Shloka 51
जालन्धरस्य दूतप्रेषणम् — Jalandhara Sends an Envoy to Kailāsa
The Provocation of Śiva
पूजनीयो विशेषेण स गणश्शिवपूजने । नार्चयंतीह ये पूर्वं तेषामर्चा वृथा भवेत्
pūjanīyo viśeṣeṇa sa gaṇaśśivapūjane | nārcayaṃtīha ye pūrvaṃ teṣāmarcā vṛthā bhavet
In the worship of Lord Śiva, that Gaṇa should be honored with special reverence. Those who do not first worship him here—before beginning Śiva’s pūjā—find that their worship becomes fruitless.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Mahadeva
Type: stotra
Offering: pushpa
FAQs
It teaches that Śiva-bhakti bears fruit when performed with proper reverence and order; honoring Gaṇeśa—the foremost of Śiva’s gaṇas and remover of impediments—stabilizes the rite so devotion reaches Śiva without obstruction.
In Saguna Śiva worship—especially Liṅga pūjā—traditional procedure begins with invoking auspiciousness and removing obstacles; this verse grounds that practice by stating that neglecting Gaṇeśa before commencing Śiva’s worship renders the ritual ineffective.
Begin Śiva-pūjā with Gaṇapati arcana (simple offering, mantra-japa, and invocation) before proceeding to Śiva’s upacāras such as abhiṣeka, bilva offerings, and pañcākṣarī japa (Om Namaḥ Śivāya).