The Ganapati with a curved trunk
(VT 2, pp. 708, 31 - 712, 4; VT 1, p. 260, 10-18) 13a.
Mantra: 6 syllables (from the SHrasamgraha): vakratundSya hum1
"Hum* to Vakratunda."
The mantra is said to destroy all evil, grant good fortune, bring a kingdom under control, and give a son to a barren woman.
Seer: BhSrgava M etre: anustubh M ed itatio n :
R L
UP 1: goad 1: noose
T 2: w ish-granting gesture 2: gesture of protection is golden-red, has three eyes, and sits on a lotus.
A bronze statue of Vakratunda from Gujarat (18th cent, c e ) which agrees with this dhytina is described in M e h ta 1947-48, p. 26, and depicted ibid., plate 6.
Y antra: two eight-petalled lotuses surrounded by three bhQpuras with two vlthis (cf. Plate 7):
Avarana 1: in the filaments of the first lotus: 1 .-6. the §aktis o f GaneSa's limbs
(cf. section 1, Svarana 2)
Avarana 2: in the roots of the petals of the first lotus, from the H: eight Saktis: 7. VidyS 8. V i$vadhatri2 9. Bhogada 10. V ighnaghatini1 11. N idhiprada4 12. PapaghnI 13. Punya 14. SaSiprabha
Avarana 3: in the petals of the first lotus:
15.-22. the eight superhuman powers (siddhi
)
(cf. section 3, Svarana 3)
Avarana 4: in the petals of the second lotus: 23.-30. eight forms of Ganapati
(cf. section 1, Svarana 3) Avarana 5: in the first vTthi:
31.-40. the ten guardians of the directions (cf. section 1, Svarana 5)
Avarana 6: • in the second vlthi:
41.-50. the attributes of the ten guardians of the directions (cf. section 1, Svarana 6)
PuraScarana:
j a p a - 400,000
h o m a - with the eight materials smeared with molasses
2. NP, MMD,and MMread: Vidhairi.
3. MTreads: Vighnanaiinl; NPreads: Vipraghfltinl. 4. NP, MMD, and MMread: Nidhipradfpd.
K am yahom as:
Substance No. of offerings Result
rice dish 300, 3 months wealth
parched and flattened nee grains smeared with molasses, coconuts, and black pepper
1,000 wealth
apQpa cakes made of rice flour, black pepper, rock salt, cumin- seeds, and a large quantity of molasses and ghee
1,000 wealth
sticks of ApAm&rga, ripe jackfruits or bananas
1,000 subjugation
parched grains 1,000 bride
ghee or milk 1,000 health
DQrva grass 100,000 long life
sticks of PalUSa wood
smeared with the three sweet substances
1,000; 1 month victory over enemies
sticks of Vibhttaka wood smeared with blood offered at night in the fire of the cremation ground
1.008 liquidation
of enemies
{draw a figure of the enemy, enkindle fire on its stomach, and offer) white mustard
1,000; 7 days liquidation
of enemies
O ther rites:
1. Visualize Gane£a as resembling a dark cloud, seizing the enemy with his trunk and throwing him in the fire or in the ocean; repeat the mantra 1,000 times; after three days GaneSa will eradicate the enem y.
2. Take water from a river flowing into the sea in the palms of the hands, charge it with 1,000 repetitions of the mantra, and pour it over the head. This destroys the evil one has accumulated.
3. Under an A ivattha tree, on a Saturday, repeat the mantra 3,000 times and recall Ganesa. He will destroy evil arising from un favourable constellations of planets.
KSm yahom as (continued):
Substance No. of offerings Result
sticks of reed 1,000 rain
grains g ra in s
rice rice
lotuses/water lilies garments
sweets of sesame smeared with molasses
land
4. Mix powdered turm eric root, rock salt, and Vaca root in sm all quantities with cow 's urine; charge the mixture with 1,000 repeti tions of the mantra. A barren woman who has just bathed after her monthly course and is wearing white garments should drink the substance: she will give birth to a son within one year.® 5. Fasting on a lunar/solar eclipse mix a certain quantity of ghee
from a brown cow and powdered Vaca root; charge the mixture with 1,000 repetitions of the mantra, and drink it to obtain intelli gence and poetic skill.6
6. Rite to make a girl and a boy answer questions about the past, present, and future (cf. section 8, rite 12).
13b.
