Guest guest Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Hey, Ganapati bhaktas! What can people tell me about Heramba Ganapati? Mostly found in Nepal, he is a five-headed aspect of Ganesha, often Tantric (which means he has a third eye in each forehead and a Shakti on his knee), and rides on a lion instead of the usual rat (some say this links him strongly with Durga Ma, as does his name -- Amba is a title of Durga's, so Heramba may be linked). A snow-white complexion (tho one source says he's green), and usually ten arms. His mantra is simple: <om gUM namah>. He's described as the patron of handicapped people. In what way does this manifest? Those five heads are each a different color (but the colors vary in different sources), and arranged in different modes: four faces facing the four quarters, and a fifth above them; or three faces looking more or less one direction, one above that, and one above THAT; or all five on one level, either more or less front-facing, or evenly distributed around the center. I found (but couldn't buy), years ago, a large statue of Heramba in an import shop (three feet tall, costing more than several month's salary). The five faces were evenly spaced on one level, and looking from above the five trunks extended formed an image of a starfish, or a pentagram with ears between each point. As a Wiccan, this amused me. Now I am becoming obsessed with Heramba's image. I found a smaller (12 inches tall) aspect for sale, but it's still beyond my means. Any hints on his sadhana, appropriate worship, and some way for me to accrue around 250 bucks to obtain his image? (This economy is horrible!) Heramba (says one of my sources) is also related to Ucchista Ganapati, a dark blue Tantric Ganesha bearing a vina, mala, blue lotus, rice paddy, and pomegranate, and fondling his Shakti. Ucchista means "leftovers," and he likes worship that is messy and sloppy. Sounds like my apartment is his shrine! Thanks for any assistance. -- Len/ Kalipadma Mail - You care about security. So do we. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 Hello, There is always a great mystery and charm associated with ganapati .. part of it comes from his direct association of nirguna parabrahma .. this mystery is just as deep as that of kali who again is believed to be the manifestation of nirguna .... often Lord krishna is also viewed in that aspect and hence in some ways is said to be higher than vishnu himself !! Some sources also link ganapathi with Krishna .. where ganapathi is said to be born as a reflection of krishna ... The mystery and allure is further deepened by the fact that Ganapathi himself has the boon of showing the form that a devotee wants to see him .. with the face of elephant or otherwise !! .. the pancha mukha form that you are talking about is I presume a direct linkage of ganesh to the nirguna parabrahma .. like the pancha mukha shiva where shiva is seen as a combination of both shiva and shakti ... In both the forms shakti is sitting on the lap of shiva or ganapathi (lakshmi ganapathi?) .. the 5th face looking skywards probably indicates his oneness with tghe ultimate truth in the cosmos ..' Here it would be interesting to note that the white form of ganapathi is akin to the white (rather reddish white) color of shiva in the panchamukha form .. the green form I suppose indicates the connection wtih Ucchista ganapathi .. here it should be remembered that Ucchista dosent mean leftovers in the sense that the diety wants unclean objects .. in a different way it also means .. that which is leftover after all that is not perfect is removed ... the concept of neti neti ("not thisnot this") ... hence if you take all objects that are not pure .. what is left over is the perfect essence of nirguna and that is Ucchista ganapathi ... The mantra that you have mentioned cannot be directly chanted .. it needs invokation with a mula mantra followed by nyasas and correct visualization of the diety (which might not be a problem for you) ... also my belief is that it needs deeksha from a capable guru, who will himself have to do the mantra and install it in sound and light form in you .. for u to practice it and attain siddhi !! I can understand ur fascination and share it to a great extent !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 Namaste, Heramba is Ucchishta Ganapati. He is worshipped by the Hairambas or Kanculiyas ~ a Vamacari Shakta sect who assert that all men and women are absolutely equal and that intercourse between ANY couple is faultless. I do not know if such a sect still exists, but the term "Kanculiya" has negative connotations and has been associated with various supposed "wife-swapping" rituals. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 3, 2005 Report Share Posted March 3, 2005 kalipadma108 wrote: "Any hints on his sadhana, appropriate worship," Sadhana and worship for what? Worship invloves ritual. Ritual invloves mantra-s and a tantra. Mantra-s need a teacher. Because the strength of the mantra partially lies in the teacher/tradition.Without a teacher to initiate into these things, all ritual worship is as good as making photocopies of $$$ bills, if you know what I mean. So please find a teacher. And Yes! It requires effort. Your devata is enough. No point in making the mind wander endlessly towards various forms. Other mantra-s and worship come after once perfects what they have. Rgds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 I agree with you satish ... but I cant always help asking myself .. does one who does not have a teacher does not deserve to go spiritually higher??? Does one always have to belong to a tradition .. which to begin with he is not sure is what he is looking for??? how can anyone judge a guru giving upadesh if he is indeed qualified to do so??? I sometimes find this very frusrating! Satish <satisharigela wrote: kalipadma108 wrote: "Any hints on his sadhana, appropriate worship," Sadhana and worship for what? Worship invloves ritual. Ritual invloves mantra-s and a tantra. Mantra-s need a teacher. Because the strength of the mantra partially lies in the teacher/tradition.Without a teacher to initiate into these things, all ritual worship is as good as making photocopies of $$$ bills, if you know what I mean. So please find a teacher. And Yes! It requires effort. Your devata is enough. No point in making the mind wander endlessly towards various forms. Other mantra-s and worship come after once perfects what they have. Rgds / Celebrate 's 10th Birthday! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 For anyone who is interested .. there are some mantras that do not require initiation and are quite powerful as well .. most of the other mantras however need initiation and have definite set of rules to be followed for the rest of their lives !! ... Satish <satisharigela wrote: kalipadma108 wrote: "Any hints on his sadhana, appropriate worship," Sadhana and worship for what? Worship invloves ritual. Ritual invloves mantra-s and a tantra. Mantra-s need a teacher. Because the strength of the mantra partially lies in the teacher/tradition.Without a teacher to initiate into these things, all ritual worship is as good as making photocopies of $$$ bills, if you know what I mean. So please find a teacher. And Yes! It requires effort. Your devata is enough. No point in making the mind wander endlessly towards various forms. Other mantra-s and worship come after once perfects what they have. Rgds / Celebrate 's 10th Birthday! Netrospective: 100 Moments of the Web Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 4, 2005 Report Share Posted March 4, 2005 , surya vishnu <surya_prakashvi> wrote: > but I cant always help asking myself .. does one who does not have >a teacher does not deserve to go spiritually higher??? That was not my intention. Only that having a proper teacher will do more good. > Does one always have to belong to a tradition .. which to begin >with he is not sure is what he is looking for? One can simply follow the tradition of that teacher of whom he is completely convinced of. Following tradition = Full package benefits. Tradition,Teacher,Mantra, and Initiation are intimately connected. One lacking any of these will not lead anywhere. >how can anyone >judge a guru giving upadesh if he is indeed >qualified to do so??? That is hard. One has to judge by indirect means. Indirect: Seeing if he is money minded, only intent of fame by being eccentric etc. and other things etc.. It takes time. Rgds Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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