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
Kedua puluh gaṇa ini, bersukacita dan meluap semangat, mengembara dengan aneka santapan dan kenikmatan. Ada yang meminum panas (uap), ada yang meminum buih, ada yang meminum asap, ada yang meminum madu; ada yang menjadikan minuman memabukkan sebagai santapan; ada yang melahap segala sesuatu—dan ada pula yang hidup tanpa makan sama sekali.
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.