Śailādi said: The devotee shall at the outset perform Śivasnāna (ablution pertaining to Siva) and the purification of the Tattvas as before. With flowers in the hand he shall enter the place of worship with great concentration and mental purity. He shall then perform Prāṇāyāma three times and the rites of Dahana and Āplāvana. With the hands rendered fragrant with scents, he shall perform the rite of the Nyāsa of the Mahāmudrā (the great gesture).