Shloka 17

Devas Praise Śiva; Gaṇeśa Manifests as Vighneśvara and Receives the Primacy of Worship

Devanagari script

अध्यापनं चाध्ययनं व्याख्यानं कर्म एव च यो ऽन्यायतः करोत्यस्मिन् तस्य प्राणान्सदा हर

Transliteration

adhyāpanaṃ cādhyayanaṃ vyākhyānaṃ karma eva ca yo 'nyāyataḥ karotyasmin tasya prāṇānsadā hara

Translation

Wer in dieser heiligen Disziplin Lehren, Lernen, Auslegung oder rituelles Handeln auf unrechte Weise vollzieht—dem entreiße stets den Lebenshauch (prāṇa). Solcher Missbrauch des dharma bindet den paśu (die Seele) fester im pāśa (der Fessel) und widerspricht dem Weg zu Pati, dem Herrn Śiva.

Word by Word

• adhyāpanam: teaching (of śāstra)

• ca: and

• adhyayanam: studying/recitation

• vyākhyānam: explanation/commentary

• karma: ritual action/duty

• eva: indeed

• ca: and

• yaḥ: whoever

• anyāyataḥ: unjustly, contrary to dharma

• karoti: does/performs

• asmin: in this (sacred teaching/discipline)

• tasya: of him

• prāṇān: life-breaths/vital forces

• sadā: always

• hara: O Hara (Śiva), take away/seize

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a dharmic injunction invoking Hara/Śiva)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Hara)

FAQs

What is the importance of this verse in the context of Linga worship?

It warns that Linga-centered study, teaching, and ritual must be done according to dharma; otherwise the very practice becomes a cause of greater bondage (pāśa) instead of devotion to Pati (Śiva).

How does this verse describe the nature of Shiva (Shiva-tattva)?

Śiva is invoked as Hara—the remover—who withdraws prāṇa from persistent adharma, showing him as the moral governor who protects the sanctity of śāstra and purifies the path toward liberation.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

It highlights disciplined purity in adhyayana (study), adhyāpana (teaching), and karma (ritual duty), a prerequisite spirit of Pāśupata-oriented sādhanā where right conduct supports release of the pashu from pāśa.