Shloka 23

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

Devanagari script

त्वाम् अनभ्यर्च्य कल्याणं श्रौतं स्मार्तं च लौकिकम् कुरुते तस्य कल्याणम् अकल्याणं भविष्यति

Transliteration

tvām anabhyarcya kalyāṇaṃ śrautaṃ smārtaṃ ca laukikam kurute tasya kalyāṇam akalyāṇaṃ bhaviṣyati

Translation

Without first worshipping You, O Auspicious Lord, whoever undertakes any auspicious act—whether Vedic (śrauta), tradition-based (smārta), or worldly (laukika)—for him even that ‘good’ becomes inauspicious, for it is severed from the grace of Pati (Śiva), the giver of all auspiciousness.

Word by Word

• tvām: You (Lord Shiva)

• anabhyarcya: without worshipping/without offering reverence

• kalyāṇam: an auspicious act/good

• śrautam: prescribed by the Vedas (śruti-based rites)

• smārtam: prescribed by smṛti/dharma tradition

• ca: and

• laukikam: worldly/secular

• kurute: (he) performs

• tasya: of him

• kalyāṇam: the auspicious act/merit

• akalyāṇam: inauspiciousness/ill-fortune

• bhaviṣyati: becomes/will be

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating Shiva’s primacy in auspicious rites)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva

FAQs

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

It asserts that Linga/Śiva-worship is the prerequisite that makes any rite truly auspicious; without honoring Śiva (the fountainhead of kalyāṇa), even ‘good’ actions lose their auspicious fruit.

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

Śiva is implied as Pati—the sovereign source of auspiciousness and the ultimate sanctifier of karma; actions disconnected from Him remain bound within pasha (limitation) and turn unsteady in their results.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The takeaway is pūrvārcana—beginning śrauta, smārta, and daily laukika acts with Śiva-arcana (especially Linga-pūjā), aligning karma with devotion so it bears sattvic, auspicious fruit.