प्रफुल्लोत्पलपत्राभां विस्तीर्णायतलोचनाम् । पूर्णचन्द्राभवदनां नीलकुञ्चितमूर्धजाम्

praphullotpalapatrābhāṃ vistīrṇāyatalocanām | pūrṇacandrābhavadanāṃ nīlakuñcitamūrdhajām

radiant like the petal of a full-blown blue lotus, her eyes wide and long, her face like the full moon, her hair dark and curling —

Verse 12 (shiva.vayaviya.58.12)

नीलोत्पलदलप्रख्यां चन्द्रार्द्धकृतशेखराम् । अतिवृत्तघनोत्तुङ्गस्निग्धपीनपयोधराम्

nīlotpaladalaprakhyāṃ candrārddhakṛtaśekharām | ativṛttaghanottuṅgasnigdhapīnapayodharām

resembling the petal of a blue lotus, wearing the half-moon as her crest-ornament, her breasts exceedingly round, full, high, smooth, and ample —

Verse 13 (shiva.vayaviya.58.13)

तनुमध्यां पृथुश्रोणीं पीतसूक्ष्मवराम्बराम् । सर्वाभरणसम्पन्नां ललाटतिलकोज्ज्वलाम्

tanumadhyāṃ pṛthuśroṇīṃ pītasūkṣmavarāmbarām | sarvābharaṇasampannāṃ lalāṭatilakojjvalām

her waist slender, her hips broad, clad in fine, excellent yellow garments, adorned with every ornament, radiant with the tilaka mark upon her forehead —

Verse 14 (shiva.vayaviya.58.14)

विचित्रपुष्पसङ्कीर्णकेशपाशोपशोभिताम् । सर्वतोऽनुगुणाकारां किञ्चिल्लज्जानताननाम्

vicitrapuṣpasaṅkīrṇakeśapāśopaśobhitām | sarvato'nuguṇākārāṃ kiñcillajjānatānanām

her tresses beautified, strewn with many-colored flowers, her form graceful in every part, her face slightly bowed in modesty —

Verse 15 (shiva.vayaviya.58.15)

हेमारविन्दं विलसद्दधानां दक्षिणे करे । दण्डवच्चापरं हस्तं न्यस्यासीनां महासने

hemāravindaṃ vilasaddadhānāṃ dakṣiṇe kare | daṇḍavaccāparaṃ hastaṃ nyasyāsīnāṃ mahāsane

holding a resplendent golden lotus in her right hand, her other hand resting straight at her side, seated upon a great throne —

Verse 16 (shiva.vayaviya.58.16)

पाशविच्छेदिकां साक्षात्सच्चिदानन्दरूपिणीम् । एवं देवं च देवीं च ध्यात्वासनवरे शुभे

pāśavicchedikāṃ sākṣātsaccidānandarūpiṇīm | evaṃ devaṃ ca devīṃ ca dhyātvāsanavare śubhe

the severer of the bonds of worldly existence, of the very form of Being, Consciousness, and Bliss. Having thus meditated upon the God and Goddess, upon their excellent, auspicious seat —

Verse 17 (shiva.vayaviya.58.17)

सर्वोपचारवद् भक्त्या भावपुष्पैः समर्चयेत् । अथवा परिकल्प्यैवं मूर्तिमन्यतमां विभोः

sarvopacāravad bhaktyā bhāvapuṣpaiḥ samarcayet | athavā parikalpyaivaṃ mūrtimanyatamāṃ vibhoḥ

he should worship them with devotion, with all the prescribed offerings, offered as flowers of feeling. Or else, having conceived some other form of the Lord —

Verse 18 (shiva.vayaviya.58.18)

शैवीं सदाशिवाख्यां वा तथा माहेश्वरीं पराम् । षड्विंशकाभिधानां वा श्रीकण्ठाख्यामथापि वा

śaivīṃ sadāśivākhyāṃ vā tathā māheśvarīṃ parām | ṣaḍviṃśakābhidhānāṃ vā śrīkaṇṭhākhyāmathāpi vā

whether the Shaiva form called Sadāśiva, or the supreme form called Māheśvarī, or the one named Ṣaḍviṃśaka, or the one called Śrīkaṇṭha —

Verse 19 (shiva.vayaviya.58.19)

मन्त्रन्यासादिकांश्चापि कृत्वा स्वस्यां तनौ यथा । अस्यां मूर्तौ मूर्तिमन्तं शिवं सदसतः परम्

mantranyāsādikāṃścāpi kṛtvā svasyāṃ tanau yathā | asyāṃ mūrtau mūrtimantaṃ śivaṃ sadasataḥ param

and having performed the placing of the mantras upon it as before upon his own body, he should contemplate Shiva, embodied in this form, beyond both the existent and the non-existent —

Verse 20 (shiva.vayaviya.58.20)

ध्यात्वा बाह्यक्रमेणैव पूजां निर्वर्त्तयेद्धिया । समिदाज्यादिभिः पश्चान्नाभौ होमं च भावयेत्

dhyātvā bāhyakrameṇaiva pūjāṃ nirvarttayeddhiyā | samidājyādibhiḥ paścānnābhau homaṃ ca bhāvayet

having thus meditated, he should mentally accomplish the worship by the outer procedure; and afterward, with sacrificial twigs, ghee and the rest, he should contemplate the fire-oblation at the navel.

Verse 21 (shiva.vayaviya.58.21)

भ्रूमध्ये च शिवं ध्यायेच्छुद्धदीपशिखाकृतिम् । इत्थमङ्गे स्वतन्त्रे वा योगे ध्यानमये शुभे

bhrūmadhye ca śivaṃ dhyāyecchuddhadīpaśikhākṛtim | itthamaṅge svatantre vā yoge dhyānamaye śubhe

And in the space between the brows he should meditate upon Shiva, of the form of a pure lamp-flame. Thus, whether in this inward auxiliary rite, or independently, in the auspicious meditative yoga —

Verse 22 (shiva.vayaviya.58.22)

अग्निकार्यावसानं च सर्वत्रैव समो विधिः । अथ चिन्तामयं सर्वं समाप्याराधनक्रमम्

agnikāryāvasānaṃ ca sarvatraiva samo vidhiḥ | atha cintāmayaṃ sarvaṃ samāpyārādhanakramam

the procedure ending in the fire-oblation is everywhere the same. Now, having completed the whole of this contemplative order of worship —

Verse 23 (shiva.vayaviya.58.23)

लिङ्गे च पूजयेद्देवं स्थण्डिले वानलेऽपि वा

liṅge ca pūjayeddevaṃ sthaṇḍile vānale'pi vā

he should then worship the god in the liṅga, or upon the altar-ground, or in the fire.