Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 7
नैमित्तिकविधिक्रमः
Occasional Rites and Their Procedure
फाल्गुने चोत्तरान्ते वै प्रारभेत महोत्सवम् । चैत्रे चित्रापौर्णमास्यां दोलां कुर्याद्यथाविधि
phālgune cottarānte vai prārabheta mahotsavam | caitre citrāpaurṇamāsyāṃ dolāṃ kuryādyathāvidhi
À la fin de Phālguna, qu’on commence véritablement la grande fête. Puis, au mois de Caitra, le jour de pleine lune sous la constellation Citrā, qu’on accomplisse le rite de la balançoire (dolā) selon la règle prescrite, honorant le Seigneur par un culte ordonné et accordé au temps.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Festival injunctions: begin a mahotsava at Phālguna’s close; in Caitra on Citrā-paurṇamāsī perform dolā (swing-rite). This reflects utsava-bhakti where the Lord is honored through regulated, time-aligned celebration.
Significance: Utsava (public festival) and dolā-sevā cultivate communal bhakti and sustained remembrance; in Śaiva Siddhānta, such disciplined worship supports caryā/kriyā leading toward Śiva’s anugraha.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
The verse emphasizes that devotion to Shiva should be both heartfelt and disciplined—aligned with sacred time (tithi and nakshatra) and performed as a “mahotsava,” turning ritual order into a vehicle for bhakti and inner purification under Shiva’s grace.
By prescribing a public festival and a dolā-rite on an auspicious full moon, the text points to Saguna Shiva worship—honoring Shiva through visible, temple-centered observances (often around the Shiva-linga), where devotion is expressed through sanctioned rites, offerings, and celebration.
It suggests conducting a properly timed utsava beginning at Phālguna’s end and performing dolotsava on Citrā Pūrṇimā in Caitra, following vidhi—typically including Shiva-pūjā, mantra-japa (such as the Panchākṣarī “Om Namaḥ Śivāya”), and orderly observance under priestly guidance.