Shiva Purana — Rudra Samhita, Shloka 8
गणसमागमः (Śiva Summons the Gaṇas for the Great Festival)
पञ्चभिश्च कपालाख्यो गणेशः कोटिभिस्तथा । षड्भिस्सन्दारको वीरो गणानां कोटिभिर्मुने
pañcabhiśca kapālākhyo gaṇeśaḥ koṭibhistathā | ṣaḍbhissandārako vīro gaṇānāṃ koṭibhirmune
O pantas, si Gaṇeśa na tinatawag na Kapālākhyā, panginoon sa mga gaṇa ni Śiva, ay lumitaw na may limang krore ng mga kasama; at ang bayaning Sandāraka ay dumating din na may anim na krore ng mga gaṇa.
Suta Goswami
Tattva Level: pati
Shiva Form: Bhairava
FAQs
It highlights the immeasurable, organized power of Śiva’s gaṇas—divine forces that protect dharma and carry out the Lord’s will—showing that the Saguna form of Śiva governs the cosmos through vast, conscious agencies.
The verse points to Śiva’s Saguna sovereignty: the Lord worshipped as Liṅga is also the living ruler whose gaṇas manifest His protection and command; devotion to the Liṅga naturally implies reverence for His divine order and attendants.
A practical takeaway is protective japa of the Pañcākṣarī—“Om Namaḥ Śivāya”—with Tripuṇḍra (bhasma) and Rudrākṣa, praying for the guarding presence of Śiva’s gaṇas and steadiness in bhakti.