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

ಅವರ ಮುಖಗಳು ದಂಷ್ಟ್ರಗಳಿಂದ ಭೀಕರವಾಗಿದ್ದವು; ಅವರು ನಿತ್ಯರು, ಪ್ರಬುದ್ಧರು, ನಿರ್ಮಲರು. ಆ ಗಣೇಶ್ವರರು ತಮ್ಮ ಆತ್ಮಸ್ವರೂಪದಿಂದ ಕೋಟಿ-ಕೋಟಿ ಗಣಗಳಿಗೆ ಸಮಾನರು. ಇಂತಹ ಅಸಂಖ್ಯ ಮಹಾತ್ಮರು ಹರ್ಷದಿಂದ ಅಲ್ಲಿ ಬಂದರು।

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.