Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 60
श्रद्धामाहात्म्यं तथा देवीप्रश्नः
The Greatness of Śraddhā and Devī’s Question to Śiva
भावैकात्मा क्रिया देवि मम धर्मस्सनातनः । मनसा कर्मणा वाचा ह्यनपेक्ष्य फलं क्वचित् । फलोद्देशेन देवेशि लघुर्मम समाश्रयः । फलार्थी तदभावे मां परित्यक्तुं क्षमो यतः
bhāvaikātmā kriyā devi mama dharmassanātanaḥ | manasā karmaṇā vācā hyanapekṣya phalaṃ kvacit | phaloddeśena deveśi laghurmama samāśrayaḥ | phalārthī tadabhāve māṃ parityaktuṃ kṣamo yataḥ
O Devī, action whose very essence is single-pointed bhāva is My eternal dharma—done by mind, deed, and speech, never looking to any fruit. But, O Lady of the Lord of Gods, one who takes refuge in Me with an eye on results has only a shallow refuge; for the seeker of rewards, when those rewards do not appear, is capable of abandoning Me.
Lord Shiva
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches niṣkāma bhakti—serving Shiva with one-pointed devotion through mind, speech, and action without bargaining for results—because desire itself becomes a pāśa (bond) that weakens steadfast refuge in Pati (Shiva).
Linga-worship is meant to mature the devotee from result-driven petitions to stable surrender; Saguna Shiva accepts worship, but this verse stresses that the highest approach is devotion rooted in bhāva (inner intent), not in transactional expectations.
Practice japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with a vow of offering the fruits to Shiva, and perform simple pūjā (bhasma/Tripuṇḍra and Rudrākṣa if you follow those observances) as an act of surrender rather than for worldly gain.