A Nath Approach to Ganesa

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The Ganesha Practice (Sadhana)

Ganesha's special day is called Ganesha chatur or chaturti, Ganesha fourth. Four

is an inauspicious number, but as far as Ganesha is concerned that doesn't

matter, because he is a Tantrik deity and things are not what they seem.

Ganesha's chatur is calculated as the fourth day of the moons bright fortnight,

or period from new moon. The Ganesha moon starts in the lunar month Bhadrapada

(August/September).

It is normal to celebrate this festival for five, seven, ten or twenty one days.

In the tradition of the right hand path the first day is the most important. In

the left hand path tradition the final day is most important. You may if you

wish, do something for the days leading unto Ganesha feast day. At the very

least establish a special altar with the appropriate things - lights and

mirrors and the most common of flowers.

Eight is a sacred number to Ganesha. His mythical life story tells us that he

has links with eight 'demonic' (16) elephant guardians. The eight male

elephants could be visualised as direction guardians, with Shiva and Parvati

guarding the upper and lower realms. Their names are:

Kamasura (Love), Krodasura (anger), Lobhasura (greed), Mohasura (delusion),

Matasura (intoxication), Mamasura (ego (17)), Abhimasura (attachment to life

(18)), and Istasura (self chosen demon (19)).

Seed mantra is GAN: Om Ganesha - ya namah

Ganesha rupa

You may like to install a special consecrated image (rupa) of Ganesha, made of

worthless plaster.(1) This is traditional, and in Maharashtra state, which is

the main centre of the Ganesha cult in India, craftsmen produce hundreds of

thousands of these images every year. The image should be painted with care so

that it becomes an object of real value. This talisman should be destroyed at

the end of the working which should be on Ganesha's fourth (chata). In India,

this is commonly done by submerging the image in the sea or a local river.

Here is a suggested visualisation (dhyana) of Ganesha which you may incorporate

in a daily ritual or meditation:

Imagine an island made of nine precious stones illumined by the distant light of

the setting moon warmed by the early light of the rising sun (2)cooled by the

four fragrant winds of heavenA perfumed garden of sandalwood sweetnessenmeshed

in fine, leafy creepers and lappedby the honey-sweet water of paradise.In the

distance vibrates the soft echo of eternal drums.There, beneath one of those

fine, immortal treesis the primordial lotus, and within is

Ganeshagreat-bellied, with one tusk and ten arms,tawny and resplendent, seated

within a trianglewithin a hexagram, his footstool the lion-faced one. (2)

It may help you to familiarise yourself with Ganesha is you read the following

doxology, which was composed by Shantidevinath and Katon Shual during a

previous puja:

Eight fold (5) Doxology of Ganesha

With modaka (6), garlands and incense I worship Ganesha, the beloved god with

the fawn coloured eyes With a staff, a lamp and a key, I worship Ganesha,

gatekeeper who removes hindrances (7). With oil, herbs and water, I worship

Ganesha the moon crested keeper of the sacred bath (8). With wine, maithuna (9)

and lotus flowers, I worship Ganesha monstrous guardian of kundalini (10) With

meat, fish (11) and music, I worship Ganesha, the trickster with the twisted

trunk With sweets, healing herbs and haldi (12), I worship Ganesha pot bellied

reliever of childbirth With poetry, blood and amulets I worship Ganesha whose

single tusk is like a sword With parched grain (13), stone and poppies I

worship Ganesha with the elephant's mouth, as lord of the harvest (14).

Guardians

North is Maha-Visnu, East is Rama-Sita, South is Shiva-Parvata and West is Rati-Puspabana

Thus:

Hail Rama and Sita in the eastThe beautiful Sita was once abducted by demons

Until the hero Rama chased them to the eastern border Then incited by the gods

who guard the directions you hurl the demons ten heads to the skies Hail Shiva

and Parvati in the south, Parvati is a match for the god in all austerities She

rouses Lord Shiva from his yogic trance he would walk through burning coals to

be with her excited by her presence his third eye opens and all illusion is

destroyed Hail Rati and his goddess in the west the god of love is attracted by

her presence From the union of lovers flows an elixir of immortality Hail Mahi

and Vishnu in the north the goddess who was once lost in the chaotic waters

Until he lifted her up on his giant boar's tusk There she clung to its tip,

like a speck of dust on the crescent moon For tearing the demons asunder For

destroying illusion For making the divine elixir For raising the earth Homage

to thee , guardians of the temple.

