Shloka 20

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

Devanagari script

त्वं भक्तान् सर्वयत्नेन रक्ष बालगणेश्वर यौवनस्थांश् च वृद्धांश् च इहामुत्र च पूजितः

Transliteration

tvaṃ bhaktān sarvayatnena rakṣa bālagaṇeśvara yauvanasthāṃś ca vṛddhāṃś ca ihāmutra ca pūjitaḥ

Translation

O Bāla-Gaṇeśvara, beschütze deine Bhaktas mit allem Eifer—die Jungen wie die Alten. Hier und im Jenseits verehrt, gewährst du Hüterschaft in beiden Bereichen, nimmst die pāśas hinweg, die den paśu (die gebundene Seele) quälen, und führst ihn zu Pati (dem Herrn).

Word by Word

• त्वम्: you

• भक्तान्: devotees

• सर्वयत्नेन: with all effort/by every means

• रक्ष: protect

• बालगणेश्वर: O Bala-Gaṇeśvara (young Lord of the Gaṇas)

• यौवनस्थान्: those established in youth

• च: and

• वृद्धान्: the aged/elderly

• च: and

• इह: here (in this world)

• अमुत्र: there (in the other world)

• च: and

• पूजितः: worshipped/revered

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating a devotional supplication within the chapter’s stuti context)

Characters & Entities

• Bala-Ganesha
• Ganesha

FAQs

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

It frames the protective grace required for successful Shiva-Linga worship by invoking Bala-Gaṇeśvara to guard devotees in both worlds, implying obstacle-removal and steadiness in puja and vrata.

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

By pointing to protection “here and hereafter,” it echoes Shaiva Siddhanta’s view of Pati’s sovereignty over worldly welfare and transcendental good; the Lord’s grace loosens pāśa and safeguards the pashu across states of life.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse supports the standard Shaiva puja sequence of invoking Gaṇeśa before Linga-puja and emphasizes devotional surrender (bhakti) as the inner discipline that stabilizes practice, akin to preparatory conditions for Pāśupata-oriented sadhana.