Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 31
तारकवधोत्तरं देवस्तुतिः पर्वतवरप्रदानं च / Devas’ Hymn after Tāraka’s Slaying and the Bestowal of Boons upon the Mountains
एवं मूढधियश्चाज्ञाः पूजायां ते सनातनम् । आवाहनं न जानीमो गतिं नैव प्रभोद्भुताम्
evaṃ mūḍhadhiyaścājñāḥ pūjāyāṃ te sanātanam | āvāhanaṃ na jānīmo gatiṃ naiva prabhodbhutām
So sind wir, mit verwirrtem Verstand und in Unwissenheit, im ewigen Weg der Verehrung ungeübt. Den rechten Ritus der Anrufung (āvāhana) kennen wir nicht, noch begreifen wir den erhabenen Pfad und die Frucht, die aus wahrer geistiger Erwachung hervorgehen.
Devotees/supplicants addressing a revered divine authority (contextually within the Kumārakhaṇḍa narrative, likely petitioning Lord Shiva or his divine representative for correct worship)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakshinamurti
Role: teaching
FAQs
It highlights humility before Shiva: ritual without right understanding becomes incomplete, and true worship must mature into prabodha (spiritual awakening) that leads toward Shiva’s grace and liberation.
Āvāhana is a key step in saguna upāsanā (formal worship), including Liṅga-pūjā—inviting Shiva’s presence with devotion and correctness—so that outward acts align with inner reverence and transformative insight.
It implies learning authentic Shiva-pūjā steps—especially āvāhana—supported by mantra-japa (notably the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) so worship becomes a means to prabodha rather than mere formality.