Chapter 32 - Greatness of Vināyaka

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Pulastya said:

1. After this, the earthly beings need to go to the Great Vināyaka. By taking a look here, men can generate those forces that do away all impediments.

Yayāti said:

2. How could there be the greatness of Vināyaka and when did it happen? O best of the Brāhmaṇas! please tell me all those

in details.

Pulastya said:

3. O king! in old times, Pārvatī, for amusement, had made a youthful boy from some good quality smear meant for application on the body.

4-5. But due to exhaustion of the smear she could only give shape to a form of body having complete limbs but without a head. Then she told Skanda, “O Skanda! please arrange for some smear fast for the head. Herein lies your welfare, for by this, the invincible son of mine, your brother can be devised.”

6. Then O virtuous king! following the instructions of Gaurī, he stepped out to get the smear and finding a furious yet chief of the elephant got back with its head.

7. Then when it was taken for fixation on the body given shape out of the smear, a question was put to him as to wherefrom had he brought that heavy head for her son.

8. Then O chief of kings! when the same head was fixed upon the body despite Pārvatī’s repeated pleading not to do so, a good fortune occurred.

9. With the head going well with body, the same appeared specially like a master and the statue of the boy with a handsome body endowed with all qualities came to the fore.

10. O king! with thickness in three regions, with four hands, with red colour in seven portions, with a high head, with five long limbs and equally with five subtle limbs, the body was very beautiful.

11-12. O great king! seeing him with a body extending over the three worlds, Gaurī became very astonished and as the powerful Goddess put life-force into it, he got up instantaneously and solicited for orders humbly with bowed head.

13. Seeing him having such a miraculous appearance she said ‘son’ and ‘son’ repeatedly. Then very elated within, she took him near Śaṃbhu.

14. She told him, “O God! grant a boon to this son born out of my body smear so that he can attain the passage to greatness.”

The gracious God said:

15-19. As the head remains master of the body, so this head will have prominence, O daughter of the hills! as told by you to have been fixed onto the body by Skanda. With his existence in this body in this manner, he will be the ruler in all speciality. Due to that his name will be the great Vināyaka. He will also be the superintendent of the attendant demigods on Śiva. With this boon of mine, he will happen to be the ruler of demigods. Mortals have to remember this ruler of demigods, i.e., Gaṇeśa on the eve of commencing any fresh work so that there will be no hurdles before their actions. As the hammer has been given to him by Skanda for sport, that will remain inseparably dear to him for ever.

20. Then Gaurī gave him a plate full of edible ladoos [modaka?] out of affection for son. Getting that he began to dance gently.

21. A rat came out of the hole with the flavour of edible ladoos. It became immortal after eating that and became the carrier for Gaṇeśa.

Pulastya said:

22. O king! this is how the birth of the Great Vināyaka happened there. Listen with undivided attention to the welfare that accrues after having a look of him.

23. O king! a man gets free from all sins committed either in childhood days or during the period of youth and old age (by a look of him).

24-25. Coming here on the fourth day of the bright period of the moon in the month of Māgha (i.e., January) one who takes a look of it, becomes a good speaker with a fairly wide range of knowledge arising in him. There is a great pool full of clean water in front of it. All in a family of the man become knowledgeable by his taking a bath here, O king, and then following it up with taking a look of Vināyaka with faith.

26. After uttering the incantation that “you are this among the demigods”, one who takes a round of this place thrice and takes a look of him, sins do not remain visible to him from a far off distance.

27. Therefore, with all efforts, one needs to take a look of Vināyaka here. By doing so, all desires of one in this world as well as the other get fulfilled.

28. The worldly individual who remembers him with all devotion on the eve of executing any work can get all those accomplished completely.

29. A mortal being remembering Vināyaka after waking up in the morning can get accomplished all activities coming forth on the same day.

30. Remembering Vināyaka on the eve of marriage or battle or war or in setting forth on a voyage or before commencing any agricultural activity and the auspicious entry to a new home, can get all these activities successfully accomplished by his grace.

31. One who appeases the great Vināyaka with all earnestness and as per prescribed procedures can hardly be disturbed by the departed spirits, planets and diseases, by his grace.

Yayāti said:

32. O virtuous Sage! please tell me about the appeasement of great Vināyaka. How can this be, by which invocation and by which procedure as laid down? I have great curiosity.

Pulastya said:

33. In the rising period of the moon on that particular auspicious day when the star is free from any malefic effect and when the force of the moon is at its pre-eminence, one has to observe the religious conduct of appeasing Gaṇeśa.

34. Erect a temporary hall ön the plain land in the north-east direction. Then make an altar for the conduct of ritual sacrifice. Place a lotus with eight petals in the middle of the altar tied with a thread.

35. O king! after taking the initial consecration, place all god-rulers like Indra etc., and Gaṇeśa and the sixteen mother goddesses and then specially perform the activity of worship.

36. Placing a couple of pitchers full of water and covered with white cloth, make oblation to him through offerings of scented garland and gifts as laid down in details.

37. After this put a golden fruit on the eastern point of the pitcher.

38. Then O virtuous king! taking the invocation repeatedly upto one thousand eight times within that ‘you are this among the demigods’ worship him as agreeable to the Hindu calendar.

39. Then folding your own hands together to form a circle, make a girdle on the four sides of the pool and decorate it with the female organ of generation.

40. After the conduct of the sacrificial fire with honey, bent grass and offering of whole grains, make the invocation that ‘you are this among the demigods’ ten thousand times.

41-44. Then be seated facing the Brāhmaṇas from the direction of North. Then putting on the yellow cloth, having a yellow mark applied on the forehead by the four astute Brāhmaṇas and putting on a gold finger ring perform the act of sacrificial fire. Then O best king! after the completion of the sacrificial fire be seated on the deer skin while making the invocation as per accepted practice and procedure. Then getting covered with white dress, remain calm facing the East. Keep reciting the hymns in praise of Gaṅgā, Yamunā and the Puṣkara along with the well-spoken hymn in honour of Viṣṇu and the purifying hymn in the name of Taurus [Vṛṣa—Vṛṣākapi?].

45. All hurdles follow the path of destruction by a proper pronunciation of it. The planets mellow down and all that might have occurred in the past get destroyed instantly.

46. Mental agonies, all diseases including those tormenting and persistent get eclipsed fast. So also any havoc having dimensions of affecting all severely.

47. All these are the details which I have described to you as you have asked about the greatness, importance and the ways to appease Vināyaka.

48. O best of kings! one who sings his praise with undivided attention on the fourth day of a month or even listens to the same celebrated songs gets all hurdles away from the path of his actions.

49. One who perseveres through actions according to the nurtured desires within that regard while keeping him unabatedly in mind, gets the desired fruits with all certainty by his grace.