Ganesha Practice (Sadhana)

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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).

************* Snipped, pls read the rest at:

http://www.cix.co.uk/~ganesh/ganesha3.htmDo you ?

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