SHRI DEVI said: I am grateful to Thee, O Lord of Mercy! in that Thou hast in Thy discourse upon the Worship of the Adya Shakti, spoken, in Thy mercy, of the mode of Worship of various other Devas. Thou hast spoken of the Installation of a Movable Shiva-linga, but what is the object of installing an immovable Shiva-linga, and what are the rites relating to the installation of such a Linga?. Do Thou, O Lord of the Worlds! now tell Me all the particulars thereof; for say, who is there but Thee that I can honour by My questions anent this excellent subject?. Who is there that is Omniscient, Merciful, All-knowing, Omnipresent, easily satisfied, Protector of the humble, like Thee? Who makes My joys increase like Thee?.
Shri Sadashiva said: What shall I tell Thee of the merit acquired by the installation of a Shiva-linga? By it a man is purified of all great sins and goes to the Supreme Abode. There is no doubt that by the installation of a Shiva-linga a man acquires ten million times the merit which is acquired by giving the world and all its gold, by the performance of ten thousand horse-sacrifices, by the digging of a tank in a waterless country, or by making happy the poor and such as are enfeebled by disease. Kalika, Brahma, Vishnu, Indra, and the other Devas reside where Mahadeva is in His linga form. Thirty-five million known and unknown places of pilgrimage and all the holy places abide near Shiva. The land within a radius of a hundred cubits of the linga is declared to be Shiva-kshetra. This land of Isha is very sacred. It is more excellent than the most excellent of holy places, because there abide all the Immortals and there are all the holy places. He who in a devout spirit lives there, be it even for but a little while, becomes purged of all sins, and goes to the heaven of Shangkara after death.
Anything great or small which is done in this land of Shiva becomes multiplied by the majesty of Shiva. All sins committed elsewhere are removed (by going) near Shiva, but sins committed in Shiva-kshetra adhere to a man with the strength of a thunderbolt. The merit acquired by the performance there of Purashcharana, japa, acts of charity, Shraddha, tarpana, or any other pious acts is eternal. The merit acquired by the performance of a hundred Purashcharana at times of lunar or solar eclipse is acquired by merely performing one japa near Shiva. By the offering of Pinda once only in the land of Shiva, a man obtains the same fruit as he who offers ten million pindas at Gaya, the Ganges, and Prayaga. Even in the case of those who are guilty of many sins or of great sins attain the supreme abode if Shraddha be performed in their names in the land of Shiva. The fourteen worlds abide there where abides the Lord of the Universe in His Linga form with the auspicious Devi Durga. I have spoken a little about the majesty of the immovable Mahadeva in His linga form. The Mahima of the Anadi-linga is beyond the power of words to express. O Suvrat! even in Thy worship at the Mahapithas the touch of an untouchable is unclean, but this is not so in the worship of Hara in His linga image.
O Devi! as there are no prohibitions at the time of Chakra worship, so know this, O Kalika! that there are none in the holy shrine in Shiva’s land. What is the use of saying more? I am but telling Thee the very truth when I say that I am unable to describe the glory, majesty, and sanctity of the linga image of Shiva. Whether the Linga is placed on a Gauri-patta or not, the worshipper should, for the successful attainment of his desires, worship it devoutly. The excellent worshipper earns the merit of (performing) ten thousand horse-sacrifices if he performs the Adhivasa of the Deva in the evening previous to the day of installation. The twenty articles to be used in the rite of Adhivasa are: Earth, Scent, a Pebble, Paddy, Durvva grass, Flower, Fruit, Curds, Ghee, Svastika, Vermillion, Conch-shell, Kajjala, Rochana, White Mustard Seed, Silver, Gold, Copper, Lights, and a Mirror. Taking each of these articles, the Maya Vija and the Brahma-Gayatri should be repeated, and then should be said “Anena”, and “Amushya” – “may the auspicious Adhivasa be”.
And then the forehead of the worshipped divinity should be touched with the earth and all other articles aforesaid. Then Adhivasa should be performed with the Prashasti-Patra – that is, the receptacle should be lifted up, and with it the forehead of the image should be touched three times. The worshipper conversant with the ordinances, having thus performed the Adhivasa of the Deva, should bathe the deity with milk and other liquids, as directed in the ceremony relating to the dedication of a temple. Rubbing the linga with a piece of cloth and placing it on its seat, Ganesha and other Deities should be worshipped according to the rules prescribed for their worship. Having performed Kara-Nyasa and Anga-Nyasa and Pranayama with the Pranava, the ever-existent Shiva should be meditated upon.
