Shloka 3

Adhyaya 44: Nandikesvara’s Manifestation and Abhisheka; The Rule of Namaskara in Shiva-Nama

Devanagari script

दंष्ट्राकरालवदना नित्या बुद्धाश् च निर्मलाः कोटिकोटिगणैस्तुल्यैर् आत्मना च गणेश्वराः असंख्याता महात्मानस् तत्राजग्मुर्मुदा युताः

Transliteration

daṃṣṭrākarālavadanā nityā buddhāś ca nirmalāḥ koṭikoṭigaṇaistulyair ātmanā ca gaṇeśvarāḥ asaṃkhyātā mahātmānas tatrājagmurmudā yutāḥ

Translation

Fierce of visage, with terrible fangs, yet eternal—awakened and stainless—those Gaṇeśvaras, each in his own essential nature equal to crores upon crores of gaṇas, came there: innumerable great-souled beings, filled with joy.

Word by Word

• दंष्ट्रा (daṁṣṭrā): fangs

• कराल (karāla): terrifying, formidable

• वदना (vadanāḥ): faces, visages

• नित्या (nityāḥ): eternal, ever-abiding

• बुद्धाः (buddhāḥ): awakened, fully aware

• निर्मलाः (nirmalāḥ): pure, stainless

• कोटि-कोटि (koṭi-koṭi): crores upon crores

• गणैः (gaṇaiḥ): with gaṇas, hosts

• तुल्यैः (tulyaiḥ): equal to, comparable with

• आत्मना (ātmanā): by their own nature/essence

• च (ca): and

• गणेश्वराः (gaṇeśvarāḥ): lords of the gaṇas, chief attendants of Śiva

• असंख्याता (asaṅkhyātāḥ): countless, innumerable

• महात्मानः (mahātmānaḥ): great-souled ones

• तत्र (tatra): there

• आजग्मुः (ājagmuḥ): came, arrived

• मुदा-युक्ताः (mudā-yuktāḥ): endowed with joy, rejoicing

Speaker

Suta Goswami (narrating to the sages of Naimisharanya)

Characters & Entities

• Shiva
• Ganas
• Ganesvaras

FAQs

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

It frames the sacred environment around Śiva: linga-pūjā is not isolated devotion but participation in Śiva’s cosmic order (gaṇa-maṇḍala), where purified, awakened attendants gather to uphold the rite and its fruit.

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

By portraying Śiva’s gaṇeśvaras as both fearsome in form and stainless in consciousness, the verse reflects Śiva-tattva as transcending dualities—terrible to pāsas (bondage) yet pure awareness for the pashu seeking the Pati.

What ritualistic or Yogic practice is highlighted here?

The verse implicitly supports Pāśupata orientation: cultivate nirmalatā (inner purity) and buddhitva (awakened discernment) so the practitioner (pashu) aligns with Śiva’s hosts—an inner gaṇa-sādhana accompanying external linga-pūjā.