Chapter 40 - The Marriage Procession of Śiva

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Brahmā said:—

1. Then Śiva called Nandin and other Gaṇas and ordered them to accompany Him.

Śiva said:—

2. Station a few Gaṇas here and the rest of you accompany me to the city of the mountain in a jovial mood.

Brahmā said:—

3. Then the lords of Gaṇas thus ordered took their armies and started joyously. I shall explain it in general terms.

4. The lord of Gaṇas, Śaṅkhakarṇa started with a crore of Gaṇas to the city of Himavat along with Śiva.

5. Kekarākṣa took ten crores of Gaṇas with gaiety. Vikṛta, the leader of Gaṇas, took eight crores of Gaṇas.

6. Viśākha took four crores and Pārijāta took nine crores of Gaṇas.

7. The glorious Sarvāntaka and Vikṛtānana took sixty crores. Dundubha took eight crores.

8. O sage, Kapāla took five crores and the heroic Sandāraka took six crores of Gaṇas.

9. Kanduka and Kuṇḍaka took a crore of the Gaṇas. Viṣṭambha took eight crores.

10. The leader Pippala joyously went with a thousand crores. O excellent sage, Sanādaka the hero also took so many.

11. Āveśana went with eight crores. Mahākeśa took a thousand crores.

12. O sage, Kuṇḍa and Parvataka each took twelve crores of Gaṇas with him. The heroic Candratāpana went with eight crores.

13. Kāla, Kālaka and Mahākāla each went with hundred crores of Gaṇas. The leader of Gaṇas named Agnika went with a crore.

14. Agnimukha, the leader of Gaṇas, went with a crore. Ādityamūrdhā and Ghanāvaha each went with a crore of Gaṇas.

15. Sannāha and Kumuda went with hundred crores. So also Amogha and Kokila each went with hundred crores.

16. Sumantra, the leader of Gaṇas, went with a crore of Gaṇas. Kākapādodara and Santānaka went each with six crores of Gaṇas.

17. Mahābala, Madhupiṅga and Kokila each went with nine crores. Nīla and Pūrṇabhadra each went with ninety crores of Gaṇas.

18. Caturvaktra with seven crores, Karaṇa with twenty crores and the leader of Gaṇas Ahiromaka went with ninety crores.

19. O Nārada, Yajvākṣa, Śatamanyu and Meghamanyu each of these leaders too went with so many crores.

20. Kāṣṭhāgūḍha, the leader of Gaṇas, went with sixtyfour crores. So too Virūpākṣa, Sukeśa, Vṛṣabha and Sanātana.

21. Similarly Tālaketu, Ṣaḍāsya, the eternal Cañcvāsya Saṃvartaka, Caitra and the lord Lakulīśa himself.

22-23. The brilliant Lokāntaka, Daityāntaka, lord Bhṛṅgiriṭi, the glorious Devapriya, Aśani and Bhānuka went with sixtyfour crores. Others in jovial mood went in thousands with Śiva to attend his marriage, O sage.

24. A thousand crores of Bhūtas aud three crores of Pramathas went. Vīrabhadra went with sixtyfour crores of Gaṇas and three crores of Romajas.

25. In the marriage procession of Śiva, Nandin and other leaders of Gaṇas went surrounded by hundreds and twenties of crores of Gaṇas.

26. Knowing delightedly that it was Śiva’s marriage, Bhairava the Kṣetrapāla went jovially with crores and crores of Gaṇas.

27. These and other leaders of Gaṇas of great strength and multitudinous in number joined the procession with joy and enthusiasm.

28. They had a thousand hands. They wore matted hair and crowns. They were bedecked with streaks of the moon. They had three eyes and blue necks (like lord Śiva).

29. All of them wore garlands of Rudrākṣa beads. They had the holy ashes smeared over the body. They had the ornaments of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, crowns etc.

30. The leaders were as refulgent as Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Indra, Aṇimā and other Energies.^[1] They were as brilliant and lustrous as crores of suns.

31. O sage, some of them belonged to this terrestrial world, some came through nether worlds, some came through the sky and some came through seven heavens.

32. Of what avail is this talk? O celestial sage, Śiva’s own Gaṇas living in all the worlds came and joined the procession of Śiva, with pleasure.

33. Thus, lord Śiva, accompanied by his Gaṇas, gods and others, went to the city of Himagiri for the celebration of His marriage.

34. O great sage, listen to another incident that happened when Śiva, the lord of all, went for his marriage along with the gods and others.

35. Rudra’s sister Caṇḍī assuming a great festive mood came there with great pleasure but inspiring terror in others.

36. She was riding on a ghost. She was bedecked in the ornaments of serpents. A gold pot filled (with water) shone over her head.

37. She was accompanied by her attendants. Her face was beaming. Her eyes dazzled. She was enthusiastic and glad. She was strong.

38. The divine Bhūta attendants were crores and crores in number. They shone in diverse forms.

39. Accompanied by them Caṇḍī of deformed face went ahead gladly and enthusiastically. She was equally competent to please and to harass.

40. All the Gaṇas of Śiva numbering to eleven crore s, terrible but favourites of Śiva were kept by her far behind.

41. The loud sounds of Ḍamarus, the Jhaṅkāra sound of the Bherīs and the sound of the conches pervaded all the three worlds.

42. The tumultuous sound of the Dundubhis rose up in the air blessing the universe auspiciously and destroying everything other than auspicious.

43. O sage, behind the Gaṇas, the enthusiastic gods, the Siddhas, the guardians of the quarters and others followed.

44. O sage, Viṣṇu, seated on Garuḍa and going in the middle of the group shone with the great umbrella held aloft.

45. He was surrounded by his attendants who fanned him with Cāmaras. His Pārṣadas too shone well. He was bedecked in all his ornaments.

46-47. I too shone well on the way with the Vedas, Śāstras, Purāṇas and Āgamas personified and along with my sons, Prajāpatis, Sanaka and other Siddhas. I was eager in rendering service to Śiva.

48. Going along, seated on the elephant Airāvata in the midst of his armies, Indra, the lord of god, shone well fully decorated in various ways.

49. Many other sages enthusiastic about the marriage of Śiva shone well on their way.

50-51. Śākinīs, Yātudhānas Vetālas, Brahmarākṣasas, Bhūtas, Pretas and Pramathas, Tumburu, Nārada, Hāhā, Hūhū,^[2] Gandharvas and Kinnaras went ahead playing on their musical instruments with great delight.

52-53. The Mothers of the universe, the celestial virgins, Gāyatrī, Sāvitrī, Lakṣmī, the celestial maidens, the wives of the gods, the mothers of the worlds went ahead with great joy, only because it was the marriage of Śiva.

54-55. Lord Śiva, favourably disposed to virtue, was seated on his bull of crystal purity and beauty—the bull who is called Dharma by the Vedas, Śāstras, Siddhas and sages. Śiva was being served by the gods and sages on his way. He shone well.

56. Accompanied by all these sages and decorated in various ways, lord Śiva was going to the abode of the mountain Himālaya for the marriage with Pārvatī. He shone well.

57. Thus the story of Śiva’s grand procession has been narrated to you. O Nārada, listen to the incidents of good portent that happened in the city of Himavat.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

See Note 303 P. 235.

[2]:

Tumbaru, Hāhā and Hūhū were the Gandharvas, attending on Kubera They were expert musicians who played on Vīṇā and other musical instruments and were generally invited at festivities.