Decoding the dhyana mantra of Ucchista Ganapathy

[Niranjan Ni]

Dear List members,

I have 2 issues that need resolution. Please help.

In the attached file is an image of a dhyana shloka of Ucchista Ganapathy in Sanskrit and English.

My questions are as follows:

1. Does Sarasiruhastham indicate seated in padmasana or seated on a Lotus? The ENglish translation in the attached image gives the former interpretation.

2. Also, pAshAmkushau modaka pAtradantau is given without reference to which hands the pAsha, ankusha, modaka pAtra and danta are held in. The English translation seems to effortlessly approtion the appropriate instrument to the appropriate hand. Is that warranted or creative license?

3. In such dhyana shlokas is there a schema to decide whether the left or the right tusk of Ganapathi is broken? 

Thanks,

[Niranjan Ni]

Common dear List:

This is straightforward Sanskrit.

Can some one help atleast with the Sanskrit  bits?

[Sri Raghava Kiran Mukku]

Namaste Shri Niranjan ji

Based on my understanding:

1. सरसीरुहस्थम् means the one seating on a lotus, which could refer to the seat of मूलाधारचक्रम् (Ref: मूलाधारक्षेत्रस्थितम् as referred to by Muttusvāmi Dīkṣita in his composition वातापि गणपतिं भजेऽहम्). I am not aware of any iconography where Ganapati is sitting in the Lotus pose (पद्मासनस्थम्).
   
2. पाशाङ्कुशौ and मोदकपात्रदन्तौ are held in the upper two hands and lower two hands respectively (going by the grouping in the word-compound). However, to me, what is held on the right side and what is held on the left is not clear from the verse. Different verses for meditation (ध्यानश्लोकाः) follow different conventions in describing the order of adornments/weapons held by various hands. For example, you may refer to the two contrasting verses मुक्ताविद्रुमहेमनीलधवलच्छायैः of गायत्री and शान्तं पद्मासनस्थं of शिव.
   
3. On the third question, or for that matter for any specific query on iconography, the texts of शिल्पशास्त्रम् need to be referred to. You may refer to one Śrītattvanidhi of Krishnaraja Wodeyar to start with. Learned scholars on this list may provide pointers on other texts on the subject.
   

Dhanyo'smi

Raghava

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Aayushmaan Venkata Sriram is knowledgeable on mantras'aastra, taantrika upaasanaa matters to which this issue belongs. He may be able to help. 

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Nagaraj Paturi

 

Hyderabad, Telangana, INDIA.

BoS, MIT School of Vedic Sciences, Pune, Maharashtra

BoS, Chinmaya Vishwavidyapeeth, Veliyanad, Kerala

Former Senior Professor of Cultural Studies

 

FLAME School of Communication and FLAME School of  Liberal Education,

 

(Pune, Maharashtra, INDIA )

 

 

 

[Nagaraj Paturi]

Just to the point of Ganesha in padmaasana pose

Sharing image

[Venkata Sriram]

Namaste,

As per मन्त्रमहोदधिः:

सरसीरुहस्थं - Seated on lotus (there is also pAtha-bhEda as 'पद्मस्थं')

In right hands   -  ankusha & modaka pAtra (अंकुशमोदकपात्रदक्षयोः)

In left hands  -  pAsha & danta

While doing dhyAna, one should visualise the right hands and then left.  Also, I am told that order of hands is bottom-up approach (don't remember the exact ref. now)

rgs,

sriram

On Sunday, June 24, 2018 at 4:28:11 PM UTC+5:30, Niranjan Ni wrote:

[Dr.BVK Sastry(G-MAIL)]

Namaste

 

On < While doing dhyAna, one should visualise  >    and  < In such dhyana shlokas is there a schema to decide whether the left or the right tusk of Ganapathi is broken?    >  

 

1.        This  explanation is text based understanding and/or half knowledge of the practice of ‘ Tantra – Yoga Technicality of ‘Devataa- Mantra -Dhyana’.

