Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 13
शिवस्य सैन्यप्रयाणम् तथा गणपतिनामावलिः (Śiva’s Mobilization for War and the Catalogue of Gaṇa Commanders)
पंचभिश्च करालाक्षः षड्भिस्संदारको वरः । कोटिकोटिभिरेवेह कंदुकः कुंडकस्तथा
paṃcabhiśca karālākṣaḥ ṣaḍbhissaṃdārako varaḥ | koṭikoṭibhireveha kaṃdukaḥ kuṃḍakastathā
Karālākṣa, der Schreckensblickige, rückte hier mit fünf Heerscharen vor. Der vortreffliche Saṃdāraka kam mit sechs. Und Kaṃduka—zusammen mit Kuṇḍaka—kam hier mit Scharen, Koṭi über Koṭi an Zahl.
Suta Goswami (narrating the Yuddhakhaṇḍa account to the sages at Naimisharanya)
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
FAQs
The verse emphasizes the immeasurable strength of Śiva’s gaṇas—symbolizing that when Pati (Śiva) protects dharma, His forces are beyond ordinary calculation, reminding the devotee that divine grace can overwhelm inner and outer obstacles.
Though the verse is martial and narrative, it supports Saguna Śiva-bhakti by portraying Śiva’s manifest power through His attendants; devotion to the Liṅga aligns the devotee with that protective, ordering presence of Śiva in the world.
A practical takeaway is to take refuge in Śiva through japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) and cultivate steadiness (śaraṇāgati), remembering that Śiva’s support is vast like “crores upon crores” of protective forces.