TANTRIC GANESH

Dr.
Uday Dokras
B.Sc., B.A. (Managerial Economics), LL.B., Nagpur University, India
Certificat'e en Droit, Queen’s University. Ontario, Canada,
Ph.D. Stockholm University, Sweden,
Management and Efficacy Consultant, India

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 Contents

Chapter 1-Tantric Ganesh- Also featuring in part I -All you

wanted to know about the Elephant God 3
Chapter 2-Tantric Ganesh Paper page 40
Chapter 3-Tantra and Ganesh 50
Chapter 4-Ganesh as a Buddhist Demigod 190
About the Author 111

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 Chapter 1
Tantric Ganesh- Also featuring in part I -All you wanted to know about the Elephant God
Lord Ganesha or the elephant god has an elephant face and a huge belly, due to his fondness of
sweets. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvathi. He is the benevolent protector of the
innocent, yet the ruthless destroyer of all evils. His mount is a rat.The size of his mount tells us
about the significance of even the very smallest of beings. Hindu traders from the 10th century
onwards introduced Ganesha to the rest of Asia. Along with
Brahma,Mahesh and Vishnu, Ganesha was assimilated into Buddhism. In the an mahayana
sutra the lord ganapati is actually lord Ganesha.Lord Ganesha is a very powerful protector. He
loves to protect true practitioner. The buddhist story of Lord Ganesha.
T. A. Gopinatha notes, "Every village however small has its own image of Vighneśvara
(Vigneshvara) with or without a temple to house it in. At entrances of villages and forts, below
pīpaḹa (Sacred fig) trees [...], in a niche [...] in temples of Viṣṇu (Vishnu) as well as Śiva (Shiva)
and also in separate shrines specially constructed in Śiva temples [...]; the figure
of Vighneśvara is invariably seen." Ganesha temples have also been built outside of India,
including southeast Asia, Nepal (including the four Vinayaka shrines in the Kathmandu valley),
and in several western countries.

Rise to prominence and First appearance

Ganesha appeared in his classic form as a clearly recognizable deity with well-defined
iconographic attributes in the early 4th to 5th centuries.Shanti Lal Nagar says that the earliest
known iconic image of Ganesha is in the niche of the Shiva temple at Bhumra, which has been
dated to the Gupta period.His independent cult appeared by about the 10th century. Narain
summarizes the controversy between devotees and academics regarding
the development of Ganesha as follows:

[W]hat is inscrutable is the somewhat dramatic appearance of Gaņeśa on the historical scene.

His antecedents are not clear. His wide acceptance and popularity, which transcend sectarian and
territorial limits, are indeed amazing.On the one hand there is the pious belief of
the orthodox devotees in Gaņeśa's Vedic origins and in the Purāṇic explanations contained in the
confusing, but nonetheless interesting, mythology.On the other hand there are doubts about
the existence of the idea and the icon of this deity" before the fourth to fifth century A.D. ... [I]n
my opinion, indeed there is no convincing evidence of the existence of this divinity prior to the
fifth century.

Possible influences

Courtright reviews various speculative theories about the early history of Ganesha, including
supposed tribal traditions and animal cults, and dismisses all of them in this way:
In this search for a historical origin for Gaņeśa, some have suggested precise locations outside
the Brāhmaṇic tradition....
These historical locations are intriguing to be sure, but the fact remains that they are all

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speculations, variations on the Dravidian hypothesis, which argues that anything not attested to
in the Vedic and Indo-European sources must have come into Brāhmaṇic religion from
the Dravidian or aboriginal populations of India as part of the process that
produced Hinduism out of the interactions of the Aryan and non-Aryan populations.

There is no independent evidence for an elephant cult or a totem; nor is there

any archaeological data pointing to a tradition prior to what we can already see in place in
the Purāṇic literature and the iconography of Gaņeśa.Thapan's book on
the development of Ganesha devotes a chapter to speculations about the role elephants had in
early India but concludes that, "although by the second century CE the elephant-
headed yakṣa form exists it cannot be presumed to represent Gaṇapati-Vināyaka.There is
no evidence of a deity by this name having an elephant or elephant-headed form at this early
stage. Gaṇapati-Vināyaka had yet to make his debut."

The 4 Vinayaka Theorey

One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that he gradually came to prominence in connection with
the four Vinayakas (Vināyakas).In Hindu mythology, the Vināyakas were a group of four
troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties but who were easily propitiated.

The name Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist
Tantras.Krishan is one of the academics who accepts this view, stating flatly of Ganesha, "He is
a non-vedic god.His origin is to be traced to the four Vināyakas, evil spirits, of
the Mānavagŗhyasūtra (7th–4th century BCE) who cause various types of evil and suffering".

Depictions of elephant-headed human figures, which some identify with Ganesha, appear
in Indian art and coinage as early as the 2nd century.According to Ellawala, the elephant-
headed Ganesha as lord of the Ganas was known to the people of Sri Lanka in the early pre-
Christian era.

Vedic and epic literature

The title "Leader of the group" (Sanskrit: gaṇapati) occurs twice in the Rig Veda, but in neither
case does it refer to the modern Ganesha. The term appears in RV 2.23.1 as a title for
Brahmanaspati, according to commentators.While this verse doubtless refers to Brahmanaspati,
it was later adopted for worship of Ganesha and is still used today.In rejecting any claim that this
passage is evidence of Ganesha in the Rig Veda, Ludo Rocher says that it "clearly refers to
Bṛhaspati—who is the deity of the hymn—and Bṛhaspati only".Equally clearly, the second
passage (RV 10.112.9) refers to Indra, who is given the epithet 'gaṇapati', translated "Lord of the
companies (of the Maruts)."However, Rocher notes that the more recent
Ganapatya literature often quotes the Rigvedic verses to give Vedic respectability to Ganesha .

Two verses in texts belonging to Black Yajurveda, Maitrāyaṇīya Saṃhitā (2.9.1) and Taittirīya
Āraṇyaka (10.1), appeal to a deity as "the tusked one" (Dantiḥ), "elephant-faced" (Hastimukha),
and "with a curved trunk" (Vakratuņḍa).

These names are suggestive of Ganesha, and the 14th century commentator Sayana explicitly

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establishes this identification.The description of Dantin, possessing a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa)
and holding a corn-sheaf, a sugar cane, and a club, is so characteristic of
the Puranic Ganapati that Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with
this Vedic Dantin".However, Krishan considers these hymns to be post-Vedic additions.Thapan
reports that these passages are "generally considered to have been interpolated".Dhavalikar says,
"the references to the elephant-headed deity in the Maitrāyaṇī Saṃhitā have been proven to be
very late interpolations, and thus are not very helpful for determining the early formation of
the deity".

Ganesha does not appear in Indian epic literature that is dated to the Vedic period. A late
interpolation to the epic poem Mahabharata says that the sage Vyasa (Vyāsa) asked Ganesha to
serve as his scribe to transcribe the poem as he dictated it to him.Ganesha agreed but only
on condition that Vyasa recite the poem uninterrupted, that is, without pausing.The sage agreed,
but found that to get any rest he needed to recite very complex passages so Ganesha would have
to ask for clarifications.The story is not accepted as part of the original text by the editors of the
critical edition of the Mahabharata, in which the twenty-line story is relegated to a footnote in an
appendix.

The story of Ganesha acting as the scribe occurs in 37 of the 59 manuscripts consulted during
preparation of the critical edition.Ganesha's association with mental agility and learning is
one reason he is shown as scribe for (Vyāsa's dictation of the Mahabharata in this
interpolation.Richard L. Brown dates the story to the 8th century, and Moriz Winternitz
concludes that it was known as early as c. 900, but it was not added to the Mahabharata some
150 years later.Winternitz also notes that a distinctive feature in South Indian manuscripts of
the Mahabharata is their omission of this Ganesha legend.The term vināyaka is found in some
recensions of the Śāntiparva and Anuśāsanaparva that are regarded as interpolations.

A reference to Vighnakartṛīṇām ("Creator of Obstacles") in Vanaparva is also believed to be an

interpolation and does not appear in the critical edition.

Puranic period

Stories about Ganesha often occur in the Puranic corpus. Brown notes while the Puranas "defy
precise chronological ordering", the more detailed narratives of Ganesha's life are in the late
texts, c. 600–1300.Yuvraj Krishan says that the Puranic myths about the birth of Ganesha and
how he acquired an elephant's head are in the later Puranas, which were composed from c. 600
onwards.He elaborates on the matter to say that references to Ganesha in the earlier Puranas,
such as the Vayu and Brahmanda Puranas, are later interpolations made during the 7th to 10th
centuries.In his survey of Ganesha's rise to prominence in Sanskrit literature, Ludo Rocher notes
that:

Above all, one cannot help being struck by the fact that the numerous of his stories
concentrate on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. These incidents are mainly three:
his birth and parenthood, his elephant head, and his single tusk. Other incidents are touched on in
the texts, but to a far lesser extent.

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Ganesha's rise to prominence was codified in the 9th century, when he was formally included as
one of the five primary deities of Smartism.The 9th century philosopher Śaṅkarācārya popularized
the "worship of the five forms" (pañcāyatana pūjā) system among orthodox Brahmins of
the Smarta tradition.This worship practice invokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devī,
and Sūrya.Śaṅkarācārya instituted the tradition primarily to unite the principal deities of these
five major sects on an equal status.

This formalized the role of Ganesha as a complementary deity.

Scriptures

Once Ganesha was accepted as one of the five principal deities of Brahmanism,
some Brahmins (brāhmaṇas) chose to worship Ganesha as their principal deity. They developed
the Ganapatya tradition, as seen in the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana.The date of
composition for the Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana—and their dating relative to one
another—has sparked academic debate.Both works were developed over time and contain age-
layered strata. Anita Thapan reviews comments about dating and provides her own judgement.

