Nandīśvara: Chief of Śiva's Gaṇas and Doorkeeper

Nandīśvara is also called Nandikeśvara or Nandī. He is the gaṇādhipati, the lord of all the gaṇas (attendants) of Bhagavān Śiva. He is the dearest devotee and the son of Bhagavān Śiva and Devī Pārvatī.

The Liṅga Purāṇa says he was born from the yajña (fire rite) of the great ṛshi Śilāda. He rose from the earth as an ayonisambhava (not born from a womb) being, with a divine form that blazed with the light of Śivaloka. Parameśvara made him deathless. He was raised to the highest rank among the gaṇas, was given charge of the sacred bull, and was married to Suyaśā. He serves Śiva at Kailāsa for ever as the chief doorkeeper, teacher and commander of the divine company.

Birth and origin

Nandīśvara was born from the yajñāṅgaṇa (the ground of the yajña) of his father Śilāda. Śilāda had done fierce tapas (austerity) for Parameśvara for ten centuries. He wanted a son who was ayonisambhava and deathless. Parameśvara himself had promised to be born as Śilāda’s son, because the devas had once prayed for such a coming. At the moment the yajña began, the divine child rose of his own accord from the holy earth. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

His divine form at birth

When he was born, Nandī appeared:

shining like the midday sun,
with jaṭā (matted hair) and a kirīṭa (crown),
with three eyes and four arms holding the śūla (trident), the ṭaṅka (chisel), the gadā (mace) and the vajra (thunderbolt),
with diamond-sharp tusks, a voice like thunder, and golden kuṇḍalas (earrings) set with vajra stones,
and surrounded by all the chief devas, who praised him one by one.

Śilāda gave him the name Nandī, from the words “you who filled me with ānanda (joy) from the moment of your birth”. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

His human life and the test

After he went back to the āśrama (hermitage), Nandī took the form of an ordinary human child. His divine knowledge faded by Śiva’s will. He went through the saṃskāras (rites of passage), the jātakarma and the upanayana. By the age of seven he had mastered all four Vedas, Āyurveda and the śāstras.

Then Mitra and Varuṇa, sent by Śiva himself, tested him. They told Śilāda that Nandī would live only one more year. Nandī did not give way to fear. At seven years old he began his own tapas and meditation. He stood in a holy river and meditated on Śiva in the Tryambaka form, with ten arms and five faces. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

Śiva’s darśana and the gift of deathlessness

Candraśekhara was moved by compassion and appeared before Nandī. He said: “What fear of death do you have? I sent Mitra and Varuṇa to test you.”

Maheśvara touched the boy with his nectar-hands (amṛtahastāḥ) and gave him deathlessness and a magnificent divine form, with three eyes and ten hands, looking like a second Śaṅkara. Śiva placed his own lotus-garland around Nandī’s neck. He then set his own golden crown on Nandī’s head and adorned him with kuṇḍalas of vajra and vaiḍūrya (cat’s-eye gem). (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

The five holy rivers

Five holy rivers arose from Nandī’s body at the moment of his divine anointing:

Jaṭodakā. It came from the water of Śiva’s own jaṭā, poured over Nandī. The text says: “Those who bathe here are freed from all pāpa (sin).”
Trisoḥ. It came from the three streams of milk that flowed from Pārvatī’s hands during the abhisheka (anointing).
Vṛshadhvani. It came from the sound of Nandī’s joyful cry. Vṛshadhvani means the voice of Nandī, the one with the voice of a bull.
Svarṇodaka. It came from the clouds that rained sweet water on him.
Jāmbūnadī. It came from the golden crown placed on his head.

Together these five rivers make up the Pañcanadī Jāpyeśvara tīrtha (holy place). (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

Coronation as gaṇādhipati

Brahmā, with Śiva’s approval, performed the formal paṭṭābhisheka (coronation). Bhagavān Nārāyaṇa himself did the abhisheka first. Then Brahmā and all the devas did it.