2.        The real technicality of ‘Dhyana’ is to be followed by Yoga Sutra –  3.2 noted below, as a rising sequence from  ‘ Pratyaahaara’ progressing to Dharanaa and Dhyana.

 

3.1  (deshah bandhah chittasya dharana)

 

3.2 (tatra pratyaya ekatanata dhyanam)

 

3.3 (tad eva artha matra nirbhasam svarupa shunyam iva samadhih)  

 

3.       The ‘ Mantra’ technicality of ‘ Tantra / Ishta devataa Dhyana’ will be a step wise instruction for some one who has passed through the  Ashtaanga – Yogaanga lane.  It is NOT simple language terms transaltion, visualization and imaginations. The ‘ Transformations in Pakruti’ do not take place by ‘ wishing visualizations and imaginations’. It calls for ‘ Prana- Shakti ‘ activiation and working with ‘ Panchabhootas’.

 Long way  to  go !              

        4.    Regarding ‘ Broken tusk of Ganapati on left or right’ -  when one is ready to ‘see face to face, at arms distance, an elephantine mass  of  deep blue color about  10 feet tall   weighing  6000 KGs  and trumpeting at a high pitch  sounding like Om’,  the issue can be resolved ! Till then, it is artists imagination, iconographers choice and scholars interpretation of the given text !  What I mean to say is : The ‘Dhyana Sloka and darshana’ guides the reality of experience here.

 

Regards

BVK Sastry

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[Niranjan Ni]

Thank you for your inputs Shri Raghava ji, Shri Nagaraj ji and Shri Sriram ji.

The photo in question is actually from the Mantramahodadhi by Ram Kumar Rai. I did notice that sarasiruhastham was interpreted as sitting on a lotus elsewhere and was written as padmasana in this hence the confusion. 

By pAtha bedha you mean the core text has different words in dhyana shloka?

Since you seem familiar with the mantra, may I enquire if you have any experiences you can share and tips on do's  and don'ts regarding worship of Shri Ucchista Ganesha?

It is clearly mentioned in text to chew on betel or laddus while doing japa, but generally in mantra practise, food is prohibited atleast 2 hours before and 1 hour after japa. I guess the idea is to activate the prana within muladhara by eating laddus?

[Niranjan Ni]

Dear Sir,

If I was on speaking terms with Ucchista Ganapathi, I would not have bothered with this question.

I understand that the process requires panchopachara puja to a mentally constructed form of Ganesha that aligns with the dhyana shloka. If the end goal of mantra siddhi is reached, why would anyone bother with a mental construct?

The core idea is to align with the process as far as possible so that the end goal is not missed.

[Venkata Sriram]

Namaste,

I don't have any experiences and experienced any miracles.  My daily route is to do sandhya, brahmayajna, pArAyaNa of aupAsana mantras and devatArchana.  

shrI bhAskararaya too mentioned (vide khadyota) about the mantra japa of ucchiSTa ganesha by eating modakaas.  These are mantra shastra niyamas that are introduced for siddhi.  For instance, once gets quick siddhi of shyAmala & mAtangi mantra when chanted with betel leaf (paan) inside the mouth and by conducting sangeeta kacheris, respecting with due rewards to musicians, veena players (vaiNikAs) etc.  

The ucchiSTa-chaNDali mantra is yields quick results when women of chaNDAla-jAti are given due respect (also washerwomen).  

However, the secret & esoteric essence of 'ucchiSTa' (the residue (शेष))  lies in decoding the 'ucchiSTa-sukta' of Atharva-veda.  shrI gaNapati muni too demystifies the secret in 'herambopasthAnam'. 

For gaNapati muni, the ucchiSTa-gaNapati is the 'vaikhari-vAk' that comes out in association with saliva and hence 'ucchiSTa-vAk-tattva' in the form of 'vaikhari'.  This vAk can only come out with the help of tongue and has similarity with 'muSaka'.  The entire anthropomorphic form of gaNapati with muSaka is nothing but 'vaikhari-nAda' in the form of creation.

rgs,

sriram

[Dr.BVK Sastry(G-MAIL)]

Namaste

 

The gap between the ‘ text understanding by  lexicon and translations  for practice’  and ‘ practical Yoga to reach the end goal of mantra siddhi’ are poles apart !  Expertise in teaching a book on  cooking does not help to get tasty food on table.

