Gaṇapati Atharvaśīrṣa

admin · Sep 21, 2021

Śānti Pāṭha

oṃ bhadraṃ karṇebhiḥ śṛṇuyāma devāḥ |
bhadraṃ paśyemākṣabhiryajatrāḥ |
sthirairaṅgaistuṣṭuvāgṃsastanūbhiḥ |
vyaśema devahitaṃ yadāyūḥ |

May we all hear auspicious things through our ears; see sacred things with our eyes; may we all enjoy the sāttvic contentment with strong and steady limbs and may we all, by the dēvas’ benevolence, obtain good weather and bumper harvest to gain robust health during this life span.

svasti na indro vṛddhaśravāḥ
svasti naḥ pūṣā viśvavedāḥ
svasti nastārkṣyo ariṣṭanemiḥ
svasti no bṛhaspatirdadhātu
oṃ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ śāntiḥ

May the dēvatās… Indra (the elderly learned one), Pūṣā (the knower of the Universe), Garuḍa (the one who keeps the inner enemies at the periphery) and Bṛhaspati (the Creator) bestow svasti (goodness and auspiciousness) on us and give us environs conducive to protect us in our holy efforts. OM peace… peace!… peace!!…

Gaṇapati Atharva Śīrṣa

oṃ namaste gaṇapataye

Namaskārams to thee, O Gaṇapati! You are the personified form indicated by the Yajurvēda mahāvākya “tat-tvam-asi” (“that thou art”) (it means “God” you are). You are the creator, protector and destroyer of all beings. You are indeed the all-pervading Brahman. You are the in-dwelling, eternally-always-present “Self” in all of us.

ṛtaṃ vacmi ।
satyaṃ vacmi ।
ava tvaṃ mām |
ava vaktāram |
ava śrotāram | 2 |

Please protect me, protect the speaker, protect the hearer, protect the giver, protect the supporter, protect the teacher and the pupil. Please protect me from behind (W), from front (E), from North (left), from South (right), from above, from below and from all sides and directions.

You are the power of speech ‘vāk’ and full awareness. You are full of happiness and full of the divine spirit. You are the “Being”, awareness and bliss. You are the non-dual inseparable Universal Self. You are the personified Bramhan, appearing before us. You are the worldly knowledge and the deeply spiritual knowledge.

sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvatto jāyate |
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvattastiṣṭhati |
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvayi layameṣyati |
sarvaṃ jagadidaṃ tvayi pratyeti |
tvaṃ bhūmirāpo'nalo'nilo nabhaḥ |
tvaṃ catvāri vāk {parimitā} padāni | 5 |

This world has been created by you, nourished by you and again destroyed by you. (Again & again) This world is attracted to you (wanting to come near you). You are the fundamental elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. You are the four levels of speech or four “levels” of communication.

You are beyond the three guṇas (sattva-rajas-tamas), beyond the three states of awareness (i.e. awake, dreaming and deep-sleep), beyond the three bodies (gross, mental and causal) and beyond time (the three limitations of past-present-future). You are seated in the mūlādhāra (in the area near the pointed end of the tail bone) (from where the kuṇdalinī śakti is aroused). Yōgīs constantly meditate upon You. You are the Creator Bramhā, the Protector Viṣṇu and the Destroyer Rudra. You are the (deity) Indra, the (element) Fire, the (element) Air, the (deity) Sun, the (deity) Moon and the three planes of existence bhūḥu, bhuvaḥa and svaḥa; and You are OM.

Nirguṇa Upāsanā and Gaṇeśa Vidyā

(The nirguṇa upāsanā part is the worship of the “formless” aspect – it involves meditating upon the “sound” of the praṇava and various bījākṣaras of Gaṇapati. This part contains the Gaṇēśa Vidyā: the Science of Gaṇēśa chanting)

First the gaṇa etc. letters should be uttered; speak next the colour and description (varṇādīm); after all these utter the anusvāra. Beautified by the half-moon; enriched by a star. This is your Creative form!

‘ga’ kāra is the first letter; ‘a’ kāra is the middle letter; anusvāra (nasal) is the ending letter; bindu or dot is the letter above. nāda (sound) is what joins (threads) all of them together. Veda Samhitā is at the joining point or “sandhi”

Gaṇaka is the ṛṣi; “nichṛt gāyatrī” is the metre; Gaṇapati is the presiding deity. Oṃ gaṃ… O Gaṇapati; my namaskārams to you!

Saguṇa Upāsanā – Gaṇēśa Gāyatrī

(Worship of deity with “form”)

ekadantāya vidmahe vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi |
tanno dantiḥ pracodayāt | 10 |

May we know the one with a single tusk; may we meditate upon the one with a curved trunk. May He, dantī, inspire us!!

