Skanda Purana — Mahesvara Khanda, Shloka 40
एते विशति मुदिता नानाहारविहारिणः । ऊष्मपाः फेनपाश्चैव धूम्रपा मधुपायिनः । मदाहाराः सर्वभक्ष्यास्तथान्ये चाप्यभोजनाः
ete viśati muditā nānāhāravihāriṇaḥ | ūṣmapāḥ phenapāścaiva dhūmrapā madhupāyinaḥ | madāhārāḥ sarvabhakṣyāstathānye cāpyabhojanāḥ
Diese zwanzig Gaṇas, froh und übermütig, streifen umher mit vielfältiger Speise und mancherlei Genüssen. Einige trinken Hitze (Dampf), einige trinken Schaum, einige trinken Rauch, einige trinken Honig; manche nähren sich von Rausch; manche verzehren alles—während andere sogar ohne jede Nahrung leben.
Narrator (contextual; likely Sūta/Lomaharṣaṇa describing Śiva’s gaṇas within Māheśvarakhaṇḍa)
Listener: Pārvatī
Scene: A lively, almost surreal procession of twenty exuberant gaṇas: some ‘drink heat’, some foam, smoke, honey; some consume intoxicants; some devour everything; others remain without food—depicting supernatural physiology and ecstatic roaming.
FAQs
Śiva’s gaṇas embody the limitless, wondrous range of divine existence—showing that the Lord’s domain transcends ordinary bodily needs and norms.
No specific tīrtha is named in this verse; the focus is on the mahimā (greatness) of Śiva’s attendants within the Kaumārikākhaṇḍa narrative.
None is prescribed here; it is descriptive, emphasizing the extraordinary qualities of the gaṇas.