Shloka 17

Upamanyu’s Tapas, Shiva’s Indra-Form Test, and the Bestowal of Kshiroda and Gaṇapatya

Devanagari script

बालो ऽपि मातरं प्राह प्रणिपत्य तपस्विनीम् त्यज शोकं महाभागे महादेवो ऽस्ति चेत्क्वचित्

Transliteration

bālo 'pi mātaraṃ prāha praṇipatya tapasvinīm tyaja śokaṃ mahābhāge mahādevo 'sti cetkvacit

Translation

ബാലനും തപസ്വിനിയായ മാതാവിനെ നമസ്കരിച്ചു പറഞ്ഞു—“മഹാഭാഗ്യവതീ, ശോകം ഉപേക്ഷിക്കൂ. മഹാദേവൻ എവിടെയെങ്കിലും ഉണ്ടെങ്കിൽ, അവൻ നിശ്ചയമായും (ഇവിടെയേ) ഉണ്ട്.”

Word by Word

• bālaḥ api: even the boy

• mātaram: to (his) mother

• prāha: said/spoke

• praṇipatya: having bowed down/prostrated

• tapasvinīm: to the ascetic woman (practising tapas)

• tyaja: abandon/give up

• śोकम् (śokam): sorrow/grief

• mahābhāge: O greatly fortunate one

• mahādevaḥ: Lord Mahādeva (Śiva), the Pati

• asti: exists/is present

• cet: if

• kvacit: anywhere/somewhere

Speaker

An unnamed boy (speaking to his mother within Suta’s narration)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva (Mahadeva)

FAQs

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

It frames Linga-worship as grounded in śaraṇāgati (surrender): by bowing (praṇipāta) and trusting Mahādeva’s ever-presence, the devotee loosens grief and turns the mind toward steady worship.

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

It implies Shiva’s pervasive presence—Mahādeva is not confined by place; as Pati, He remains accessible to the pashu (individual soul) and can dispel the pasha of sorrow and fear.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

Praṇipāta (humble prostration) and mental tyāga of śoka—an inner Pāśupata discipline where devotion and surrender precede and empower external pūjā.