"It seems likely that the core of the Ganesha Purana appeared around the twelfth and thirteenth
centuries", she says, "but was later interpolated."

Lawrence W. Preston considers the most reasonable date for the Ganesha Purana to be between
1100 and 1400, which coincides with the apparent age of the sacred sites mentioned by the text.
R.C. Hazra suggests that the Mudgala Purana is older than the Ganesha Purana, which he dates
between 1100 and 1400.However, Phyllis Granoff finds problems with this relative dating and
concludes that the Mudgala Purana was the last of the philosophical texts concerned
with Ganesha.She bases her reasoning on the fact that, among other internal evidence,
the Mudgala Purana specifically mentions the Ganesha Purana as one of the
four Puranas (the Brahma, the Brahmanda, the Ganesha, and the Mudgala Puranas) which deal at
length with Ganesha.While the kernel of the text must be old, it was interpolated until the 17th
and 18th centuries as the worship of Ganapati became more important in certain regions.

There are numerous interesting stories about the various Gods, their rivalries, jealousy and follies
they commit just like humans There is an interesting story behind the birth of Lord Ganesha.
Ganesha is known as Vighnavinayaka or one who removes all obstacles. He is considered to be
the god of wisdom, prudence and prosperity.In the Ganapathi Upanishad, Ganesha is identified
with the Supreme Self. The legends that are connected with Lord Ganesha are recorded in
the Ganesha Khanda of the 'Brahma Vivartha Purana.' Here are two such popular stories - 'The
Curse of the Moon' and 'Who is Elder?'Lord Ganesh is the elephant-headed God, with one tusk.
The legend of how he got his elephant head and one tusk is a fascinating one.Ganesha (Sanskrit:
गणेश; IAST: Gaṇeśa; About this sound listen (help·info)), also spelled Ganesa, also known
as ]]Pillaiyar\\, Ganapati (Sanskrit: गणपति; IAST: Gaṇapati) and Vinayaka, is one of the best-
known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found
throughout India and Nepal. Hindu sects worship him regardless of

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affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists,
and beyond India.

Although he is known by many other attributes, ]]Ganesha's\\ elephant head makes him
particularly easy to identify.Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more
generally as the [[Lord of Beginnings\\ and the Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences,
and the deva of intellect and wisdom.He is honored at the beginning rituals and ceremonies and
invoked as the Patron of Letters during writing sessions. Many Texts ate mythological anecdotes
associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.Ganesha emerged as
a distinct deity in a clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta
Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors.His popularity rose
quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism
(a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century.

Sect of devotees called the Ganapatya (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य

A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य; IAST: gāṇapatya), who
identified Ganesha - the supreme deity, arose during this period he principal scriptures dedicated
to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

Etymology and other names

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1. Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets,
including Ganapati and Vighneshvara.

2. The Hindu title of respect Shri (Sanskrit: श्री; IAST: śrī; also spelled Sri or Shree) is often
added before his name.

3. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a Ganesha Sahasranama, a litany of "a
thousand names of Ganesha".

4. Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolizes a different aspect
of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is
drawn from the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.

5. The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana (Sanskrit: गण;
IAST: gaṇa), meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and isha (Sanskrit: ईश; IAST:
īśa), meaning lord or master.

6. The word gaņa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop
of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva (IAST: Śiva).

7.The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation.

8.Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaņas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or
"Lord of created categories", such as the elements.

9.Ganapati (Sanskrit: गणपति; IAST: gaṇapati), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound

composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord".

10. The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms

of Ganesha : Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two
mothers), Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one
tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly),
and Gajanana (IAST: gajānana); having the face of an elephant).

11.Vinayaka (Sanskrit: विनायक; IAST: vināyaka) is a common name for Ganesha that appears
in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras.This name is reflected in the naming of the eight
famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (aṣṭavināyaka).

12. The names Vighnesha (Sanskrit: विघ्नेश; IAST: vighneśa) vighneśvara (Lord of
Obstacles) or Vignaharta refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master and
remover of obstacles (vighna).A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is [[Pille
(Tamil: பிள்ளை) or Pillaiyar (பிள்ளையார்) (Little Child).A. K. Narain differentiates
these terms by saying that pille means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child".He adds
that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk",
also "elephant tooth or tusk".Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in
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the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because
the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".

In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne, derived from Pali Mahā
Wināyaka. The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikhanet or Phra
Phikhanesuan, both of which are derived from Vara Vighnesha and Vara
Vighneshvara respectively, whereas the name Khanet (from Ganesha) is rather rare.In Sri
Lanka in the North-Central and North Western areas with Buddhist population, Ganesha is
known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo while in other Singhala buddhist areas he is known as Gana
deviyo.

Iconography

Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art.

Worldwide Variations

Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha show wide variations

and distinct patterns changing over time. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically

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 taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down or on an
elevated seat, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.

Rajesh Pasupathi-1000 year old statue of Lord Ganesh,Chicago Art Institute.9th–10th century, Andesite
(volcanic stone), h. 74.4 cm
To RIGHT sandstone statue of Ganesha from India, Chandela dynasty, 1000s CE. (Museum Rietberg, Zürich).

Ganesha images were prevalent in many parts of India by the 6th century.The 13th century statue
pictured is typical of Ganesha statuary from 900–1200, after Ganesha had been well-established
as an independent deity with his own sect.This example features some of Ganesha's common
iconographic elements. A virtually identical statue has been dated between 973–1200 by Paul
Martin-Dubost, and another similar statue is dated c. 12th century by Pratapaditya
Pal. Ganesha has the head of an elephant and a big belly.This statue has four arms, which is
common in depictions of Ganesha. He holds his own broken tusk in his lower-right hand and
holds a delicacy, which he samples with his trunk, in his lower-left hand. The motif
of Ganesha turning his trunk sharply to his left to taste a sweet in his lower-left hand is a
particularly archaic feature.

A more primitive statue in one of the Ellora Caves with this general form has been dated to the
7th century.Details of the other hands are difficult to make out on the statue shown. In the
standard configuration, Ganesha typically holds an axe or a goad in one upper arm and a noose in
the other upper arm.The influence of this old constellation of iconographic elements can still be
seen in contemporary representations of Ganesha.In one modern form, the only variation from
these old elements is that the lower-right hand does not hold the broken tusk but is turned
towards the viewer in a gesture of protection or fearlessness (abhaya mudra).

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Mask of Ganesh from Indonesia- Tantric Ganesh sculprure found in the Thervada temple of Candi Sukuh( More about
that Later)

Common Attributes

The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in statues of Ganesha dancing, which is
a very popular theme.Ganesha has been represented with the head of an elephant since the early
stages of his appearance in Indian art.Puranic myths provide many explanations for how he got
his elephant head. One of his popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and
other less-common variations in the number of heads are known.While some texts say
that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, he acquires the head later in most stories .The
most recurrent motif in these stories is that Ganesha was created by Parvati using clay
to protect her and Shiva beheaded him when Ganesha came between Shiva and Parvati.
Shiva then replaced Ganesha's original head with that of an elephant.Details of the battle and
where the replacement head came from vary from source to source. Another story says
that Ganesha was created directly by Shiva's laughter.Because Shiva considered Ganesha too
alluring, he gave him the head of an elephant and a protruding belly.

Ganesha's earliest name was Ekadanta (One Tusked), referring to his single whole tusk, the other
being broken.Some of the earliest images of Ganesha show him holding his broken tusk.The
importance of this distinctive feature is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that
the name of Ganesha's second incarnation is Ekadanta.Ganesha's protruding belly appears as
a distinctive attribute in his earliest statuary, which dates to the Gupta period (4th to 6th
centuries).This feature is so important that, according to the Mudgala Purana, two
different incarnations of Ganesha use names based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly, or, literally,
Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly).Both names are Sanskrit compounds describing his
belly (udara).The Brahmanda Purana says that Ganesha has the name Lambodara because all

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the universes (i.e., cosmic eggs; IAST: brahmāṇḍas) of the past, present, and future are present in
him. The number of Ganesha's arms varies; his best-known forms have between two and sixteen
arms.Many depictions of Ganesha feature four arms, which is mentioned in Puranic sources and
codified as a standard form in some iconographic texts. His earliest images had two
arms.Forms with 14 and 20 arms appeared in Central India during the 9th and the 10th centuries.

The serpent is a common feature in Ganesha iconography and appears in many forms.

According to the Ganesha Purana, Ganesha wrapped the serpent Vasuki around his neck. Other
depictions of snakes include use as a sacred thread (IAST: yajñyopavīta) wrapped around
the stomach as a belt, held in a hand, coiled at the ankles, or as a throne.
Upon Ganesha's forehead may be a third eye or the Shaivite sectarian mark (IAST: tilaka), which
consists of three horizontal lines.The Ganesha Purana prescribes a tilaka mark as well as a
crescent moon on-the forehead.A form of Ganesha called Bhalachandra (IAST: bhālacandra;
"Moon on the Forehead") includes that iconographic element. Ganesha is often described as red
in color. Specific colors are associated with certain forms. Many examples of color associations
with specific meditation forms are prescribed in the Sritattvanidhi, a treatise
on Hindu iconography. For example, white is associated with his representations as Heramba-
Ganapati and Rina-Mochana-Ganapati (Ganapati Who Releases from Bondage).

Ekadanta-Ganapati is visualized as blue during meditation in that form.

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 A large statue of Ganesha was
excavated in Dieng Wetan Village of
Wonosobo District, Central Java in
Indonesia. The Central Java Institute for
Preservation of Cultural Heritage (BPCB)
has done the excavation on 12 January.

The statue is made of andesite and is 140

cm in height and 120 cm in width.
However, the head and the hand part
remaining missing.

