Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 55
दीक्षितपुत्रस्य दैन्यचिन्ता तथा शिवरात्र्युपासनाप्रसङ्गः / The Initiate’s Son in Distress and the Occasion of Śivarātri Worship
नान्यं धर्मं स जानाति दुर्दमो भूपतिर्दमः । शिवालयेषु सर्वेषु दीपदानादृते द्विजः
nānyaṃ dharmaṃ sa jānāti durdamo bhūpatirdamaḥ | śivālayeṣu sarveṣu dīpadānādṛte dvijaḥ
König Dama, schwer zu bezwingen, kannte keine andere religiöse Pflicht als diese: o Zweimalgeborener, in allen Śiva-Tempeln brachte er Lampen dar und vernachlässigte niemals die Gabe des Lichts.
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Īśāna
Sthala Purana: Lamp-offering (dīpa-dāna) is presented as the king’s singular dharma; symbolically it dispels tirodhāna (concealment) by bringing light (jñāna) into Śiva’s abode.
Significance: Dīpa-dāna in Śiva temples is praised as a merit-giving act that supports inner illumination and removal of ignorance.
Role: teaching
Offering: dipa
FAQs
It exalts dīpa-dāna (offering a lamp) as a concentrated form of Shaiva dharma—symbolizing the awakening of jñāna (inner light) and steady bhakti toward Pati (Śiva), the Lord who removes ignorance.
Lamp-offering is a classic upacāra in Saguna Shiva worship—performed before the Liṅga in Śivālaya—honoring Śiva as the manifest Lord who accepts devotion through simple, repeatable temple rites.
Perform dīpa-dāna in a Śiva temple with a prayer that the flame mirror one’s inner awareness; mentally offer the light to Śiva while repeating a Shaiva mantra such as “Om Namaḥ Śivāya.”