Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 14
नैमित्तिकविधिक्रमः
Occasional Rites and Their Procedure
आवृत्ते ऽपि च कल्याणे प्रशस्तेष्वपि कर्मसु । दौर्मनस्ये दुराचारे दुःस्वप्ने दुष्टदर्शने
āvṛtte 'pi ca kalyāṇe praśasteṣvapi karmasu | daurmanasye durācāre duḥsvapne duṣṭadarśane
纵然吉祥可赞之业已如法奉行，若心生郁闷，或失足于恶行，或有惊扰之梦，或见凶相恶兆——当知皆为内在扰动，召人回归以湿婆为中心之明辨与净化。
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Significance: Frames psychological gloom, moral lapse, nightmares, and ominous perceptions as signs of mala/āvaraṇa (bondage factors) requiring renewed Śiva-oriented purification and discernment.
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that external virtue alone is not the full measure of dharma—if the mind falls into gloom, ethics decline, or inauspicious experiences arise, one should treat them as signs of bondage (pāśa) and return to Shiva-oriented purification, steadiness, and right conduct.
Such disturbances are traditionally resolved by taking refuge in Saguna Shiva—Linga worship, remembrance of Shiva’s auspiciousness, and disciplined devotion—so the mind becomes clear and conduct becomes aligned with dharma.
A practical takeaway is to intensify Shiva-sādhana: japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), mental restraint and confession-like self-correction, and simple purificatory worship (e.g., Linga abhisheka and wearing vibhuti/tripundra) to stabilize the mind and remove inauspiciousness.