"This is the largest Ganesha statue found

in Dieng, but we have yet to find its head
and arms. We first unearth and save it,
and then bring it along with the other
stones found around the site of the Dieng
Museum," Head of the institute's Dieng
Temple Unit, Eri Budiarto said.

Dieng plateau is the location of Hindu

temples from the Kalingga Kingdom, one
of the earliest Hindu-Buddhist kingdoms in
Java. They are estimated to be built
between 7th century to end of 8th century
AD. The statue was discovered by a farmer
when he was ploughing his paddy field at a
depth of 50 cm in December 2019.

Vahanas-or-Vehicles-(.carriers)
The earliest Ganesha images are without a vahana (mount/vehicle). Of the
eight incarnations of Ganesha described in the Mudgala Purana, Ganesha uses a
1. mouse (shrew) in five of them,
2. a lion in his incarnation as Vakratunda,
3. a peacock in his incarnation as Vikata, and
4. Shesha, the divine serpent, in his incarnation as Vighnaraja.
5. Mohotkata uses a lion,
6. Mayūreśvara uses a peacock,
7. Dhumraketu uses a horse, and
8. Gajanana uses a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha listed in the Ganesha Purana.
9. Jain depictions of Ganesha show his vahana variously as a mouse, elephant, tortoise, ram,
or peacock.

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The rat, it is said, began to appear as the principal vehicle in sculptures of Ganesha in central
and western India during the 7th century; the rat was always placed close to his feet. Mouse as a
mount first appears in written sources in the Matsya Purana and later in the Brahmananda
Purana and Ganesha Purana, where Ganesha uses it as his vehicle in last incarnation. Ganapati
Atharvashirsa includes a meditation verse on Ganesha that describes the mouse appearing on
his flag.The names Mūṣakavāhana (mouse-mount) and Ākhuketana (rat-banner) appear in
the Ganesha Sahasranama.

The mouse is interpreted in several ways.

1. According to Grimes, "Many, if not most of those who interpret Gaṇapati's mouse, do so
negatively; it symbolizes tamoguṇa as well as desire".

2. Along these lines, Michael Wilcockson says it symbolizes those who wish to
overcome desires and be less selfish.

3. Krishan notes that the rat is destructive and a menace to crops.

The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) is derived from the root mūṣ (stealing, robbing).

4. It was essential to subdue the rat as a destructive pest, a type of vighna (impediment) that
needed to be overcome.

5. According to this theory, showing Ganesha as master of the rat demonstrates

his function as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives evidence of his possible role as
a folk grāma-devatā (village deity) who later rose to greater prominence.

6. Martin-Dubost notes a view that the rat is a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat,
penetrates even the most secret places.

Associations

I. Obstacles: Ganesha is Vighneshvara or Vighnaraja or "Vighnaharta"(marathi),

the Lord of Obstacles, both of a material and spiritual order. He is popularly worshipped as a
remover of obstacles, though traditionally he also places obstacles in the path of those who need
to be checked.Paul Courtright says that "his task in the divine scheme of things, his dharma, is to
place and remove obstacles. It is his particular territory, the reason for his creation."Ganesha's
names reflect shadings of multiple roles that have evolved over time.The quick ascension
of Ganesha in the Hindu pantheon, and the emergence of the Ganapatyas,is ascribed to this shift
from vighnakartā (obstacle-creator) to vighnahartā (obstacle-averter).However, both functions
continue to be vital to his character.

II. Buddhi (Knowledge); Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning.

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In Sanskrit, the word buddhi a feminine noun that is variously translated - intelligence, wisdom,
or intellect.The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha,
especially in the Puranic period, when many stories stress his cleverness and love of intelligence.
One of Ganesha's names from Ganesha Purana and the Ganesha Ashranam n or1,000 names
is Buddhipriya.This name also appears in a list of 21 names at the end of the Ganesha
Sahasranama that Ganesha says are especially important.The word priya can mean "fond of", and
in a marital context it can mean "lover" or "husband", so the name may mean either "Fond
of Intelligence" or "Buddhi's Husband".Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum -
Sanskrit:ॐ also spelled Om. The term oṃkārasvarūpa (Aum is his form), when identified
with Ganesha, refers to the notion that he personifies the primal sound. The Ganapati
Atharvashirsa attests to this association. Chinmayananda translates the relevant passage as
follows:

(O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma, Vishnu, and Mahesa. You are Indra. You
are fire (Agni) and air (Vāyu). You are the sun (Sūrya) and the moon (Chandrama).
You are Brahman. You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka earth, Antariksha-loka (space),
and Swargaloka heaven. You are Om. (That is to say, You are all this).

Some devotees see similarities between the shape of Ganesha's body in iconography and the
shape of Aum in the Devanāgarī and Tamil scripts.

III First chakra: According to Kundalini yoga, Ganesha resides in the first chakra,
called Muladhara (mūlādhāra). Mula means "original, main"; adhara means "base, foundation".
The muladhara chakra is the principle on which the manifestation or outward expansion
of primordial Divine Force rests. This association is also attested to in the Ganapati
Atharvashirsa. Courtright translates this passage as follows:

"[O Ganesha,You continually dwell in the sacral plexus at the base of the spine (mūlādhāra
cakra)."

Thus, Ganesha has a permanent abode in every being at the Muladhara.Ganesha holds, supports
and guides all other chakras, thereby "governing the forces that propel the wheel of life".

IV. Family and consorts.Though Ganesha is popularly held to be the son of Shiva and Parvati,
the Puranic myths give different versions about his birth.He may have been created by Parvati, or
by Shiva and Parvati, or may have appeared mysteriously and was discovered
by Shiva and Parvati.The family includes his brother the war god Kartikeya, who is also
called Subramanya, Skanda, Murugan and other names. Regional differences dictate the order of
their births.In northern India, Skanda is generally said to be the elder, while in
the south, Ganesha is considered the first born.

In northern India, Skanda was an important martial deity from about 500 BCE to about 600 CE,
when worship of him declined significantly in northern India. As Skanda fell, Ganesha rose.
Several stories tell of sibling rivalry between the brothers and may reflect sectarian tensions.

16
V. Ganesha's marital status-Unmarried: the subject of considerable scholarly review, varies
widely in mythological stories. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an brahmacari or
unmarried. This view is common in southern India and parts of northern India.He also may be
shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: daşi).

Married: Another pattern associates him with intellect Buddhi, Siddhi (spiritual power),
and Riddhi (prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as goddesses, said to
be Ganesha's wives.Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and
the arts, Sarasvati or Śarda (particularly in Maharashtra).He is also associated with
the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi. Another pattern, mainly prevalent in
the Bengal region, links Ganesha with the banana tree, Kala Bo.

Children: The Shiva Purana says that Ganesha had begotten two sons: Kşema (prosperity)
and Lābha (profit).In northern Indian variants of this story, the sons are often said to
be Śubha (auspiciouness) and Lābha.The 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa
shows Ganesha married to Riddhi and Siddhi and having a daughter named Santoshi Ma,
the goddess of satisfaction.This story has no Puranic basis, but Anita Raina Thapan and
Lawrence Cohen cite Santoshi Ma's cult as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a
popular deity.

Beyond India and Hinduism

Commercial and cultural contacts extended India's influence in SE Asia. Ganesha is one of
many Hindu deities who reached foreign lands as a result.Ganesha was particularly worshipped
by traders and merchants, who went out of India for commercial ventures.The period from
approximately the 10th century onwards was marked by the development of new networks of
exchange, the formation of trade guilds, and a resurgence of money circulation.During
this time, Ganesha became the principal deity associated with traders.The earliest inscription
invoking Ganesha before any other deity is associated with
the merchant community.Hindus migrated to the Malay Archipelago and took their culture,
including Ganesha, with them. India and Hinduism has influenced many countries in other
parts South Asia, East Asia and Southeast Asia as a result of commercial and cultural
contacts. Ganesha is one of many Hindu deities who reached foreign lands as a result.
Ganesha was a deity particularly worshipped by traders and merchants, who went out of India for
commercial ventures. The period from approximately the tenth century onwards was marked by the
development of new networks of exchange, the formation of trade guilds, and a resurgence of money
circulation, and it was during this time that Ganesha became the principal deity associated with
traders. The earliest inscription where Ganesha is invoked before any other deity is by the merchant
community.

Statues of Ganesha are found throughout the Malay Archipelago in great numbers, often
beside Shiva sanctuaries.The forms of Ganesha found in Hindu art of Java, Bali, and Borneo
show specific regional influences.The gradual spread
of Hindu culture to southeast Asia established Ganesha in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia,
17
and Thailand.In Indochina, Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced side by side, and
mutual influences can be seen in the iconography of Ganesha in the region.
In Thailand, Cambodia, and among the Hindu classes of the Chams in Vietnam, Ganesha was
mainly thought of as a remover of obstacles.

BUDDHISM
Ganesha also appears in Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also
portrayed as a Hindu deity form also called Vināyaka. His image may be found on Buddhist
sculptures of the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing, a
form called Nṛtta Ganapati that was popular in North India and adopted in Nepal and then into
Tibet. A dancing Ganesha is evident in the Malay archipelago in the temple of Candi Sukuh.
Tibetan Buddhism-Jambhala § Red Jambhala

Vignantaka trampling Vinayaka///Ganapati, Maha Rakta/ Dancing Red Ganapati of the Three Red
Deities, Rubin Museum of Art

This form of Ganapati belongs to a set of three powerful deities known as the 'mar chen kor sum' or
the Three Great Red Deities included in a larger set called 'The Thirteen Golden Dharmas' of Sakya.
The other two deities are Kurukulle and Takkiraja.
In depictions of the six-armed protector Mahakala (Skt: Shad-bhuja Mahakala, Wylie: mGon po
phyag drug pa), an elephant-headed figure usually addressed as Vinayaka is seen being trampled by
the Dharma Protector, but he does not appear distressed. In Vajrayana and cognate Buddhist art, He
is depicted as a subdued god trampled by Buddhist deities like Aparajita, Parnasabari and Vignataka.
The Tibetan Ganesha appears, besides bronzes, in the resplendent Thangka paintings alongside the
Buddha. In "Ganesh, studies of an Asian God," edited by Robert L. BROWN, State University of
New York Press, 1992, page 241–242, he wrote that in the Tibetan Ka'gyur tradition, it is said that
the Buddha had taught the "Ganapati Hridaya Mantra" (or "Aryaganapatimantra") to
disciple Ananda.

