Info on Lord Ganesh with Mantras

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Dear Bros & Sisters

 

Below an article i read from another site. It as wonderful

informations which i wld like to share with everyone.

 

 

 

Shri Ganapati Deva

Let us think of the one-toothed, let us meditate on the crooked

trunk, may that tusk direct us - Ganapati Upanishad

 

If we look at a contemporary image of Ganesha, also known as

Ganapati, the iconography has preserved much of the esoteric side,

although the exoteric side has triumphed. We see a strange composite

of elephant and man, and at the bottom of the picture a mouse or

rat. The image represents the three worlds - of heaven, earth and

the underworld, or sun, moon and fire. And in a very clever and wise

way the symbolism has been drawn from the animal or mammal kingdom.

In this picture mankind is the mean between the large universe and

the small universe. Because of this triple symbolism Ganesha is

connected with the three gunas.

 

His association with obstacles comes from the great strength of the

elephant, the intelligence of the human and the subtelty or ability

to penetrate small spaces like a mouse or rat. Ganesha is usually

shown with four arms - these represent the four directions of space

or the four elements - the god being the spirit or quintessence of

these. The word Ganesha means lord of hosts. As usual in the tantrik

symbolism the name is really an adjective and this adjective is also

applied to Shiva. The hosts are the hosts of spirits or denizens of

the three worlds.

 

 

 

This yantra is the Mahaganapati Yantra (unknown artist) and Ganesh

has many different aspects including Heramba, Haridra and Ucchishta

Ganapati. The tantrik compilation Sharadatilaka gives a most

beautiful meditation on Mahaganapati (Arthur Avalon's English

introduction): "...he is to be meditated upon as seated on a lotus

consisting of the letters of the alphabet. The sadhaka should

meditate upon an island composed of nine gems, placed in an ocean of

sugarcane juice; a soft gentle breeze blows over the island and

makes the waves wash the shore thereof. The place is a forest of

Mandara, Parijata and other Kalpa trees and creepers, and the light

from the gems thereon casts a red glow on the ground. The six

gladdening seasons are always there. The sun and moon brighten up

the place. In the middle of the island is a Parijata tree whereon

are the nine gems and beneath it is the great Pitha (altar) on which

is the lotus whereon is seated Mahaganapati. His face is that of the

great elephant with the moon on it. He is red and has three eyes. He

is held in loving embrace by his beloved who is seated in his lap

and has a lotus in her hand. In each of his ten hands he is holding

a pomegranate, a mace, a bow, a trident, a discus, a lotus, a noose,

a red water-lily, a sheaf of paddy and his own tusk. He is holding a

jewelled jar in his trunk. By the flapping of his ears, he is

driving away the bees attracted to his temples by the fluid exuding

therefrom, and he is scattering gems from out of the jar held in his

trunk. He is wearing a ruby-studded crown and is adorned with gem."

Sharadatilakatantra, Agamanusandhana Samiti, 1933.

 

This is the bija or root mantra of Ganesha, Gam.Before doing the

puja, the sadhaka or sadhvini places this bija on his or her body,

using the long vowels of Sanskrit. Ganesh is often pictured with the

Hindu svastika (the word means little picture of good fortune) and

this is formed from four Gam bijas put together.

 

Until the middle ages c.e., it appears that there was a separate

cult of tantriks, the Ganapatyas, who followed this Deva and his

Shakti. Like Shiva, he was worshipped via a linga, but in this case

red.

 

 

Other forms of Ganapati

There is clear evidence from the original tantrik texts that Ganesh

received extensive worship, simply from the number of different

forms, mantras and yantras that were worshipped.

Ganesha His yantra consists of a square, inside which is an eight

petalled lotus, inside this is a hexagon and in the centre an upward

facing triangle. His mantra is om ganapataye namah, while his

tantrik gayatri is ekadantaya vidmahe, vakratundaya dhimahi, tanno

danti prachodayat. His dhyana (meditation image is as having one

tusk, four arms, carrying noose and elephant goad, with the other

two hands bestowing boons and dispelling fear. His vahana (vehicle)

is a rat, while he has a big belly and long winnowing ears. He is

adorned with red flowers and various red scents. But according to

the Sharadatilaka tantra, he holds a noose, a goad, a wine filled

skull and his fourth hand touches his shakti. She is seated on his

lap and touches his penis with her right hand, while she holds a

lotus in her other hand.

 

Heramba Ganapati The mantra is om gum namah. He is as bright as a

thousand suns and sits on a lion and has five faces, each of a

different colour. He has eight arms.

 

Trailokyamohanakara Ganesh This name means the Ganesh who is the

cause of delusion in the three worlds. His yantra is similar to the

above, except there is no triangle in the centre of the hexagon,

which instead includes his mantra, which is vakratundayai klim klim

klim gam ganapate varavarada sarvajanam me vashamanaya svaha. The

mantra's meaning shows that this form of Ganesh is worshipped in

specific rites (prayoga).

 

Siddhivinayaka His mantra is om namo siddhivinayaka

sarvakaryakartrai sarvavighnaprashamanaya sarvarajyavashyakaranaya

sarvajanasarvastripurushakarshanaya shrim om svaha. As this mantra

indicates, again this is a form of Ganesh used in magical rites, in

this case to obtain the siddhi of subjugation over kings, men, women

and the alleviation of all obstacles. Siddhivinayaka Ganesh has

three other mantras in a similar vein.

 

Shaktivinayaka The mantra of this form of Ganesh is om hrim grim

hrim. Bhargava is the rishi of the mantra, virat is the metre for

pronouncing it, grim (pronounced greem) is the bija, hrim is the

shakti, and the application is success in what is desired. The

dhyana is Shaktivinaya, four armed, carrying modaka, ankusha, and

rosary. The yantra is of the hexagonal form with the root mantra

inscribed in the centre.

 

Lakshmi Vinayaka Again, the hexagon yantra is used, but with the

mantra in the centre, which is om shrim gam saumyaya ganapataye

varavarada sarvajanam me vashamanaya svaha. The application is the

desired wish, which in this case is lakshmi, luck, good fortune,

money.

 

Haridra Ganesha The word haridra is the yellow powder turmeric. The

mantra of this aspect of Ganesha is om hum gum glaum, and the yantra

is similar to Lakshmi Vinayaka, with, however, the appropriate

mantra in the centre. Here, Ganesha is clothed all in yellow, has

four arms, one of which touches his trunk, while the others hold

noose, goad, and modaka bowl. The application is success in desires.

 

Hope this info can help many devotees.

 

Yours

George Pillai

Om Gang Gang ganapatheye namaha