गणसमागमः (Śiva Summons the Gaṇas for the Great Festival)
तैस्समेताग्रतश्चण्डी जगाम विकृतानना । कुतूहलान्विता प्रीता प्रीत्युपद्रव कारिणी
taissametāgrataścaṇḍī jagāma vikṛtānanā | kutūhalānvitā prītā prītyupadrava kāriṇī
แล้วจัณฑีผู้มีพักตร์แปรเปลี่ยนดุดันก็ออกเดินนำหน้าพร้อมกับพวกเขา เต็มด้วยความใคร่รู้ ปลาบปลื้มยินดี และด้วยความรื่นเริงเชิงเล่นก็ทำให้เกิดความครึกโครมเล็กน้อย
Sūta Gosvāmin
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Umāpati
Sthala Purana: Not tied to a single Jyotirliṅga; Caṇḍī leading the gaṇas functions as a mythic template for śakti-sahita yātrā/procession motifs found in many sthala traditions.
Significance: Highlights Śiva-Śakti’s protective presence during yātrā; remembering Caṇḍī as gaṇa-nāyikā is said to remove fear and obstacles on pilgrimage routes.
Type: stotra
Shakti Form: Caṇḍikā
Role: destructive
It portrays Devī’s Saguna power as both fierce and benevolent—her intensity is not hatred, but a dharmic energy that protects and advances the divine purpose, even when it appears as “uproar” in play.
In Shaiva Siddhanta, Shiva (Pati) and Shakti are inseparable in function: devotion to Saguna Shiva is complete when one also recognizes the dynamic, protective force of Devī that supports Shiva’s divine work in the world.
A practical takeaway is to steady the mind amid intensity by japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—and to cultivate devotion that sees divine power as protective, not merely fearsome.