18
Japanese Buddhism-Kangiten

Dual-bodied (Sōshin) Kangiten

Vinayaka, the Buddhist equivalent to Ganesha, is known in Japanese as Shōten ( 聖 天 , lit. "sacred
deva" or "noble deva"; alternatively Shōden) or Kangiten ( 歓喜天 , "deva of bliss") and is worshiped
mainly in the Shingon and Tendai schools.
Vinayaka's inclusion in the two primary mandalas of East Asian esoteric Buddhism (Tangmi) -
brought to Japan from Tang China by Kūkai (774–835), the founder of Shingon Buddhism -
facilitated his introduction to Japan, where he (like most other Hindu deities assimilated into
Buddhism) was first considered a minor deity. By the Heian period (794–1185), an
individualized cult centered around Vinayaka (as Shōten / Kangiten) emerged. He was then
increasingly identified and conflated with a number of Buddhist and native Japanese deities,
eventually being regarded in some texts in a henotheistic way as a kind of transcendent god who is
the source of all the other gods. Although this development shares a number of parallels with the
Hindu tradition of Ganapatya, it does not seem that Shōten benefited from a group whose members
defined themselves exclusively as his worshipers as Ganesha did.
Although some traits are common to both Vinayaka (Shōten) and Ganesha, there are also some
notable differences between the two. For instance, the Buddhist Vinayaka was originally negatively
portrayed as the creator of obstacles and the leader of a horde (gaṇa) of obstructive demons
called vinayakas; indeed, some legends portray him as originally being a malevolent demon king
who was subjugated by the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (Kannon in Japanese), who took the form of
a vinayaka demoness to tame and reform him. As Shōten grew in stature, however, he was
increasingly disassociated from his vinayaka underlings, ultimately becoming regarded as a
manifestation of the cosmic buddha Vairocana. Also, unlike his Hindu counterpart, whose image
is prominently displayed and venerated in temples and homes, Shōten is regarded as a 'hidden'
god too sacred to be seen: images of the deity in temples are permanently kept hidden from

19
public view, rituals centered on him are performed in private by qualified monks, and lay
devotees are discouraged from venerating iconographic depictions of the god at home.
Shōten is invoked both for enlightenment and for worldly gains - more for the latter than the
former. Regarded as a god who grants all wishes (including impossible ones), he is widely
worshiped for success in love, relationships, and business. He is usually offered daikon, sake,
and a deep-fried sweet confection called Kangidan (歓喜団, "bliss bun"), which is based on the
Indian modak, said to be a favorite of Ganesha.
Although he is sometimes depicted as an elephant-headed single male deity similar to Ganesha,
he is more commonly portrayed as an embracing elephant-headed male-female couple in an
iconographic depiction known as the Dual(-bodied) Kangiten (双身歓喜天, Sōshin Kangiten).
:: Shinto and Shingon Buddhism ::

In Japan, Ganesha is considered a minor deity in the Buddhist pantheon, where he is known as
Shōten (聖天), Daishokangi-ten (大聖歓喜天), Kangiten (歓喜天), Ganabachi (Ganapati), Binayaka-ten
("Vinayaka") (毘那夜迦天).

Ganesha worship was brought to Japan by early Buddhists through China. In Japan the Ganesha
cult was first mentioned in 806 CE. Scholars commonly date the presence of Ganesha in Japan
with the age of Kukai (774- 834), the founder of the Shingon sect of Japanese Buddhism. The
centrality of the worship of Ganesha or Vinayaka or Kangiten, as he is popularly called in Japan,
is a distinguishing feature of this cult. The doctrines, rituals and beliefs of the sect have a number
of parallels with the cult of Ganapatya.
Also called the Deva of bliss, Ganapati is invoked both for enlightenment and for worldly gains -
more for the latter than the former. Kangiten - Vinayaka is offered "bliss - buns" (made from
curds, honey and parched flour), radishes, wine, and fresh fruits. The offerings are later partaken
in the same spirit as Hindus take prasad.

It should also be noted that in Japan that the Hindu Ganesha is displayed more than Buddha in a
famous temple in Futako Tamagawa, Tokyo. In the Hozan-ji temple on Mt. Ikoma in Nara, Sho-
ten is worshipped mainly by the merchants. In Osaka we have the biggest temple of Sho-ten
named Kaishozan Shoenji Temple, where, besides devotees, a permanent priest offers prayers
daily. A special temple is consecrated to the esoteric Twin Ganesa at the Jingoji monastery of
Takao where every year worship is held in his honor.

Dr. Lokesh Chandra,Director,International Academy Of Indian Culture explains: "German

scholar Philipp Franz von Siebold has written that in 1832 there were 131 shrines dedicated to
the goddess (Benzaiten) and 100 to Lord Ganesha in Tokyo itself. A 12th-century temple of
Ganesha in Asakusa suburb of Tokyo has been declared a national treasure of Japan."

Ganesha is worshipped as god of love by many young boys and girls for achieving success in
their courtship. The old worship him for success in business, Dr Chandra said.

:: Kangi figures ::

There are more than thirty distinguishable forms of Ganesha in the Japanese iconographic

20
tradition.

There are several dual forms. The most typical dual form is the Embracing Kangi. In this form
two tall figures with elephant heads and human bodies, male and female, stand in embrace. A
new concept of Vinayaka couple both elephant-headed – a unique development in the religious
history of Japan. The concept of this twin form of Ganesha (with Ganeshani) could not develop
in India. There are at least three variant types of Embracing Kangi figures. Orthodox Shingon
Buddhism interprets the details of all three types as sophisticated allegorical symbols. Sanford
believes that these orthodox Shingon interpretations, of considerable eventual importance in
Japanese worship of Ganesha, developed during the Heian period in an attempt to legitimize
Ganesha as a figure in Japanese Buddhism.

:: Vignantaka trampling Vinayaka ::

This form of Ganapati belongs to a set of three powerful deities known as the 'mar chen kor sum'
or the Three Great Red Deities included in a larger set called 'The Thirteen Golden Dharmas' of
Sakya. The other two deities are Kurukulle and Takkiraja.
In depictions of the six-armed protector Mahakala (Skt: Shad-bhuja Mahakala, Wylie: mGon po
phyag drug pa), an elephant-headed figure usually addressed as Vinayaka is seen being trampled
by the Dharma Protector, but he does not appear distressed. In Vajrayana and cognate Buddhist
art, He is depicted as a subdued god trampled by Buddhist deities like Aparajita, Parnasabari and
Vignataka.

The Tibetan Ganesha appears, besides bronzes, in the resplendent Thangka paintings alongside
the Buddha.In "Ganesh, studies of an Asian God," edited by Robert L. BROWN, State
University of New York Press, 1992, page 241-242, he wrote that in the Tibetan Ka'gyur
tradition, it is said that the Buddha had taught the "Ganapati Hridaya Mantra" (or
"Aryaganapatimantra") to disciple Ananda. The sutra in which the Buddha teaches this mantra
can be found here.

Buddha In Hinduism-Buddha as avatar of Ganesha

Buddha appears as a name of Ganesha in the second verse of the Ganesha Purana version of
the Ganesha Sahasranama. The positioning of this name at the beginning of the Ganesha
Sahasranama indicates that the name was of importance to the authors of that scripture, who
were Ganapatya Hindus.
Bhaskararaya's commentary on the Ganesha Sahasranama says that this name for Ganesha means
that the Buddha was an incarnation (Avatar) of Ganesha. This interpretation is not widely known
even among Ganapatya, and the Buddha is not mentioned in the lists of Ganesha's incarnations
given in the main sections of the Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana. Bhaskararaya also
provides a more general interpretation of this name as simply meaning that Ganesha's very form
is "eternal enlightenment" (nityabuddaḥ), so he is named Buddha.

21
 Ganesha statue at Sanggar Agung Temple, Surabaya-Indonesia, worshiped by
the Chinese, Hindus, Buddhist and even the Kejawen

Hindus spread through Maritime Southeast Asia and took their culture with them, including
Ganesha, statues of whom are found throughout the region, often beside Shiva sanctuaries. The
forms of Ganesha found in Hindu art of Java, Bali, and Borneo show specific regional
influences. The gradual emigration of Hindus to Indochina established Ganesha in modified
forms in Burma, Cambodia, and Thailand. In Indochina Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced
side by side, and mutual influences can be seen in Ganesha iconography of that region.
In Myanmar
The King of Brahmas called Arsi, lost a wager to the King of Devas, Śakra (Thagya Min), who
decapitated Arsi as agreed but put the head of an elephant on the Brahma's body who then
became Ganesha.
In Thailand

22
Ganesha at of the merumat of King Bhumibol Adulyadej

Patterns of Buddhist-Hindu amalgamation emerge across most of Southeast Asia: Several

thousand Hindus of Indian origin live in Thailand, mainly in the larger cities. Besides this group
of "traditional Hindus", Thailand in its earliest days was under the rule of the Khmer Empire,
which had strong Hindu roots, and the influence among Thais remains even today. There are also
some ethnic Cham Hindus living in Thailand. The popular Ramakien epic based on Buddhist
Dasaratha Jataka is very similar to the Hindu Ramayana. The former capital of Ayutthaya was
named for Ayodhya, the Indian birthplace of the Rama, the protagonist of the story. There is a
class of brahmins who perform rituals for Hindu gods. [84] Brahmin rituals are still common.
Hindu-Buddhist deities are worshipped by many Thais and statues and shrines
of Brahma, Ganesh, Indra, Shiva, Vishnu, Lakshmi and other Hindu-Buddhist gods are a
common sight (for example the Erawan Shrine area). Another relic of Hinduism is Garuda, now
a symbol of the monarchy.