 

Reasons:

 

a)  On < If I was on speaking terms with Ucchista Ganapathi    > :  Even before a saadhaka is on ‘ distant sight of the Devataa seeking a mantra siddhi’, one needs to  practice several foundational preparations, even before the physical panchopachara !  The rise of ‘panchopachara’ to the real experience of ‘ panchbhoota tattva’ is a long journey of ‘ Dhyana, which begins with ‘ Pratyaahaara’ ; which again is built on ‘ Praanaayama = Expansion of Pancha – Pranas inside the Saadhaka shareera’.  Books tell all this in a coded way; the ‘ fast  learners’ don’t want to go with the guidance.

 

In short, the speaking  terms with Ucchista Ganapati  would take place IF Ucchista Ganapati is any where in sight of saadhaka and sensing the presence . It is neither imagination, visualization or hallucination.  

 

b)  On < panchopachara puja to a mentally constructed form of Ganesha that aligns with the dhyana shloka    > :   Horse before the cart proposition !  The ‘Mantrokta Devataa (= Naama) ’  manifests in an appropriate form (roopa)  through the practice of ‘ Yoga- Prakriyaa’;  Dhyaana as given in PYS 3-2 is an intermediary instruction.

 

c)  On < If the end goal of mantra siddhi is reached    > :  Driving a car without the knowledge of destination or road ! 

                      One needs to learn driving to use the car. This is ‘ Ishta Devataa Mantra Saadhanaa’.

                      The ‘darshana’ of devataa’ is the official license to drive the car.   This is the ‘SAMYAMA’ layer.

                      After ‘SAMYAMA’, there is the most important concept of ‘ VINIYOGA’.  That is the marker of ‘ End goal of Mantra Siddhi’.  

 

        To Know about VINIYOGA, please explore earlier posts by Dr. Yadu Moharir on this forum itself.  And study his book on ‘Ganesha’.

 

d)  On < The core idea is to align with the process as far as possible so that the end goal is not missed    > :   The core idea is ‘ Utility Application = VINIYOGA.  

      This word is drilled repeatedly in Mantra saadhanaa with the expression   ‘Jape viniyogah’. 

      When one does not understand  (i)   what is Japa  (ii)   What is Viniyoga and the connection between japa- viniyoga  with the Saptami  Vibhakti  relation,   one gets locked in the   intermediary  mechanics of  

      ‘panchopachaara poojaa’, text segments on  rotating the japa-maalaa, the havan and dravya combinations and proportions.

      All part of external processes.   To say with an example –‘ Monsanto seeds’.

 

    This is what I  have been repeating as ‘ loss of tradition’ – the ‘ loss of yoga way of studying –practicing Samskrutham:: Vak- Yoga’.   

[Venkata Sriram]

Sir,

There is no 'loss of tradition'.  It is still vibrant in closed circles and I am personally aware of them who practice with pristine purity.   Shri.Sacchidananda Sivabhinava Nrisimha Bharati Mahaswamiji revived this upAsana in sringeri and is handed down traditionally.  

Also, shrI chidAnandanAtha (shrIvidyA vAchaspati subramaNya Iyer) attained siddhi in this by doing japa in Thiruvarur.  There is a ucchiSTa-ganesha temple inside the premises and I had great fortune of visiting that.  The tradition of shrI subramaNya Iyer is still continuing till date.......

This specific ganeshOpAsana is done for vAk siddhi in astrological predictions and the master-brain behind 'Krishnamurthy Paddhati' did this upAsana.

rgs,

sriram 

[kamalesh pathak]

sharda tilak tantram chapter 13 (edited by arthor avlon published by motilal banarasidas) gives wide details, one can refer, a decade ago I looked this chapter but it was amazing expiration of tantric cult

Jay somnath