Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 58
गिरिजातपः-परीक्षा तथा सप्तर्षि-आह्वानम्
Girijā’s Austerity-Test and the Summoning of the Seven Sages
सुरर्षेर्वचनं पथ्यं त्यक्ष्ये नैव कदाचन । गुरूणां वचनं पथ्यमिति वेदविदो विदुः
surarṣervacanaṃ pathyaṃ tyakṣye naiva kadācana | gurūṇāṃ vacanaṃ pathyamiti vedavido viduḥ
“The wholesome counsel of the divine sage I shall never abandon. Indeed, those who know the Vedas declare that the instruction of one’s gurus is what is truly salutary and to be followed.”
Parvati
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: teaching
FAQs
It establishes guru-vacana (the teacher’s instruction) as “pathya”—spiritually health-giving—because right knowledge and right practice arise through disciplined obedience, which in Shaiva understanding prepares the soul (paśu) for Shiva’s grace (anugraha).
Linga and Saguna Shiva worship in the Shiva Purana is not merely external; it must be performed as taught by the guru—proper mantra, purity, vrata, and devotion—so that worship becomes a means of inner purification and steady bhakti rather than mere ritual display.
The takeaway is to follow one’s guru-prescribed sādhana consistently—such as daily Shiva-pūjā, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and vrata observances—without abandoning the discipline midway.