The 600-year-old shrine of Wat Phra That Doi Suthep, a Theravada wat (temple) in Chiang Mai,
a city in the mountainous northern region of Thailand, has many large and small statues of
Buddha, beautifully crafted out of semiprecious materials like jade, emerald, and other stones.
The stupas are coated with gold leaf.

23
 The scene of Ravan fighting with Jatayu (in the triangular panel on the top right corner of the
front façade) of Wat Xieng Thong in Luang Prabang./The slim Ganesha at Doi Suthep.

Amidst this rich Buddhist imagery unlike the typical Indian Ganesh, with a pot-belly and a kind
look on his face, a slim version of the Thai Ganesh appears like a king.Thai people worshipped
Ganesh to grant them inner harmony and peace. The Thais, pray to Buddha for a good next life,
and Ganesh for inner peace in the present life. Even in India—where Hinduism and Buddhism
originated—there is no close association between these two religions other than the fact that
Hinduism, in its effort to absorb Buddhism, declared Buddha as the ninth incarnation of Vishnu.
In the market around the hotel further revealed Hinduism’s influence on Thailand. I was
surprised to see many paintings and statues of Lord Ganesh, despite the fact that Hindus are a
minority in Thailand.

• In Luang Prabang, the ancient capital of the Luang Prabang province in northern Laos, while
the inner sanctums of temples narrate stories about Buddha’s life in paintings, the exterior is
usually adorned with scenes from the Ramayana, painted or carved onto walls or doors. The
front façade of a 600-year-old temple has a panel depicting Ravan fighting with Jatayu, who tries
to stop him from kidnapping Sita.
• Yet another old Buddhist shrine has colorful statues of Hanuman and Ravan standing on each
side of the entrance. Even more surprising was the fact that people had worshipped both with
floral offerings, revealing that in this part of the world, Ravan is not considered evil. The reasons
could vary: some may believe that both good and evil balance each other, while for some, the
fact that Ravana was a great devotee of Lord Shiva makes him worthy of worship.( Some parts
from Heritage: What Is Ganesh Doing in Buddhist Thailand?Text and Photos By Jaidev Dasgupta)

World’s tallest Ganesha statue is in Thailand, the city is known as the city of Ganesha

Bronze statue of Ganesha at the Khlong Khuean Ganesh International Park, Khlong
Khuean, Chachoengsao.RIGHT PIC- Wat Phra Kaew, the most sacred Theravada Buddhist temple in Bangkok-
Read later

24
Chachoengsao is regarded as Thailand’s “city of Ganesha,” featuring three massive Hindu-
Buddhist gods Ganesha sculptures in three separate temples: The tallest seated Ganesha in
Thailand is 49m high at “Phrong Akat Temple,” while the highest standing Ganesha in Thailand
is 39m high at “Khlong Khuean Ganesh International Park.” The tallest resting Ganesha in
Thailand is 16m high and 22m long at “Saman Wattanaram Temple.”

Many films or television series begin production without a Hindu ceremony in which Ganesha is
prayed to and offerings offered to him. Ganesha shrines may be found all across Thailand. The
Royal Brahmin Temple, near the Giant Swing in downtown Bangkok, is one of the most
respected temples, with some of the oldest images. Other antique Ganesha sculptures may be
found all across Thailand, including a 10th-century bronze figure with Tamil and Thai
inscriptions uncovered in Phang-Na.

Wat Phra Sri Umadevi, a Hindu temple in Silom, also has a Ganesha figure that was brought
from India in the late 1800s. Due to unclear Buddhist/Hindu mythology, Thai Buddhists
regularly pay reverence to Ganesha and other Hindu deities.

Sri Mahamariamman Temple Bangkok (Wat Khaek Silom)//Prasat Phnom Rung, Thailand/ The Ganesha
Shrine, located at the Huai Khwang Intersection

The Ganesha Shrine, located at the Huai Khwang Intersection, the four corners of
Ratchadaphisek and Pracha Songkhro and Pracha Rat Bamphen Roads on the boundary between
Din Daeng and Huai Khwang Districts, is another widely respected Ganesha shrine in
Bangkok.This shrine was erected on the site of the old marble factory in the year 2000. It is
respected by both Thais and Chinese alike.

25
Department of Fine Arts Thailand Emblem having GANESH, Ministry of Culture

Ganesha or Phra Phikanet or Phra Phikanesuan is revered as the THAI god of prosperity
and success, as well as the conqueror of problems. In Thailand, Ganesha is called Phra
Phikanet (พระพิฆเนศ) or Phra Phikanesuan (พระพิฆเนศวร) and is worshipped as
the deity of fortune and success, and the remover of obstacles In Thailand, Ganesha is featured in
the Department of Fine Arts’ emblem. When business is booming, he is rewarded with Motaka,
sweets, and fruit, and when business is bad, he is rendered silly by turning his portrait or statue
upside down. He rests on a towering pedestal outside Bangkok’s CentralWorld (previously
World Trade Center), where visitors give flowers, incense, and a respectful Sawasdee as lord of
business and economy.

He is associated with arts, education and trade. Ganesha appears in the emblem of
the Department of Fine Arts in Thailand. Large television channels and production companies
have shrines in his honour in front of their premises. Few movies or television shows begin
shooting with a Hindu ritual in which prayers and offerings are made to Ganesha. There are
shrines to Ganesha across Thailand. One of the most revered shrines is the Royal Brahmin
Temple in central Bangkok by the Giant Swing, where some of the oldest images can be found.
Other old Ganesha images can be seen throughout Thailand, including a 10th-century bronze
image found at Phang-Na with both Tamil and Thai inscriptions. The Hindu temple Wat Phra Sri
Umadevi in Silom also houses a Ganesha image which was transported from India in the late
19th century. Thai Buddhists frequently pay respect to Ganesha and other Hindu deities as a
result of the overlapping Buddhist/Hindu cosmology.
He is honoured with Motaka, sweets and fruit, when business is good, and he is made ridiculous
by putting his picture or statue upside down, when business is down. As lord of business and
diplomacy, he sits on a high pedestal outside Bangkok's CentralWorld (formerly World Trade
Center), where people offer flowers, incense and a reverential sawasdee.

26
Ganesh Temple at Bali facing SEA/San Phra Kan is a shrine which was dedicated to Hindu
God Vishnu in Lop Buri.? Roadside Ganesh Shrine

Another highly revered Ganesha shrine in Bangkok, is the Ganesha Shrine at the corner of Huai
Khwang Intersection, the four-corners of Ratchadaphisek and Pracha Songkhro with Pracha Rat
Bamphen Roads on the border between Din Daeng and Huai Khwang Districts.
This shrine was built in 2000 on the site of a former marble factory. It is popularly worshiped by
both Thais and Chinese.
Chachoengsao is known as the "city of Ganesha in Thailand", with 3 huge Hindu-
Buddhist deity Ganesha (Phra Phikanet or พระพิฆเนศ in thai language) statues in 3
different temples around Chachoengsao: 49 meters tall sitting Ganesha at "Phrong Akat
Temple" which is the tallest sitting Ganesha in Thailand, 39 meters high standing Ganesha
at "Khlong Khuean Ganesh International Park" which is the tallest standing Ganesha in
Thailand, and 16 meters high and 22 meters long reclining Ganesha at "Saman Wattanaram
Temple".
In Indonesia

With regards to Indonesia, European scholars call him the 'Indonesian God of
Wisdom'. Bandung boasts a Ganesha Street. A Ganesha statue from the 1st century AD was
found on the summit of Mount Raksa in Panaitan Island, the Ujung Kulon National Park,

27
West Java. While there are not temples dedicated specifically to Gaṇeśa, he is found in every
Śiva shrine throughout the islands An 11th-century AD Ganesha statue (seen in the picture
below) was found in eastern Java, Kediri is placed in The Museum of Indian Art (Museum für
Indische Kunst), Berlin-Dahlem. The 9th century statue of Ganesha resides in western cella
(room) of Prambanan Hindu temple.
Ganesha is also featured in reliefs from Cambodian temples.
Ganesha is represented as having anywhere from one to five heads, so depictions with two heads
are not reliable evidence of a connection with JanusRepresentations of Ganesha with two heads
are uncommon, and according to Nagar, textual references to the adoration of Ganesha with two
heads are difficult to traceThere are no other examples of two-headed forms in which one head is
human other than the Dwimukhi-Ganesha form. In the thirty-two mediation forms of Ganesha
that are described in the Sritattvanidhi only one has two heads (Dwimukhi Ganapati, the
Ganapati with two faces), and both of those are heads of elephants, like all the other forms
described.

