Shloka 20

गौतमविघ्नप्रकरणम्

Episode of Obstacles to Gautama; Gaṇeśa’s Appearing Through Misguided Worship

Devanagari script

यदा च भवतां दुःखं जातं चानशनात्पुरा । तदा सुखं प्रदत्तं वै गौतमेन महर्षिणा

Transliteration

yadā ca bhavatāṃ duḥkhaṃ jātaṃ cānaśanātpurā | tadā sukhaṃ pradattaṃ vai gautamena maharṣiṇā

Translation

When, in earlier times, sorrow arose for you due to fasting and going without food, then indeed the great sage Gautama granted you comfort and relief.

Word by Word

• yadā: when
• yadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: yadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; temporal conjunction/adverb (यदा—कालवाचक)

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• bhavatām: of you (all)
• bhavatām: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Genitive relation)
• Type: Noun
• Root: bhavat (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine; honorific ‘you’), Ṣaṣṭhī vibhakti (Genitive/6th), Bahuvacana (Plural)

• duḥkham: sorrow
• duḥkham: Karta (कर्ता/Subject)
• Type: Noun
• Root: duḥkha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (Singular)

• jātam: arisen
• jātam: Viśeṣaṇa (विशेषण/Qualifier)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: jan (धातु) → jāta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā vibhakti (Nominative/1st), Ekavacana (Singular); agrees with duḥkham

• ca: and
• ca: Sambandha (सम्बन्ध/Connector)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: ca (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; conjunction (समुच्चय)

• anaśanāt: from fasting/not eating
• anaśanāt: Apādāna (अपादान/Source-cause)
• Type: Noun
• Root: anaśana (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter), Pañcamī vibhakti (Ablative/5th), Ekavacana (Singular)

• purā: formerly/before
• purā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: purā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; temporal adverb (पूर्वकालवाचक)

• tadā: then
• tadā: Kāla-adhikaraṇa (कालाधिकरण/Time)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: tadā (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; temporal adverb (तदा—तस्मिन् काले)

• sukham: happiness
• sukham: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Noun
• Root: sukha (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter), Dvitīyā vibhakti (Accusative/2nd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• pradattam: given
• pradattam: Karma (कर्म/Object)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: pra + dā (धातु) → pradatta (कृदन्त)
• Form: Past passive participle (क्त), Napuṃsakaliṅga (Neuter), Prathamā/Dvitīyā vibhakti (Nom/Acc), Ekavacana (Singular); agrees with sukham

• vai: indeed
• vai: Nipāta (निपात/Emphasis)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: vai (अव्यय)
• Form: Avyaya; emphatic particle (निश्चयार्थक)

• gautamena: by Gautama
• gautamena: Karaṇa (करण/Agent-instrument; doer in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: gautama (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana (Singular)

• maharṣiṇā: by the great sage
• maharṣiṇā: Karaṇa (करण/Agent-instrument; doer in passive)
• Type: Noun
• Root: maharṣi (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: Puṃliṅga (Masculine), Tṛtīyā vibhakti (Instrumental/3rd), Ekavacana (Singular); apposition to gautamena

Speaker

Suta Goswami

Shaiva Theology

Tattva Level: pashu

Shiva Form: Umāpati

Shakti Dimension

Shakti Form: Pārvatī

Role: nurturing

Characters & Entities

• Gautama

FAQs

What is the spiritual significance of this verse in the Shiva Purana?

It highlights that tapas (austerity like fasting) can bring hardship, and dharmic compassion—here embodied by the sage Gautama—restores balance; in Shaiva ethics, such support becomes a purifier that steadies the seeker’s mind for devotion to Shiva.

How does this verse relate to the worship of the Linga or Saguna Shiva?

Kotirudrasaṃhitā frames pilgrimage and sacred observance around Shiva’s holy places; relief given to devotees or ascetics sustains their vrata and pilgrimage, indirectly supporting Linga-worship by preserving steadiness, purity, and the capacity to continue Shiva-centered practice.

What ritualistic or meditative practice is suggested here?

Practice fasting with moderation and sattva, paired with japa of the Panchakshara (Om Namaḥ Śivāya) and simple charity (anna-dāna) to those undertaking vrata—so austerity remains aligned with compassion rather than mere self-denial.