Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 15
पुष्पार्पण-विनिर्णयः
Determination of Flower-Offerings to Śiva
प्रधान्यकामुको यो वै तदर्द्धेनार्चयेत्पुमान् । कारागृहगतो यो वै लक्षेनैवार्चयेद्धनम्
pradhānyakāmuko yo vai tadarddhenārcayetpumān | kārāgṛhagato yo vai lakṣenaivārcayeddhanam
L’homme qui désire la prééminence et la distinction mondaine doit adorer Śiva avec la moitié de (cette mesure d’offrande). Quant à celui qui est tombé en prison, qu’il adore avec un lakh (cent mille) de cette offrande/fortune : il obtiendra la délivrance et le retour de l’heureuse destinée.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Sthala Purana: General phala-specification: graded measures of worship are prescribed for distinct worldly constraints (status-seeking; imprisonment) to obtain Śiva’s favor.
Significance: Portrays Śiva as remover of social/physical bondage (imprisonment) and giver of prādhānya (eminence), aligning worldly order with divine grace.
Role: liberating
FAQs
The verse teaches that Śiva-arcana can address both worldly constraints (status, confinement) and deeper bondage. In Shaiva Siddhanta terms, devotion to Pati (Śiva) loosens pāśa (bondage) and reshapes karma, granting protection and auspicious outcomes.
The instruction is practical and ritual-oriented, pointing to Saguna Śiva worship—commonly through the Śiva-liṅga with offerings and counted acts of worship. Such disciplined arcana is presented as a means to receive Śiva’s grace in tangible life situations.
It implies graded worship using one’s means—offerings and/or counted acts (often understood as japa/arcana counts). A fitting takeaway is regular liṅga-pūjā with Panchākṣarī japa (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), accompanied by traditional Shaiva aids like bhasma (tripuṇḍra) and rudrākṣa where appropriate.