Ganesha in Ta Prohm, Angkor

Another highly regarded scripture, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, was probably composed during
the 16th or 17th centuries.How is Lord Ganesha being converted protect Buddhism ? Ganesh is
a popular deity of Shingon Sect, known as Kankiten 歓喜天.The Guan , Pusa changed herself into a
very beautiful woman and approached Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha fell in love with her
immediately and wanted to marry her.The Guan Yin Pusa agreed to marry him only upon
his vows to protect Buddhism. Lord Ganesha happily agreed to do so.
In the Buddhist version, Lord Ganesha is the husband Avalokitesvara.taoist chinese tradition he
is associated with loyalty, fortune (zheng cai) medicine (healing) qualities.He is also the God of
Wealth in Tibetan Buddhism. In Hinduism he is the God of Education, God of clearing obstacles
and blessed marriage and God of Businessmen. He is one of the protector of Buddhism. Not
known in mahayana ,but more in vajrayana. The Ganesha of Buddhism is quite at variance with
the god that Hindus are familiar with. He is the only Hindu god regarded as a bodhisattva a
(Buddha-to-be).Ganesha is an ambivalent figure in Tibetan Buddhism. Some scriptures depict
him as Vinayaka, a demon who must be propitiated in order to avoid destruction.He is also
shown being trampled upon by a Buddhist deity, Mahakala.

In another form, he is the Destroyer of Obstacles, Nrtta Ganapati, the dancing god who made his
way into Tibet through Nepal. As a red, many-limbed and fearfully armed deity, he is
emanation of Avalokiteswara, the Buddhist deity.The early Buddhists took Ganesha with them
to Japan, where he became minor deity called Kangiten.Several rituals and beliefs practiced by
his worshippers in Japan correspond with the Indian cult of Ganapatya.Many temples have been
28
dedicated to Ganesha in Japan. While businessmen propitiate him for success in their enterprises,
young lovers pray to him for a fruitful courtship. Every religious ceremony is started, even today
after invoking his blessings by reciting the shloka "Om-Ganeshaya-Namaha".Even today
in Buddhist Thailand, Ganesha is regarded as a remover of obstacles, the god of success.Before
the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and the adoration of
both Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced.A few examples of sculptures from the 5th to the
7th centuries have survived, suggesting that the worship of Ganesha was then in vogue in the
region.Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of
the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image
appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period.

In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne, derived from Pali Mahā
Wināyaka. The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikhanet or Phra
Phikhanesuan, both of which are derived from Vara Vighnesha and Vara
Vighneshvara respectively, whereas the name Khanet (from Ganesha) is rather rare. ‘

In Sri Lanka in the North-Central and North Western areas with majority Buddhists, Ganesha is
known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo while in other Singhala buddhist areas he is known as Gana
deviyo.

Nepal and Tibet: As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing. This form,
called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, later adopted in Nepal, and then in Tibet.
In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is very popular; he has five heads and
rides a lion. Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him. Tibetan
representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him In one Tibetan form he is shown
being trodden under foot by Mahākala, a popular Tibetan deity Other depictions show him as the
Destroyer of Obstacles, sometimes dancing Ganapati, Maha Rakta (Tibetan: ཚོགས་བདག
tsog gi dag po, mar chen. English: The Great Red Lord of Hosts or Ganas) is a Tantric Buddhist
form of Ganapati (Ganesha) related to the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras. This form of
Ganapati is regarded as an emanation of Avalokiteshvara.
"...beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, in the middle a blue rat
expelling various jewels, [above] Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant
face with sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with
a wishing-gem and a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve
hands, the six right hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle,
bow, khatvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield
together with a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and
skullcup filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening
manner. Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel
ornaments, the left foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright
rays of red flickering light." (Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup, 1497–1557).

29
 tshogs bdag

A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In one Tibetan form, he is shown being
trodden under foot by Mahākāla,(Shiva) a popular Tibetan deity. Other depictions show him as
the Destroyer of Obstacles, sometimes dancing.

China and Japan: Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that
show distinct regional character.In northern China, the earliest known stone statue
of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531.In Japan, where Ganesha is known as Kangiten,
the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806.The canonical literature of Jainism does not mention
the worship of Ganesha.

Jainism; However, Ganesha is worshipped by most Jains, for whom he appears to have taken
over certain functions of Kubera.Jain connections with the trading community support
the idea that Jainism took up Ganesha worship as a result of commercial connections.The earliest
known Jain Ganesha statue dates to about the 9th century.A 15th century Jain text lists
procedures for the installation of Ganapati images. Images of Ganesha appear in
the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Ganesha is worshipped by only some Jainas, for whom he appears to have taken over certain
functions of Kubera. Jaina connections with the trading community support the idea that Jainism
took up the worship of Ganesha as a result of commercial connections.
The Jaina canonical literature does not mention Ganesha.The earliest literary reference to
Ganesha in Jainism is in Abhidhāna chintāmani of Hemachandra (c.a. third quarter of twelfth
century). It refers to several appellations of Ganesha such
as Heramba, Ganavigneṣa and Vinayaka and visualizes him as elephant headed, pot-bellied,
bearing an axe and riding a mouse. In Swetambara Jaina work, Ācāradinakara of
Vardhamānasūri (c. AD 1412), Ganapati is propitiated even by the gods to get desirable things. It
is further mentioned that He is worshipped at the beginning of every auspicious ceremony and
new project. This practice is still very common in the Swetambara community. The text provides
procedures for the installation of Ganapati images.
The popularity is however not met with in Digambara texts. Excepting two medieval figures
carved at Udayagiri and Khandagiri caves, Orissa and an early figure at Mathura, his
representations are not found in any Digambara sites.The earliest known Jaina Ganesha statue at
Mathura with Jaina YakshiAmbika(the Jaina name for Gauri). dates to about the 9th century AD.
Images of Ganesha appear in the Jaina temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat. In the tenth-
century Mahavir at Ghanerav and eleventh-century temple in Osian, Rajasthan; Ganesha images
are found.

Worship and festivals

Ganesha is worshipped on many religious and secular occasions; especially at the beginning of
ventures such as buying a vehicle or starting a business. K.N. Somayaji says, "there can hardly
be a (Hindu) home [in India) which does not house an idol of Ganapati. [..] Ganapati, being the
most popular deity in India, is worshipped by almost all castes and in all parts of the

30
country".Devotees believe that if Ganesha is propitiated, he gives protection against adversity
and prosparity. Ganesha is a non-sectarian deity, and Hindus of all denominations invoke him at
the beginning of prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies.Dancers and
musicians, particularly in southern India, begin performances of arts such as
the Bharatnatyam dance with a prayer to Ganesha.Mantras such as

1.Om Shri Gaṇeshāya Namah (Om, salutation to the Illustrious Ganesha) are often used.

2. One of the most famous mantras associated with Ganesha is Om Gaṃ

Ganapataye Namah (Om, Gaṃ, Salutation to the Lord of Hosts). Devotees offer Ganesha sweets
such as modaka and small sweet balls (laddus). He is often shown carrying a bowl of sweets,
called a modakapātra.Because of his identification with the color red, he is often worshiped with
red sandalwood paste (raktacandana) or red flowers. Dūrvā grass (Cynodon dactylon) and other
materials are also used in his worship.

Festivals associated with Ganesh are Ganesh Chaturthi or Vināyaka chaturthī in

the śuklapakṣa (the fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month
of bhādrapada (August/September) and the Gaṇeśa jayanti (Gaṇeśa's birthday) celebrated on
the cathurthī of the śuklapakṣa (fourth day of the waxing moon) in the month
of māgha (January/February)."
Ganesha Chaturthi is an annual festival honors Ganesha for ten days, starting on Ganesha
Chaturthi, which typically falls in late August or early September. The festival begins
with people bringing in clay idols of Ganesha, symbolising Ganesha's visit.
The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when idols (murtis) of Ganesha are
immersed in the most convenient body of water. Some families have a tradition of immersion on
the 3rd, 5th, or 7th day.Today, Hindus across India celebrate the Ganapati festival with great
fervour, though it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra.The festival also assumes huge
proportions in Indian cities of Mumbai, Pune, and in the surrounding belt
of Ashtavinayaka temples.

Temples

Hindu temples, Ganesha is depicted in various ways: as an acolyte or subordinate deity (pãrśva-
devatã); as a deity related to the principal deity (parivāra-devatã); or as the principal deity of
the temple (pradhāna), treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of
transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which
is analogous to his role as Parvati’s doorkeeper.
In addition, several shrines are dedicated to Ganesha himself, of which aṣṭavināyaka meaning
"eight Ganesha (shrines)") in Maharashtra are particularly well known.

Located within a 100-kilometer radius of the city of Pune, each of these eight shrines celebrates a
particular form of Ganapati, complete with its own lore and legend.The eight shrines are:
Morgaon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.

There are many other important Ganesha temples at the following locations:

Wai in Maharashtra;

31
 1. Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur,
2. Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar;
3. Baroda, Dholaka, and Valsad in Gujarat and Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
4. Prominent Ganesha temples in southern India include the following:
5. Kanipakam in Chittoor;
6. the Jambukeśvara Temple at Tiruchirapalli;
7. Rameshvaram and Suchindram in Tamil Nadu;
8. Malliyur, Kottarakara, Pazhavangadi, Kasargod in Kerala,
9. Hampi, and Idagunji in Karnataka; and
10. Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.

If the origin of Ganesha can be found to the elephant found on Harappan seals, or to words
like Ganpati (lord of the group) in the Vedas, but there is no way to prove these references
embody what Ganesha means to the Hindu today. Likewise, we can trace the origin of the
prosperity-bestowing, elephant-headed Binayaka-ten and Kangi-ten found in contemporary
Japanese Buddhist temples to the Tantrik Ganeshas of 8th century India, but they clearly
embody a very different tributary of Oriental thought today. Of course, in times of religious
chauvinism, we can see these as proof of Hinduism’s impact on history and geography,
denied by Westernised scholarship.

The visual connection between Ganesha and the dwarf-like misshapen corpulent yakshas ,
keepers of treasures, also found in Buddhist and Jain lore is unmistakable. He appears as a
distinct deity in the Gupta period, which witnessed the waning of the old Vedic (Nigama, or
Shrauta) ways and the rise of the new Puranic (Agama, or Smarta) ways.

