Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 61
गिरिजातपः-परीक्षा तथा सप्तर्षि-आह्वानम्
Girijā’s Austerity-Test and the Summoning of the Seven Sages
सर्वथा न परित्याज्यं गुरूणां वचनं द्विजाः । गृहं वसेद्वा शून्यं स्यान्मे हठस्सुखदस्सदा
sarvathā na parityājyaṃ gurūṇāṃ vacanaṃ dvijāḥ | gṛhaṃ vasedvā śūnyaṃ syānme haṭhassukhadassadā
おお、二度生まれし者たちよ、いかなる仕方によってもグルの御命令を捨ててはならない。たとえ空なる家に住まねばならずとも、我が不屈の決意が常に安寧と福祉を授けるものであれ。
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the teaching within the Pārvatīkhaṇḍa to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Frames guru-ājñā as non-negotiable dharma for the seeker; renunciatory hardship (even an empty house) is preferable to abandoning the guru’s command—this steadfastness becomes a vessel for grace (anugraha).
FAQs
It teaches that fidelity to the guru’s instruction is a core dharmic discipline; even amid material lack (an “empty house”), one should maintain unwavering resolve that ripens into inner peace—supporting the Shaiva path of purification and grace.
In the Shiva Purana, right practice in Linga/Saguna Shiva worship is traditionally received through the guru; honoring the guru’s word safeguards the correctness of mantra, vrata, and pūjā, making devotion steady rather than circumstance-dependent.
The implied practice is disciplined adherence to one’s received sādhana—regular japa (especially the Panchākṣarī), daily Shiva-pūjā, and vrata—performed steadily even when external comforts are absent.