Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 14
सेवातत्त्वप्रश्नः — The Question of Whom to Serve (Sevā) for the Removal of Suffering
प्रस्तुतं चैव दृष्टं वस्सर्वं दृष्टांतमद्भुतम् । त्याज्यं तदर्चनं नैव कदापि सुखमीप्सुभिः
prastutaṃ caiva dṛṣṭaṃ vassarvaṃ dṛṣṭāṃtamadbhutam | tyājyaṃ tadarcanaṃ naiva kadāpi sukhamīpsubhiḥ
Cet exemple merveilleux a maintenant été exposé et montré devant vous en entier. Ainsi, ceux qui aspirent au vrai bonheur ne doivent jamais, à aucun moment, délaisser l’adoration du Seigneur Śiva.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Sadāśiva
Significance: Normative instruction: continuity in Śiva-arcana is presented as the path to sukha (well-being) and, by implication, liberation through grace.
Role: nurturing
Offering: dipa
FAQs
The verse seals the teaching of a prior example (dṛṣṭānta): real sukha is not merely worldly pleasure but the inner peace that arises from steadfast devotion to Pati (Śiva). Hence, one should not renounce Śiva’s worship, which leads the bound soul (paśu) toward liberation.
It supports continuous arcana—practical, Saguna-oriented worship such as Liṅga-pūjā—as a stable means to approach Śiva. In Shaiva understanding, disciplined Saguna worship purifies the mind and becomes a doorway to realizing Śiva’s higher, transcendent nature.
The takeaway is consistency in Śiva-arcana: daily Liṅga worship with mantra-japa (especially the Panchākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and regular devotional observance, without interrupting one’s sādhana in pursuit of temporary comforts.