Ganapatyas Sect --The Tantric followers of GANESH

We know that 1,200 years ago, Ganesha was a major deity with a sect of his own, known as
the Ganapatyas. Around this time, a rock-cut shrine was built for him, in the era of the
Pallava kings, in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. Here, he was more popularly known as
Pillaiyar, which probably means ‘venerable young elephant’. About 500 years ago, the
Ganapatya saint, Morya Gosavi, popularised the worship of Ganesha in Maharashtra, where
Ganesha eventually became a patron deity of the Peshwas.

1. The first and most popular sect of the Ganesha cult worshipped ‘the Great’ Maha
Ganesha, a red skinned, three eyed, ten armed figure carrying his broken tusk, a
pomegranate, a club, Kama’s sugarcane bow, noose, blue lotus, a jewel box, a paddy sprig,
discus and a mace, which can all be seen in the picture above37, depicting this specific
aspect. Accompanied by a white ‘Shakti’ on his left, he is the representation of Ganesha as
the Supreme Being, and stands for happiness, prosperity and brilliance. 36 The Maha
Ganapatyas believe that he existed before the Universe, created it, and will continue to live
even after it has been destroyed

2. The second sect of the Ganapatyas are the Haridra Ganapatyas who worship Haridra
Ganapati (also known as Ratri Ganapati), whose picture can be seen above38. Golden in
color, dressed in yellow clothing, and sitting on an ornamental golden throne, the four

32
armed and three eyed Haridra Ganapati, holds his tusk, a modak, a noose to bring his
devotees forward and a goad to push them on.

3.Ucchista Ganapatyas is the third sect is the who follow the deity of ‘Blessed Offerings’
and the ‘Tantric Guardian of Culture’, as pictured above.39 Six armed and blue
complexioned, he holds a vina, pomegranate, a paddy sprig, a blue lotus and a rosary.
Accompanied by his consort, Ganesha has his trunk on her lap, and is often seen as an
erotic form because of her often nude appearance. This particular aspect is worshipped
when the devotee is in the sacrilegious state (Ucchista) state to get what is desired.

4. The fourth sect is the Lakshmi Ganapatya sect which worships the Lakshmi Ganapati for
his Intelligence and Accomplishment, as pictured above

5. The fifth sect is the Heramba Ganapatya which worships the Heramba aspect for protecting
the weak. This sect is particularly popular in Nepal, where the Tantric worship of Ganesha is
most popular. He is depicted with five faces – four facing the four directions and one raised to
the top, looking upwards - in white, riding a big lion to protect the weak. His hands are in varada
and abhay mudra to show protection and boon giving, while holding a rosary, noose, his tusk, a
modak, a battle-axe and mallet. He is worshipped with Devi or Shakti as his consort, which are
reincarnations of his mother Parvati. Heramba.

6. sixth most popular sect of the Ganesha cult is the Shakti Ganapatyas which worship the aspect
which combines the Maha, Urdhava, Ucchista, Lakshmi and Pingala aspects into one Tantric
form, as seen above. Eight armed and white, the Shakti Ganapati holds a parrot, a pomegranate, a
lotus, a water vessel, a gold set with rubies, goad, noose. He embraces his consort Sakti on his
left knee, and is known for guarding the household. His right hand is in abhay mudra
representing protection and hence, the Ganapatyas worship this aspect to bring peace and safety
to their households.

Female Ganapati

An interesting thing to note would be that a female form of Ganesha exists

which is known as Vinayaki or Ganeshvari, an elephant headed Hindu goddess.
Despite her mythology and iconography being undefined, she is a definite Matrika
goddess, as a Brahmanical consort of Ganesha because of her elephant headed
appearance.57
However. apart from Vinayaki, Ganapatyas individually worship all other
forms of Ganesha, focussing on some specific forms like the Ucchista Ganesha or the
Urdhava Ganesha or the Lakshmi Ganesha, depending on what sort of blessing they
hope to get. By following the tantric way of living, the Ganapatyas worship Ganesha as
the Supreme Lord, to ask for his help to purify things, rectify mistakes, sacrifice
themselves or get his blessings before starting something new.58 In conclusion, as
humble were the beginnings of this half human - half animal deity, it was the same
humble beginnings that lead to the rise of such a massive following in current times, as
without appealing to the lower parts of society, there would have been no way the
Ganesha cult would have gotten to where it is today as one fifth of the Panchayatana

33
Puja, affecting so many people all across the world.

Om Shri Siddhi Buddhi Sahitaye Mahaganapataye Namaha

Om Shri Ucchistha Ganapataye Namaha
Uchchhishta Ganapati (Sanskrit: उच्छिष्ट-गणपति, Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati) is a Tantric aspect
of the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganapati). He is the primary deity of the Uchchhishta
Ganapatya sect, one of six major schools of the Ganapatyas. He is worshipped primarily by
heterodox vamachara rituals. He is one of the thirty-two forms of Ganesha, frequently mentioned
in devotional literature. Herambasuta was one of the exponents of the Uchchhishta
Ganapatya sect.
The god derives his name from Uchchhishta ("leftovers"). The word refers to the food left over
at the end of a ritual, but in this context refers to its Tantric connotation. Uchchhishta is the food
kept in the mouth, which is contaminated with saliva, thus ritually impure and a taboo in
Hinduism. Uchchhishta Ganapati is the patron of the Uchchhishta Ganapatya sect, one of the six
major schools of the Ganapatya sect. They follow Tantric Vamachara ("left-handed") practices.
The sect may have been influenced by the Kaula worship of Shaktism (Goddess-oriented sect).
As per Vamachara practices, the deity is worshipped when the devotee is in
the Uchchhishta ("ritually impure") state, that is, nude or with remnants of food (Uchchhishta) in
his mouth.
Uchchhishta Ganapati is also associated with six rituals of abhichara (uses of spells for
malevolent purposes) by which the adept can cause the target to suffer delusions, be overcome
with irresistible attraction or envy, or to be enslaved, paralysed or killed.

34
Lord Ganesha is the god of success and the destroyer of evils and obstacles . He is the beloved
son of Aadi Shakti , the Supreme energy . Lord Ganesha is also worshiped as Mahaganapati and
Ucchista-Ganapati and many other forms . Mahaganapati is the higher form of Ganesha and
Ucchista Ganapti is the tantric Ganesha which is worshiped according to the Kaula form of left
hand worship of the Mother Goddess . Mahaganapati has the body smeared in Sindoor just like
his Mother , His colour is a reference to the dawn. He is often depicted with a third eye on his
forehead, a crescent moon over his head ten arms which hold a lotus, a pomegranate fruit, a gada

35
(mace), a chakra (discus), his own broken tusk, a pasha (noose), a jewelled water vessel or a pot
of jewels, a blue lotus, a rice sprig and a sugarcane bow. An alternate depiction replaces the
pomegranate with a mango and the gada with a shankha (conch) and elaborates that the jewelled
pot contains amrita which is the menstrual blood which is the symbol of fertility and birth in the
tantric.worship. Mahaganapati is considered the most powerful of all gods and is considered
equal or more powerful to Bramha , Vishnu and Shiva as he being trigunatma has all the three
important gunas ( Sattwa , Rajas and Tamas ) given by Mother Shakti . Parvati his Mother
becomes his Shakti and sits on his lap and provides him the power to perform the tasks of
creation , preservation and destruction . Mahaganapati is also worshiped as the supreme being in
the Ganapatya sect of Ganesha . He is the bestower of all wealth and happiness to his devotees
and removes the obstacles from their lives.

Ucchistha Ganapati is the Tantric Ganesha, is not necessarily a Buddhist deviation or

adaptation.It is an ancient Hindu concept which is an amalgam of good fortune in getting good
sex. Ucchistha means the left overs. The elephant-headed god is described to be reddish in
colour in the Mantra-maharnava, while mentioned as dark in the Uttara-kamikagama. The deity
is described to have four or six arms. He is described to be seated, sometimes specifically noted
in on padmasana (a lotus pedestal). The Uttara-kamikagama elaborates that he wears a ratna
mukuta (jewelled crown) and has a third eye on his forehead. The Kriyakramadyoti mentions
that the god carries in his six hands: a lotus (in some descriptions, a blue lotus),a pomegranate,
the veena, an akshamala (rosary) and a rice sprig.As per the Mantra-maharnava, he carries a bana
(arrow), a dhanus (bow), a pasha (noose) and an ankusha (elephant goad).

This form of Ganesha again has Shakti as his consort and she sits on his lap. She is described as
a beautiful young maiden and is also called as Vighneshwari . In the Kaula form of worship the
deities are worshiped naked as nudity is considered purity and again symbolizes the fertility and
beauty , so Ganesha in this form is not worshiped with clothes , the Shakti too sites naked . He
drinks the Yoni Amritam from the Yoni with his trunk and the Goddess touches his phallus .
Such erotic imagery is not known by everyone but is of huge importance to the Shaktas and
Ganapatya Hindus .

Many forms of Ganesha has Shakti as his consort , seated on his lap She holds a plate of modaks
in her lap and the god's trunk reaches into it, to fetch the sweet. The trunk is taken as a symbolic
of an "erotic bond" between Ganesha and the goddess. The Uchchhishta Ganapati takes the idea
a step further, by eliminating the bowl of sweets and allowing the trunk to reach the goddess's
yoni. This bond of the Goddess and God simply shows the importance of fertility , reproduction
and love in the lives of everyone and the worship of this God Goddess couple is mostly enjoyed
by couples .

