Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 77
पुष्पार्पण-विनिर्णयः
Determination of Flower-Offerings to Śiva
स्वगृहे कलहो नित्यं यदा चैव प्रजायते । तद्धारायां कृतायां वै सर्वं दुःखं विलीयते
svagṛhe kalaho nityaṃ yadā caiva prajāyate | taddhārāyāṃ kṛtāyāṃ vai sarvaṃ duḥkhaṃ vilīyate
เมื่อความขัดแย้งเกิดขึ้นเนืองนิตย์ในเรือนของตน ครั้นประกอบพิธีธาราอันศักดิ์สิทธิ์นั้นโดยถูกต้องแล้ว ความทุกข์ทั้งปวงย่อมสลายไปโดยแท้จริง
Sūta Gosvāmin (narrating the Rudra Saṃhitā account to the sages at Naimiṣāraṇya)
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Significance: Frames household discord as a solvable karmic/psychic disturbance pacified by a prescribed Śaiva rite (dhārā/continuous offering), culminating in duḥkha-laya (dissolution of sorrow).
Shakti Form: Pārvatī
Role: nurturing
Offering: dipa
FAQs
The verse teaches that recurring domestic conflict is a symptom of inner agitation (pāśa-bound restlessness), and that a properly performed Shaiva rite—described here as a sacred “dhārā,” i.e., an auspicious ritual flow such as abhiṣeka—re-centers the household in Shiva’s grace (anugraha), causing grief to subside.
In Shaiva Purana practice, the “dhārā” naturally aligns with Linga-abhiṣeka (a continuous, sanctified stream offered to the Shiva-linga). This Saguna mode of worship steadies the mind, purifies the home’s atmosphere, and invites Shiva’s śānti, which the verse states as the dissolution of duḥkha.
A practical takeaway is to perform Shiva abhiṣeka (a steady dhārā of water/milk as per custom) with Panchākṣarī japa—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and a calm, reconciliatory intention, making the home a place of śiva-śānti rather than kalaha.