Nandīśvara received the white umbrella of the moon, the vīṇā, the divine bull Vṛshendra, a lion, a banner with a lion on it, and a chariot with a golden umbrella. Brahmā gave him Suyaśā, daughter of the Maruts, in marriage. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

His proclamation on Śiva’s names

After his coronation Nandīśvara made a proclamation to all the assembled devas. From then on, Śiva’s names must always go with namaḥ. One says either namaḥ śivāya (with namaḥ first) or śivāya namaḥ (with namaḥ last). To say Śiva’s names without namaḥ is a dosha (fault). The proclamation has special weight because it came from the Gaṇādhipati himself. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

Role and titles

Gaṇādhipati: the highest lord of all the gaṇas and pramathas in Śiva’s company.
Vṛshādhipati: lord of the divine bull, who is Śiva’s vāhana (mount). The bull Dharma is Nandī’s special charge.
Dvārapāla: the eternal door-guardian of Kailāsa.
Śivayoga: he carries the whole yoga-power of Śiva (śivayogabalasampanna).
Cirañjīvin: one made deathless directly by Śiva’s touch.

His wife Suyaśā, the seven Mātṛkās and Manmatha stay always near Nandī’s vimāna (celestial car) on Kailāsa. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

Where he lives

Nandīśvara lives with Suyaśā, the Saptamātṛkās and Manmatha in a vimāna near the summit of Meru. His āśrama is also in a grove of huge trees on the slopes of Kailāsa. He is present with Parameśvara in all the Pātāla worlds, in all the dvīpas (continents), and in every world where Parameśvara lives. (Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha)

His place in the passing down of the Śiva Purāṇa

The Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa names Nandīśvara as the first to receive the teachings of the Śiva Purāṇa, directly from Śiva himself. The line of teaching is:

Śiva → Nandīśvara → Sanatkumāra → Vyāsa → Sūta Romaharshaṇa → the ṛshis at Naimishāraṇya

(Śiva Purāṇa, Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā, Chapter 1)

Guardian of Jñāna-Kailāsa

The Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā describes Śivaloka and puts Nandīśvara in a special place at Jñāna-Kailāsa, Śiva’s highest and innermost home. Nandīśvara sits always outside the fifth and outermost prākāra (enclosing wall) of Jñāna-Kailāsa. He chants the Pañcāksharī, Namaḥ Śivāya, for ever. He is the eternal guardian and chief devotee at the threshold of Śiva’s inner shrine. (Śiva Purāṇa, Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā, Chapter 18)

His coming to the ṛshis of Naimisha

The last chapter of the Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā tells of one of Nandīśvara’s best-known appearances. The twelve-year sattra (long rite) at Naimishāraṇya had ended. The ṛshis were on pilgrimage toward Vārāṇasī. They met Sanatkumāra, who was meditating beside a divine lake. While Sanatkumāra was speaking with the ṛshis, the sound of divine drums filled the sky. Nandīśvara came down from the sky in a splendid divine vimāna. Around him were Śiva’s gaṇas, Apsarases, Rudrakanyās, Gandharvas, Kinnaras and all the divine attendants.

The Vāyuvīya describes how he looked as he arrived:

He sat on a divine throne beside Suyaśā.
His three eyes blazed with grace.
His four arms held the great śūla.
He wore a garland of serpents and the crescent moon.
He shone like a second Śiva, and the text calls him:

Śivasyāñā ivāmūrti, Śivasya karuṇā sākshāt

This means “Śiva’s command in bodily form, Śiva’s compassion in person”.

Sanatkumāra introduced the Naimisha ṛshis. Nandīśvara cast one glance at them. It carried Śiva’s own śaktipāta (descent of divine power). By that glance alone he cut all their bonds of karma (pāśas) and passed on to them the Śaiva jñāna-yoga directly. This is Śāmbhavī dīkshā (initiation) in the Vāyuvīya: moksha (liberation) given through the guru’s gaze, with no rite between. (Śiva Purāṇa, Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā, Chapter 40)

Sources

Liṅga Purāṇa, Pūrvārdha, Chapters 42–44
Śiva Purāṇa, Vidyeśvara Saṃhitā, Chapters 1 and 18
Śiva Purāṇa, Vāyuvīya Saṃhitā, Chapter 40