The Form with a single tooth, four hands; (these are) holding a rope lasso, holding an ‘aṅkuśa’ (elephant goad), his writing hand holding his own broken tooth and a fourth hand showing the boon-giving posture or varada-hasta (also called abhaya hasta; abhaya means “fear not”). Brilliantly shining with sattva and dominating over the tāmasik mousey-qualities (indicated as he sits on or dominates over the mouse). He has a red complexion, a long stomach and large ears like winnowing baskets, he dons red clothes. His body lovingly smeared with fragrant red sandal paste; he is lovingly worshipped in the proper manner with red flowers. He is full of love & compassion towards devotees. Being the cause of this Universe, He is faultless! Even though He has assumed a form; in reality He is the One who was existent before Creation… the param puruṣa Himself; being hidden or “covered” by primordial Nature or mūla-prakṛti. That Yogi who regularly meditates on the form described above is a yogi-varaḥa or yogi-superior among yogis

Aṣṭa Nāma Gaṇapati

(General salutation or namaskārams with the “eight” names of Gaṇapati)

Namaskārams to the Lord of vrātas, the Lord of gaṇas and the Lord of pramatha! (Also the pramathas or the bad-qualities inside us like kāma, krōdha, lōbha, etc.). Our namaste be to the long-stomached eka-danta! (one-tusked... because the other is held in his writing hand: the “radam” mentioned above)! So be our namaste to the destroyer of obstacles who is the son of Lord śiva. Our namaste to the varadamūrti, the personification of all boon-giving entities!

Phala Śruti

(results of reciting the above… gaṇapati atharva śīrṣa)
Note on phalaśruti: Phala means fruit & śruti means hearing; the original text does not contain these very words “phalaśruti”... but what follows is the result or “phala” of reciting the above atharvaśīrṣa in different modes of worship.

idamatharvaśīrṣamaśiṣyāya na deyam |
yo yadi mohāddāsyati sa pāpīyān bhavati |
sahasrāvartanādyaṃ yaṃ kāmamadhīte taṃ tamanena sādhayet | 14 |

The one who studies, contemplates thoroughly and practices this atharvaśīrṣa (in every cell of his body, so to say); He will become as the Ultimate Absolute Supreme Bramhan Itself! He will overcome ALL obstacles… He will gain increasing happiness everywhere. He will be freed from the adverse effects of the five major sins (i.e. killing, adultery, theft, eating flesh & taking intoxicants). Sins committed during daytime will get commuted if recited properly at sunset. The night-sins will get absolved if recited at the subsequent sunrise. If recited during both the sunrise and sunset; all his sins will be nullified!

Wherever such a regular-chanter recites this… that place will be freed from any and every negativity! Such a person will find out the real essence of “dharma, artha, kāma and mōkṣa”. This sacred atharvaśīrṣam should not be taught to an “undeserving” student. (Something akin to “ye may not cast pearls before swine.”) If a teacher teaches this due to attachment or infatuation, then the teacher sins. (Infatuation towards the undeserving student may be explained thus: he could be a son or nephew who is not properly qualified.) A thousand recitations or cycles done in the proper manner will bring about fulfilment of all desires as and when they arise.

He who abhiśhēks Gaṇapati while reciting this becomes a master of communication, (vāk-siddha). He who recites this without eating on a chaturthi day becomes vidyāvān (full of true scholarship). One who comes to know the nature of bramhan’s covering i.e. māyā, never ever has fear!

He who does yāga with fresh dūrvā sprigs becomes (as if) equal to Kubēra (the lord of wealth). He who does yāga with popped rice, begets renown & great intellect. He who does yāga with 1,000 mōdakas, obtains that which he longed for. He who does yāga with samidh sticks soaked in ghee, attains everything; indeed everything!

(If you are the teacher… and…) If eight bramhins together “catch” this equally well (from you), one brilliantly shines like the sun! (Bedazzling aura? Becomes famous? Both?) During a Solar Eclipse… one who does japa (a specific no. of times) in a great river or in the presence of a great vigraha (statue with powerful vibrations!) such a one attains siddhi of this mantra! This removes major obstacles. This nullifies major defects. This absolves you from the kārmic backlash of the five great sins and the great misdemeanours (if committed). Eventually, one who masters this thoroughly becomes all-knowing; a sarvavit… indeed a sarvavit!! Whoever knows this, knows this Upanishat.

oṃ śāntiśśāntiśśāntiḥ ||

Source:
http://www.saiveda.net/

https://www.tititudorancea.com/z/ganapati_upanishad_sanskrit_devanagari_with_transliteration.htm