Shloka 15
The Hymn to Gaṇapati
and the Rule of Worshipping Gaṇeśa First
सर्वयज्ञव्रतैर्मंत्रैर्योगैरन्यैर्यमैस्तथा । पित्रोरर्चाकृतः कोपि कलां नार्हति षोडशीम्
sarvayajñavratairmaṃtrairyogairanyairyamaistathā | pitrorarcākṛtaḥ kopi kalāṃ nārhati ṣoḍaśīm
แม้ด้วยยัญพิธีและพรตทั้งปวง ด้วยมนตร์ ด้วยโยคะ และด้วยวินัยกับการสำรวมอื่น ๆ ก็ตาม—ผู้ใดบูชาบิดามารดาแล้ว บุญนั้นไม่มีผู้ใดเอื้อมถึงได้ แม้เพียงหนึ่งในสิบหกส่วนก็หาไม่
Unspecified (narrative voice not provided in the excerpt; likely within a didactic dialogue in Sṛṣṭikhaṇḍa)
Concept: Worship/service of one’s parents surpasses the combined merit of yajñas, vratas, mantras, yoga, and restraints; it is incomparable even by a sixteenth fraction.
Application: Prioritize care, respect, and tangible service to parents/guardians; integrate spiritual practice with responsibility rather than using practice to escape duty.
Primary Rasa: shanta
Secondary Rasa: adbhuta
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A symbolic tableau: on one side, grand Vedic fires, mantra scrolls, yogis in meditation, and ascetics practicing yamas; on the other, a simple scene of a devotee washing the feet of aged parents and offering food with bowed head. The humble domestic act shines brighter, as if a hidden sun rises from service.","primary_figures":["devotee/son or daughter","mother","father","yajna priests (symbolic)","yogis/ascetics (symbolic)"],"setting":"Split-scene composition: a sacrificial arena with fire altars contrasted with a quiet home courtyard with a small lamp and water pot.","lighting_mood":"divine radiance","color_palette":["smoky amber","sandalwood beige","vermillion","indigo shadow","white-gold"],"tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore painting style: dual-panel composition with a blazing yajna-kunda, priests and mantra palm-leaves on one side, and on the other a devotee performing pāda-sevā to parents, the domestic side rendered with stronger gold leaf aura, rich reds/greens, embossed ornaments, sacred lamp and lotus borders emphasizing superior merit.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari miniature style: lyrical domestic courtyard with soft light, aged parents seated on a low wooden seat, devotee offering water and food, while in the background a faint vignette of yajna fires and yogis appears like a comparison cloud, cool natural palette, delicate expressions, fine brushwork.","kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural style: stylized figures with bold outlines—parents enthroned in simplicity, devotee in reverent posture, yajna fire and yogic figures as patterned bands, warm pigments, temple-wall symmetry, ornamental borders with conch and lotus motifs.","pichwai_prompt":"Pichwai cloth painting style: central domestic seva scene framed by floral borders, small medallions around depicting yajna, mantra, yoga, yama-niyama as symbolic icons, deep blue background with gold highlights, lotus motifs suggesting purity arising from service."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"meditative","suggested_raga":"Bhairavi","pace":"slow-meditative","voice_tone":"reverent-soft","sound_elements":["soft tanpura drone","gentle temple bell","low fire crackle (distant)","silence between phrases"]}
Sandhi Resolution Notes: सर्वयज्ञव्रतैर्मंत्रैर्योगैरन्यैर्यमैस्तथा → सर्व-यज्ञ-व्रतैः मन्त्रैः योगैः अन्यैः यमैः तथा; पित्रोरर्चाकृतः → पित्रोः अर्चा-कृतः; कोपि → कः अपि; नार्हति → न अर्हति
FAQs
It teaches that devotion and service to one’s parents is of exceptionally high merit—so great that other religious practices (sacrifice, vows, mantra, yoga, and ethical restraints) cannot match even a small fraction of it.
It frames reverence and loving service (arcā) toward parents as a devotional act with spiritual potency, emphasizing heartfelt duty and gratitude over merely formal ritual performance.
It prioritizes filial responsibility—respect, care, and worshipful honor toward parents—as a foundational dharma that outweighs many external religious observances.