Shiva Purana — Vayaviya Samhita, Shloka 25
दक्षयज्ञदर्शनम् — The Vision of Dakṣa’s Great Sacrifice
and the Onset of Vīrabhadra’s Terror
ततो गणेश्वरास्सर्वे पर्वतोदग्रविग्रहाः । यूपानुत्पाट्य होत्ःणां कंठेष्वाबध्य रज्जुभिः
tato gaṇeśvarāssarve parvatodagravigrahāḥ | yūpānutpāṭya hotḥṇāṃ kaṃṭheṣvābadhya rajjubhiḥ
Alors tous ces Gaṇeśvaras—aux corps massifs comme des montagnes dressées—arrachèrent les poteaux du sacrifice et, liant de cordes au cou les prêtres officiants, les saisirent.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Vīrabhadra
Sthala Purana: Not a Jyotirliṅga passage; it depicts gaṇa-forces dismantling a yajña—an anti-ritual reversal showing that ritual without Śiva-bhakti and mantra-pramāṇa collapses.
Role: destructive
FAQs
It underscores that ritual power (yajña) is not supreme when severed from reverence to Pati (Śiva). The gaṇas’ forceful intervention symbolizes the breaking of pasha—pride, ritualism, and ego—that obscures true devotion and liberation.
The gaṇeśvaras act as extensions of Saguna Śiva’s will, showing that outer rites must align with Śiva-bhakti and right orientation to the Lord (often expressed through liṅga-worship). Where worship becomes mere display, it loses its sanctifying purpose.
The takeaway is to prioritize Śiva-upāsanā—japa of the Pañcākṣarī (“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”) with humility—along with sāttvika conduct; ritual should be supported by inner devotion rather than performed as ego-driven formality.