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
Así, con entendimiento extraviado e ignorancia, no somos diestros en el método eterno de la adoración. No conocemos el rito correcto de la invocación (āvāhana), ni comprendemos el sendero y el fruto excelsos que nacen del verdadero despertar espiritual.
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.