Shloka 16
गौतमविघ्नप्रकरणम्
Episode of Obstacles to Gautama; Gaṇeśa’s Appearing Through Misguided Worship
ईदृशं च तपः कृत्वा साध्यते फलमुत्तमम् । शुभं फलं स्वयं हित्वा साध्यते नाहितं पुनः
īdṛśaṃ ca tapaḥ kṛtvā sādhyate phalamuttamam | śubhaṃ phalaṃ svayaṃ hitvā sādhyate nāhitaṃ punaḥ
By performing austerity of this kind, the highest fruit is attained. But if one abandons the auspicious fruit by one’s own choice, one again attains what is not beneficial.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pashu
Shiva Form: Dakṣiṇāmūrti
Role: teaching
FAQs
It teaches that tapas yields the highest spiritual result when aligned with auspicious intent; rejecting the wholesome, Shiva-oriented fruit leads back to unbeneficial outcomes and continued bondage.
In Kotirudra context, austerity and pilgrimage are meant to culminate in Shiva’s grace through Linga/Jyotirlinga devotion; abandoning that auspicious culmination turns practice into mere hardship without liberating benefit.
Undertake tapas with a clear Shiva-centered resolve—such as Mahashivratri vrata, japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya), and steady worship—so the practice matures into an auspicious spiritual fruit rather than becoming fruitless renunciation.