Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 49
नारदस्य विष्णूपदेशवर्णनम् — Nārada and Viṣṇu: Instruction after Delusion
पातकानि विनश्यंति यावंति शिवपूजया । भुवि तावंति पापानि न संत्येव महामुने
pātakāni vinaśyaṃti yāvaṃti śivapūjayā | bhuvi tāvaṃti pāpāni na saṃtyeva mahāmune
噢大圣者，凭对湿婆的供奉礼拜，罪业被灭除多少，世间便不再存留多少罪业——皆为那份虔敬所涤尽。
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Mahādeva
Sthala Purana: General doctrine of pāpa-kṣaya: Śiva-pūjā is portrayed as so potent that sins ‘do not remain’—a hyperbolic Purāṇic idiom for total eradication through grace rather than partial expiation.
Significance: Assures pilgrims/devotees that sincere Śiva-pūjā removes accumulated demerit and its karmic residues, fostering fearlessness and steadiness in practice.
Role: nurturing
Offering: dhupa
FAQs
The verse proclaims the purifying power of Śiva-bhakti: sincere worship of Śiva destroys accumulated pāpa (demerit) and loosens the bonds of karma, orienting the soul (paśu) toward grace and liberation under Pati (Śiva).
Śiva-pūjā is commonly performed through Saguna forms—especially the Śiva-liṅga—where offerings, mantra, and reverence become a concrete discipline; through this accessible form, the devotee is led toward the realization of Śiva’s higher, transcendent nature.
Regular Śiva-pūjā with mantra-japa—especially the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”)—is implied; it may be supported by traditional aids like vibhūti (Tripuṇḍra) and Rudrākṣa as part of a disciplined devotional practice.