Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 72
पुष्पार्पण-विनिर्णयः
Determination of Flower-Offerings to Śiva
घृतधारा शिवे कार्या यावन्मंत्रसहस्रकम् । तदा वंशस्य विस्तारो जायते नात्र संशयः
ghṛtadhārā śive kāryā yāvanmaṃtrasahasrakam | tadā vaṃśasya vistāro jāyate nātra saṃśayaḥ
Qu’un flot continu de ghee soit offert à Śiva aussi longtemps que l’on récite mille mantras. Alors l’extension de la lignée advient—sans aucun doute.
Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva Purana teachings to the sages at Naimisharanya, within the Srishti Khanda discourse)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Significance: Ghṛta-dhārā with mantra-sahasra is framed as a niyama producing vaṃśa-vistāra (lineage flourishing). In Siddhānta, such prayogas are bhoga-sādhana that, when done with bhakti, also attenuate karmic pāśa and orient the paśu toward Śiva’s governance as Pati.
Role: nurturing
Offering: naivedya
FAQs
It teaches that disciplined, devotion-filled ritual (ghṛta offering with mantra-japa) invokes Śiva’s anugraha (grace), harmonizing worldly order (dharma and prosperity) while keeping worship centered on the Lord as the supreme benefactor.
A ghṛtadhārā is commonly performed to the Śiva-liṅga as Saguna Śiva worship—using tangible offerings and mantra to focus the mind, purify intention, and receive Śiva’s blessings for household well-being, including continuity of lineage.
Perform a steady ghee-stream offering (ghṛtadhārā) to Śiva—ideally the liṅga—while completing a thousand recitations of a Śaiva mantra (commonly the Pañcākṣarī, “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), maintaining purity, steadiness, and devotion.