79 - The mode af worship of Shiva 

The sages said: 

1-2. O sages of great intellect, how should the great lord, the lord of subjects be worshipped by tardy and dull-witted men who are short-lived, whose strength is trifling and whose virility is insignificant. Even after worshipping lord Shiva by means of penance for thousands of years, Devas do not see him. How then do they worship the lord? 

Süta suid: 

3. O leading sages, what you have said is quite true. Still with faith the lord can be seen and pleased and even conversed with. 

4. O brahmins, if even those who are devoid of devotion incidentally worship the lord, he bestows fruits befitting the emotion. 

5. O brahmins, the base brahmin who worships the lord after being defiled by the leavings of food becomes a Pishācha. The man of deluded intellect who worships the lord in a sit of anger shall attain the abode of Rākşhasas. 

6.The wicked man who eats forbidden food and worships the lord becomes a Yakşha. A man who practises music and worships the lord attains the abode of Gandharvas. A person who practises dance also attains the same state. 

7. The base man attached to women and yearning for fame attains the abode of the moon⁷⁰¹. (by worshipping the lord). A person afflicted by pride and arrogance, worshipping Rudra, shall attain the abode of Soma (moon?) 

701. chândram-Budha-sthānam ST, the house of Mercury. 

8. By worshipping the lord by means of Gayatri verses one shall attain the world of Prajāpati. By worshipping by means of Pranava one attains the abode of Brahmi or Vişhnu. 

9. By worshipping the lord with faith even for once, the devotee attains the world of Rudra and rejoices along with the Rudras. 

10-22. The spiendid Linga, worshipped by Devas and Asuras should be cleaned by the holy waters. The lord should be invoked devoutly in the pedestal. After visiting the lord duly and after worshipping him he should be installed in the conceived seat which has the splendid form of perfect knowledge, which is richly endowed with detachment and prosperity, which is bowed to by all the people, which is in the middle of the lotus of Omkara and which has its origin from the moon, sun and fire. After offering Padya, Achamana and Arghya to Rudra the devotee shall bathe the deity with pure waters, ghee and milk. He shall bathe Rudra with curds and clean Him. Thereafter he shall bathe the deity with pure water and worship it with sandal-paste. After worshipping with yellow pigment he shall worship it with red fowers, unbroken Bilva leaves, blue and red lotuses, Nandyāvarta flowers, Mallikās, Champakas, Jāti flowers, Bakulas, Karavīras, Shami and Bruhat flowers, Unmattas, Agastyas, bunches of Apāmärga flowers and splendid ornaments. After offering incense of five kinds he shall offer milk pudding as Naivedya. Other food offerings shall be rice with curds, rice soaked in honey and ghee, then pure cooked rice and then Mudgānna (rice cooked green gram) of six types. Thereafter he shall offer as Naivedya five types of cooked rice along with ghee, or rice alone wherein he shall cook one Ādhaka measure of rice. After circumambulation he shall bow down again and again in the end. After eulogising lord Ishāna and after worshipping Shiva he shall adore him by repeating the mantras of Ishäna, Tatpurusha, Aghora, Vāmadeva and Sadyojäta. With this mode of worship lord Mahesh- vara becomes delighted. 

23. O excellent brahmins, those trees which are utilised in the worship of Shiva through their flowers, leaves, etc., and the cows too, attain the supreme goal. 

24. He who but once worships Shiva, Rudra, Sharva, the un- born Bhuva attains Shiva's Sayujya devoid of returning here again. 

25. One in liberated from all sins even by seeing but once incidentally Paramesana, Bhavi, Sharva, lord of Uma who was worshipped thus. 

26. There is no doubt in this that a man attains Brahma's world by Seeing Mahadeva who has been worshipped or is being worshipped. 

27-30. He who on hearing above the lord approves of it and rejoices therein attains the greatest goal. He with, for even once, offers a ghee lump in front of the Linga attains that goal which is difficult of access by means of the stages in life and which is steady. By offering a tree of lamps either made of clay or of wood in the temple of Shiva one is honoured in the world of Shiva along with hundred members of his family. He who duly and devoutly offers lamps to Shiva made of iron, copper, silver or god shall go to the city of Shiva in splendid vehicles refulgent like ten thousand suns. 

31-34. He who offers a ghee lamp infront of Shiva in the month of Kärttika or lie who sees the great lord being duly worshipped with faith, O excellent sages, goes to the world of Brahma. 

It is mentioned that the rites of invocation, welcome pres- ence, installation and worship shall he conducted through Rudra Gayatri, the Asana (seat) by means of Pranava, the ablution by means of five mantras (Sadyojata, ctc.), assigned to Rudra. 

One shall thus perpetually worship Uma's husband, the lord - Devas. One shall worship Brahmā with Praņava on his right side. 

35-37. To his north, he shall worship Vişhnu the lord of the chiefs of Devas by means of Gāyatri, after performing Homa in the fire duly by repeating the five mantras and the Pranava. By thus worshipping the lord he attains Sãyujya with Shiva. Thus, succinetly the mode of worshipping Shiva has been mentioned. After hearing this directly from Rudra, this was mentioned to me by Vyāsa in former times.