South-Indian Images of Gods and Goddesses c9.s16.1

c9.s16.1

Among the attendant ganas of Siva who, like the gods just described, are identified with one or another aspect of Siva himself, may be mentioned Caṇḍēśa, Bhringīśa and Nandīśa. The first is counted as the foremost of the servants of Siva and is hence called in Tamil inscriptions and the Periyapurāṇam, Ādidāsa-Caṇḍēśa.³ The Kāsyapa-Silpa tells us that he is made up of the sterner side of Siva's nature and appears in each millennium (yuga) with different names and symbols. In the Krita-yuga he receives the name Prachanda, is of angry appearance, rides on an elephant and has the jaṭāmakuta and sixteen arms. In Trētā-yuga he is seen smiling, has eight arms and dishevelled braids of hair, and goes by the name Chanda. In the third or Dvāpara-yuga he has four hands, the lion vehicle, jaṭāmaṇḍala, protruding teeth and a fearful face. His weapons then are the tanka, trident, noose and the hook. In the Kali-yuga he has a peaceful appearance and the bull vehicle, has his locks made up in the form of either a *jaṭāmakuta*, *jaṭāmaṇḍala* or *kēsabandha* and stands with level feet in the *ābhanga* or the *sama-bhanga* posture. He may also be found seated with the right leg hanging down from the seat and the left leg bent crosswise so as to rest upon the seat. He holds the *tanka* (or, axe) in the right hand and shows the boon-giving posture in his left (fig. 103).¹ Sometimes both the hands are seen folded over the breast in a worshipping posture with the weapon *tanka* (or, sometimes, a flower garland) held between them. In this case he receives the name Ādi-Chandēsa. A story related in the Tamil *Periyapurāṇam* about Chandēsa makes him a fervent devotee of Siva, who in his height of devotion, cut off the legs of his own father, because he wantonly spilt the milk-pots which Chandēsa had secured as loving offerings to Siva. Sankarāchārya, who lived perhaps in the early part of the eighth century A.D., refers to this Saiva devotee Chandēsa as *pitridrōhin*, “the sinner against (his) father,” evidently with reference to the story related in the *Periyapurāṇam*. The form of Siva known as Chandēsānugrahamūrti, described above, is entirely based on this anecdote.