Part 5 - Gaṇeśa, the Gāṇapatya cult and the Saura-purāṇa

The epithet “gaṇeśa” or “gaṇapati” which means “the leader of the gaṇas” is closely connected with Śiva. In the Vedic literature Rudra is associated with the Marutgaṇas.^[1] In the Pāśupatasūtram an ascetic tries to achieve the position of gāṇapatya of Śiva.^[2] The Saura-purāṇa states that Brahmā and other gods also are not aware about their quantity.^[3] We have stated in our second chapter how the worshippers of Śiva, such as, Śivi, Upamanyu and others attained the position of gāṇapatya, according to this Purāṇa. This Purāṇa states that Gaṇeśa has attained his position of gāṇapatya after successful completion of Kṛṣṇāṣṭamī vow.^[4] Moreover, it is also mentioned that, the gaṇas have the heads of various beasts such as elephant, lion, horse, pig, goat, donkey etc. They have various attributes in their hands, and they make dance and prance.^[5]

However, the evolution of elephant-headed god as Śiva’s son Vināyaka, who is popularly known as Gaṇeśa may be connected with the theology of gaṇapati or gaṇeśvaras. There is enough scope to search further in this matter.

R. G. Bhandarkar opines that the worship of Gaṇeśa, son of Śiva-Pārvatī originated after the late-Gupta era.^[6] However, as per the opinion of J. N. Banerjea, the elephantheaded and pot-bellied divinity surely goes back to the early Gupta age.^[7] According to D. C. Sircar, the antiquity of Gaṇeśa or Vināyaka also goes back to the c. third or fourth centuries CE.^[8]

Ānandagiri and Mādhava Vidyaraṇya mention six sub-sects of the Gāṇapatya cult.^[9] This cult flourished mainly in the western part of India.^[10] Various accounts of Gaṇeśa can found in the Brahma-purāṇa, Brahmāṇḍa-purāṇa, Matsya-purāṇa, Śiva-purāṇa, Liṅga-purāṇa, Naradīya or Nārada-purāṇa etc. The Ganeśa-purāṇa and the Mudgala-purāṇa are the two minor Purāṇas composed by the Gāṇapatyas.

The Saura-purāṇa states that at the beginning of journey to destroy the tripura, Śiva worshipped Vināyaka who creates the obstacles. 

He propitiated Vināyaka with uṇḍera (possibly a kind of cake), modaka, flowers, lighting lamps etc.:

“svakārya-vighnakartāraṃ devaṃ dṛṣṭvā vināyakam|
sampūjya bhakṣya-bhojaiśca phalaiśca vividhaiḥ śubhaiḥ||
uṇḍerair-modakaiścaiva puṣpai-dīpair-manoharaiḥ|
evaṃ sampūjya bhagavān puraṃ dagdhuṃ jagāma ha ||”^[11]

Here, it is noteworthy to mention that the Yājñavalkyasaṃhitā describes that Vināyaka has been appointed to create obstacles by Brahmā, Viṣṇu and Śiva.^[12]

Moreover, the influence of Gāṇapatya sect on the Śaivas is also attested from the inscriptional records of Silaher dynasties (c. ninth-tenth centuries CE) of Maharastra. Those inscriptions comprise the eulogies of Gaṇeśa, who destroy the obstacles.^[13]

In that Purāṇa only one vow of the Gāṇapatya sect has been described i.e. the Dūrvāgaṇapati-vrata.^[14] The descriptions of the image of Gaṇapati are available in the context of this vow. The deity Vighnarāja (a form of Gaṇeśa) is elephant-headed, fourarmed. Of his two teeth one shall be broken. The image should be made of gold or silver. Gaṇeśa wears red-clothes. The deity should be worshipped by red flowers and the leaves of bilva, śamī, dūrvā, tulsī etc. Fruits and modaka may be offered to him. The Saura-purāṇa mentions various names of Gaṇeśa, such as Gajānana, Vighnarāja, Umāputra, Gaṇeśvara, Vināyaka, Lambodara, Gaurīputra, Vighneśa, Gaṇarāja etc. As per this Purāṇa this Dūrvā-gaṇapati vow was performed by Pārvatī, Lakṣmī, Sarasvatī, Indra, Viṣṇu, Kuvera and all the gods, sages, Gandharvas, Kinnaras and so on.^[15]

Footnotes and references:

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[1]:

Yogiraj Basu: Vedera Paricaya., pp. 117, 119.

[2]:

Pāśupatasūtra, 1. 38 (“ityetai-guṇaiyukto bhagavato mahādevasya mahāgaṇapatirbhavati”) and so on.

[3]:

Saura-purāṇa, 58. 68b.

[4]:

Ibid., 14. 4a.

[5]:

Ibid., 60. 7-8a; 32. 54-55 and so on.

[6]:

R. G. Bhandarkar: Op. cit., p. 214. Some orthodox scholars tried to search out the origin of the Gaṇapati cult in the Ṛgvedasaṃhitā. But, the epithet “gaṇapati” as occurred in the Vedic texts, does not mean the Puranic Gaṇeśa. (for detail, see: S. R. Goyal: Op. cit., p. 197)

[7]:

J. N. Banerjea: Development of Hindu Iconography, p. 354.

[8]:

D. C. Sircar: “Three Early Medieval Inscription”, Epigraphia Indica, vol. 35, p. 46.

[9]:

N. N. Bhattacharya: Op. cit., p. 184.

[10]:

Ibid., p. 185.

[11]:

Saura-purāṇa, 35. 18, 19.

[12]:

Yājñavalkyasmṛṭi, 1. 271.

[13]:

Puspa Tiwari: Gaṇeśa Purāṇa kā sāṃskṛtika Adhyana, p. 49.

[14]:

Saura-purāṇa, 43. 29-57.

[15]:

Ibid., 43. 37ff.