Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 71
सेवातत्त्वप्रश्नः — The Question of Whom to Serve (Sevā) for the Removal of Suffering
तथा च मलिने वस्त्रे रंगः शुभतरो न हि । क्षालने हि कृते शुद्धे सर्वो रंगः प्रसज्जते
tathā ca maline vastre raṃgaḥ śubhataro na hi | kṣālane hi kṛte śuddhe sarvo raṃgaḥ prasajjate
Ebenso erscheint auf einem befleckten Tuch die Farbe nicht leuchtend. Wird es jedoch gewaschen und gereinigt, haftet jede Farbe gut. (So auch: Wenn das Innere geläutert ist, prägt sich die gnadenvolle Spur von Śivas Lehre und Verehrung fest ein.)
Suta Goswami (narrating the Rudrasaṃhitā to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Sthala Purana: Not a site-specific (sthala) passage; it uses a didactic dṛṣṭānta (cloth/dye) to teach inner purification as the prerequisite for Śiva-bhakti and Śiva-jñāna.
Significance: General teaching: tīrtha-like benefit is internal—purification (śuddhi) makes Śiva’s upadeśa and pūjā ‘take hold’ (adhikāra).
FAQs
It teaches that spiritual practice bears fruit when the seeker is purified—just as dye sets on clean cloth, Shiva’s instruction and grace become steady when inner impurities (mala) are cleansed through discipline, devotion, and right conduct.
Linga-worship and Saguna Shiva-bhakti are most effective when approached with purity (śauca) and sincerity; the verse uses the cloth-and-dye analogy to show that a cleansed heart receives and retains the sanctifying influence of Shiva’s worship.
It implies preparatory purification—bathing, maintaining cleanliness, applying Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) with reverence, and steady japa of the Pañcākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya,” so the mind becomes a fit vessel for Shiva’s presence.