MantTa: 6 syllables (from the Silrasamgraha): megholkaya si>ah8
"Svllha to Megholka [the fire of the cloud]." Seer, metre, meditation, yantra, rites: as in 13a. 13c.
Mantra: 32 syllables (from the "A tharvaveda"): rityasposasya dayita nidhido ratm do vadam7 1 raksohano vo wlagahano vakratunddya hiltn li
5. This rite is also prescribed in connection with Sakti-Ganapah I (cf. section 4, rite no. 4).
6, For a similar ritual, cf. section 4, rite 1, and section 8, rite 16.
"He is considered a giver of wealth and abundance, a giver of treasures, a giver of jewels. He is a destroyer of demons, a destroyer of secret charms for your sake, hQm to Vakratunda."
Seer, m etre, m editation, yantra: as in 13a.
Pura£carana: j a p a * 12,000
h o m a - with oblations smeared with ghee 13d.
M antra: Vakratunda-GdyatrT:
tatpurusdya vidmahe vakratunddya dhTmahi I tan no dantl pracodaydt II
"We know that purusa. We meditate on the one who has a curved trunk. Therefore may the one with one tusk inspire us."
This mantra is to be recited at the time of bathing to achieve one's object. 13a-d.
O ther sources:
Ad 13a. This mantra occurs in PSSS, p. 464, 13-19; I$P 1.16.50 f.
(mentions Siddha-Vin3yaka [!J as deity); MT 18.182-225 (said to belong to the pilrvdmndya); NP 68.64-80ab; MMD 2.1-25ab; and MM, pp. 58,1 - 60,8.
Ad 13b. This mantra occurs in M T 18.226-227 (said to belong to the pilrvdmndya); MMD 2.29cd-31ab; and AIM, pp. 60, 8-10. It occurs already in Agni Purdna (Kolkata ed.) 347.22 in the following form: megholkdya gan&dhipataye svdhi7.
The epithet Ulka for Ganapati occurs in A gni P u rin a (Pune ed.) 79.3 (description of caturthTvrata):
dgaccholkdya cdz'dhya gaccholkdya visarjanam I ulkdntair yddi-gandhadyaih pUjayen modakddibhih ll om gaholkflya vidmahe vakratunddya dhTmahi I tan no dantT pracodaydt II
and 348.26:
samodako 'tha gandhSdi gandholkSyeti ca kramdt I gajo mahdganapatir maholkah pUjya eva ca II
A connection betw een M egholka and the form of Ganapati called Vakratunda is seen in the above-quoted Guyatrl
Ad 13c. This m antra occurs also w ith v.l. in the follo w in g texts: C a«eiapflniaitlpanlya Upanisad 1.7:
rSyasposasya dSti nidhidiltSnnado matah I raksohano vo balagahano vakratundnya hum II
M T 18.228-234ab with two variations (said to belong to the pQrvamnllya):
a) rtiyasposasya dayitd nidhido ratnado matah I raksohano balagahano vakratundHya hum II b) rOyasposasya dayitd nidhido ratnado npn/tn I
raksohano balagahano vakratundHya hQm II MMD 2.25cd-29ab and MM, p. 60, 10-18, read:
rsyasposasya daditS nidhido ratnadhSlumSn I raksohano balagahano vakratundAya hum II
The words raksohano vo valagahanah occur already in VS 5.25 (Mfldhyandina recension; Kanva recension: 5.31 raksohano va lagahanah). They are part of formulas recited when preparing four holes (uparava) used in the extraction of soma juice and w ere adopted in this con text becau se of the m eanings "d estro y er o f d em o n s" and "d estro y er of secret ch arm s," which were found suitable as epithets of Ganapati.®
Ad 13d. The Vakratunda-GOyatrl, an adaption of the Stivitrl-Gdyatrl. occurs already in TA 10.1 (v.l. in c: dantih) and is frequently quoted by many texts, like Gane£8tharva$Trsa Upanisad. I therefore do not give further references.
The dhyHna found in the VT occurs uniformly in the following texts: PSSS, 161” , MT, NP, MMD, MM, DMP 8.25, and RM 5.18.
Apart from being a specific form of Ganapati, Vakratunda occurs also as a general epithet of Ganapati in many texts.
Vakratunda also figures in the list of 56 Vinflyakas of KMT (dvarana 3, no. 1).'°
8. This has already been observed by Bekgmann in her edition of the GanefaMptntfya Upanisad, vol. 2, p. 40.
9. The /$P states that Garie$a shows the wish-granting gesture and holds his tusk with the same hand.