Hymn to Ganesha

With head bowed, let him unceasingly worship in his mind the god Vinayaka, the

son of Gauri. The refuge of his devotees, for the complete attainment of

longevity, amorous desires and wealth. Firstly, as the One with the twisted

trunk; secondly, as the One with the single tusk, thirdly, as the One with the

fawn-coloured eyes; fourthly, as the One with the Elephant's mouth; Fifthly, as

the Pot-bellied One; sixthly as the monstrous One; seventhly, as the King of

Obstacles; eightly, as the Smoke-coloured One; Ninthly, as the Moon-crested

one; tenthly, as the remover of Hindrances; eleventhly, as the Lord of Crowds;

twelvthly, as the One with the Elephant's face. Whosoever repeats those twelve

names at dawn, noon and sunset, for him there is not fear of failure, nay,

there is constant good fortune. He who desires knowledge obtains knowledge; he

who desires wealth obtains it; He who desires children obtains them; he who

desires liberation obtains the way. Whosoever chants the hymn to Ganapati

reaches their aim in six months, an in a year reaches perfection, on this point

there is no doubt. Whosoever makes eight copies of it, and has them distributed

to as many Tantriks, reaches knowledge instantaneously, by the grace of

Ganesha.

Bibliography

Ganesha, a monograph on the elephant faced god, Alice Getty (Oxford 1936) Ganesh

- studies of an Asian god, Robert Brown Ganesha: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of

Beginnings, Robert Courtland. Includes Sri Ganapati Atharvashirsha Ganapati

Upanishad published in Tantra Magick (Mandrake of Oxford) The Hindu Religious

Year. M M Underhill (OUP 1921) Prapanchasara Tantra Ch 17 (Ed A Avalon)

Ganesha-Gita, translated by K Yoroi (Mouton, the Hague 1968). A part of the

Ganesha-Purana. Ganesha Purana (Upapurana) ed. Krisnashastri Uddasa (Bombay

1892)

Notes

(1) We have a piece of family folklore that bans all plaster ornaments from the

house. They are thought to be bad luck. I've often wondered if this is common

to other parts of Wales and if it is in turn related to some Indo-European

folk-memory of the use of plaster rupas in common cults like that of Ganesha.

(2) Contrary to common sense it is not impossible for the moon to be setting

just as the sun rises. It is a major twilight and therefore particularly

auspicious.

(3) Rendered by Katon Shual from Prapanchasara Tantra(5) Eight is particular

sacred number in the Ganesha practice.

(6) Round sweets particularly favoured by the god

(7) The god is particularly honoured as the remover of obstacles

(8) In the gods mythos, he is the miraculous child of Parvati, consort of Shiva.

She sets him the task of guarding here sacred bath and of course when he tries

to bar Shiva way, he loses his first human head and later acquires an elephants

instead.

(9) Sexual intercourse

(10) In the six chakra system, an elephant god is described in the muladhara or

root chakra. He is a guardian of the earth realm and the entrance to the

channels of kundalini.

(11) Emphasises his tantrik affiliation

(12) Turmeric, a magical/medical herb much favoured in tantrik rites and said to

help childbirth, whether of a magical or mundane child

(13) One of five power enjoyments, a code word perhaps for sex without

procreation or retention of male or female 'seed'

(14) Shows the god's affiliation to agricultural deities

(16) See my comments on the Asuras in Guide to Tantrik Sources.

(17) Kalkinath has this as Matsara - jealousy

(18) Quoted from 'Destroyer of Obstacles' by Kalkinath (Phil Hine) see

bibliography. Said to be from Upa Purana. I have altered some of the

translation. The suffix 'Asura', is sometimes translated 'demon' but you may

not wish to follow this line of reasoning.

(19) A fortuitous error in the original article of Kalkinath, who omitted one of

the eight. Vajrapanimitra of Lila Aropa Zumule (Norway) suggested 'doubt' as an

alternative. The sadhaka is invited to substitute their own self chosen demon

at this point (istasura).

© This tantra prepared by Sahajanath, Shantidevi and various other members of

the Nath Gana. Copies may be circulated at a nominal price as long as this

copyright notice is left intact.

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