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
Ces vingt gaṇas, joyeux et débordants d’allégresse, errent avec des nourritures et des plaisirs variés. Les uns boivent la chaleur (la vapeur), les autres boivent l’écume, d’autres boivent la fumée, d’autres boivent le miel ; certains se nourrissent d’ivresse ; certains mangent de tout—tandis que d’autres vivent même sans rien manger.
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.