Uchchhishta Ganapati is the patron of the Uchchhishta Ganapatya sect, one of the six major
schools of the Ganapatya sect. They follow the Tantric Vamachara ( left hand form of worship )
which came from the Kaula worship of Shaktism , the worship of Mother Goddess . This erotic
iconography also shows the oneness of Devi and Ganesha , as when Ganesha becomes one with
her through union he is blessed with all siddhis and powers which makes him the most powerful
of all deities . When Ganesha becomes powerful through her Shakti then it is also said the other

36
gods become jealous as when he took birth from Shakti this is also one of the reasons they fought
a war with the child Ganesha and Shiva beheaded him from behind with his trident .

Ucchista Ganapati and his consort Shakti may be impure or unsuitable for some orthodox
patriarchal hindus , this kind of relationship is taboo for them but not for the left hand path lovers
. Ganesha and Devi in this form is not bound by any caste and other differences , orthodox
patriarchal rules and restrictions . Devotee is free to come and explore with the God and Goddess
.As per the scriptures , Ucchistha Ganapati is bestower of all boons and is also the controller of
fie sensory organs . He is also the guardian of his devotees .

I C O N O G R A P H Y

The elephant-headed god is described to be red in colour in the Mantra-maharnava, while

mentioned as dark in the Uttara-kamikagama. Another description describes him to be blue in
complexion. The deity is described to have four or six arms. He is described to be seated,
sometimes specifically noted in on padmasana (a lotus pedestal). The Uttara-
kamikagama elaborates that he wears a ratna mukuta (jewelled crown) and has a third eye on his
forehead.
The Kriyakramadyoti mentions that the god carries in his six hands: a lotus (in some
descriptions, a blue lotus), a pomegranate, the veena, an akshamala (rosary) and a rice sprig. As
per the Mantra-maharnava, he carries a bana (arrow), a dhanus (bow), a pasha (noose) and
an ankusha (elephant goad). The Uttara-kamikagama says that the god has four arms and holds
a pasha, an ankusha and a sugarcane in three hands.
Rao classifies Uchchhishta Ganapati as one of the five Shakti-Ganesha icons, where Ganesha is
depicted with a shakti, that is, a female consort. The large figure of Ganesha is accompanied with
smaller figure of the consort. The nude devi (goddess) sits on his left lap. She has two arms and
wears various ornaments. In the Uttara-kamikagama, she is called Vighneshvari and is
prescribed to be sculpted as a beautiful, young maiden. The fourth hand of Uchchhishta Ganapati
touches the genitalia of the naked goddess. The Mantra-maharnava prescribes that the god
should be depicted as though he is trying to have intercourse.
The textual descriptions generally do not correspond to the sculptures of the deity. Uchchhishta
Ganapati is always shown with a naked consort, who is seated on his left lap. The god is
generally depicted with four arms and holds a pasha, an ankusha and a ladoo or a modak (a
sweet), while the fourth arm hugs the nude goddess around her hip. She holds a lotus or another
flower in the left hand. Instead of his hands, the tip of his elephant trunk touches
the yoni (vagina) of the goddess. Occasionally, the goddess touches the lingam (phallus) of the
god with her right hand. The god is depicted ithyphallic in the latter icon. Such erotic imagery is
restricted to his four-armed form.
Cohen notes that many Ganesha icons are depicted with a shakti, seated on his left hip. She holds
a plate of modaks in her lap and the god's trunk reaches into it, to fetch the sweet. The trunk is
taken as a symbolic of an "erotic bond" between Ganesha and the goddess. The Uchchhishta
Ganapati takes the idea a step further, by eliminating the bowl of sweets and allowing the trunk
to reach the goddess' yoni. This erotic iconography reflects the influence of the Tantric

37
Ganapatya (the sect that considered Ganesha as the Supreme Being) sects. The pomegranate is
also a symbol of fertility, often represented in the icons of the sects.

Uchchhishta Ganapati, Nanjangud, India/ Uchchhishta Ganapati, folio from the 19th-century Sritattvanidhi.
A rare depiction of the deity with a clothed goddess.

The iconography of the deity bears Kaula Tantric character. The erotic iconography is
interpreted to convey the oneness of Ganesha and Devi ("The Hindu Divine Mother").The sect
also worships a Ganesha, who is depicted drinking wine and also its use in worship, a taboo in
classical Hinduism (see Panchamakara). Adherents of this sect wear red marks on their
foreheads. This sect does not believe in caste and varna distinctions, disregards the orthodox
Hindu rules of sexual intercourse and marriage and leaves the adherence of traditional Hindu
rituals to the follower's own will.
As per the Kriyakramadyoti, Uchchhishta Ganapati is worshipped as a giver of great boons. Rao
notes that he is worshipped by "many" to gain the desired from the deity. He is also regarded as
the guardian of the country. Meditating over his form is said to impart control over the five
sensory organs. A temple dedicated to Uchchhishta Ganapati exists in Tirunelveli, where he is
worshipped as a giver of progeny.
The Kanchi Ganesh shrine within the Jagannath Temple, Puri houses the icon of Uchchhishta
Ganapati, also called Bhanda Ganapati and Kamada Ganapati, which was originally the patron
icon of Kanchipuram (Kanchi), but was brought to Puri as war booty when
the Gajapati king Purushottama Deva (1470–97) of Puri defeated Kanchi.
The relation between Nila saraswati and Ucchista Ganapati is both of Father-
Daughter,Husband-wife and Mother -son....Ucchista dev is the presiding deity of
the chaos before the creation and after the destruction...from this Chaos the
great Lord Ucchista comes out and begins his creation play!

For this he gives birth to Mahamaya..hence she becomes his daughter.

After this he mates with her for the creation. Hence they become husband wife.
38
After mating, Ucchista enters into Mahamaya's womb, and born from there as
the Universe!!!!

That's how he becomes her son.

This Mahamaya,is blue in colour which resembles her authority on the cosmic
universe.
She is Lord Ucchista's consciousness. Withour her, he can not do anything. They
are inseparable, like fire and its heat....water and its flow. They are Purna
Brahma and Mahamaya. Purus and Prakiti!!
<3

OM UCCHISTA GANANATHAE RAKTABARNAE PASANKUSHAHASTAE NILATARA

SAMETAE MUSHAKBAHANAE SARVASIDDHIDAE GUNESHPUTRAE
MAHAGANESHAE NAMO NAMAH!!! <3

The Amalgam of Tantricism and other forms --Ganapatya

This is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Ganesha (also called Ganapati) as the Saguna
Brahman.
The worship of Ganesha is considered complementary with the worship of other deities. Hindus
of all sects begin prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies with an invocation
of Ganesha, because of Ganesha's role as the god of beginnings. But although most Hindu sects
do revere Ganesha, the Ganapatya sect goes further than that, and declares Ganesha to be the
supreme being. Ganapatya is one of the five principal Hindu sects which focus on a particular
deity, alongside Shaivism, focussed on Shiva, Shaktism, focussed on Shakti, Vaishnavism,
focused on Vishnu, and Saura, focussed on Surya. While Ganapatya is not as large a sect as the
other four, it still has been influential. There is also the Smartism sect, which

39
follows Advaita philosophy and practices the "worship of the five forms" (pañcāyatana pūjā)
system, popularized by Śaṅkarācārya. In this system, the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu,
Shiva, Devī, and Sūrya are viewed as five equal forms of one Nirguna Brahman.
Ganapati has been worshipped as part of Shaivism since at least the fifth century. A specific
Ganapatya sect probably began to appear between the sixth and ninth centuries: six sects are
mentioned in the Sankara digvijaya (life of Adi Shankara) by Anandigiri. It reached a high point
about the tenth century, and built temples dedicated to Ganesha, the largest of which is the Ucchi
Pillayar Koil (the Columns Hall of a Thousand Pillars), on the Rock Fort of Tiruchirapalli
in Tamil Nadu. Ganesha is worshipped as the Supreme Being (Para Brahman) in this sect. Being
the chief deity in this form of Hinduism, he is known by the epithet Parameshwara (Supreme
God), which is normally reserved for Shiva.
Moraya Gosavi
Later, the sect was popularized by Morya Gosavi. According to one source, he found an idol of
Ganapati not made by human hands, and built the Moragao temple near Pune in the 14th century.
According to another, he experienced visions of Ganapati at the Morgaon shrine, and was
entombed alive (jeeva samadhi) in 1651, in a Ganesha temple at his birthplace in Chinchwad.
Following him, the Ganapatya sect became prominent between the seventeenth and nineteenth
centuries in Maharashtra in south western India, centering on Cinchwad. Its centre is still among
high-caste Hindus in the Marathi-speaking Maharashtra, and it is important in the rest of South
India. Devotees hold an annual pilgrimage between Chinchwad and Moragao.
Sect marks include a red circle on the forehead, or the brands of an elephant face and tusk on the
shoulders.

In contrast to the Brahma cult which has now declined completely, the Ganesha cult is still going
strong. One of the main reasons why the cult is still prominent is because its rise coincided with
the escalation of tantric worship in other parts of India, in the post Gupta period, which further
influenced each other in the worship. The Ganapatyas worship Ganesha as the ultimate God,
following the Ganapati Upanishad (mid 17th Century) where Ganesha is praised as the creator,
preserver, and destroyer of the worlds. They believe that Ganesha is the Lord of the Five
Elements, and that chanting ‘Om’ will please and placate him to provide them with blessings.
The symbol of ‘Om’, associated with Ganesha, is said to have been the inspiration for the

40
creation of Ganesha as Parvati pictured two elephants mating when she saw the symbol, from
which Ganesha was created.56 Since every mantra begins with ‘Om’ which is considered to be
the seed of the universe, Ganesha is the rebirth of the entire cosmic universe.

Chapter 2
Tantric Ganesh Paper
If the origin of Ganesha can be found to the elephant found on Harappan seals, or to words
like Ganpati (lord of the group) in the Vedas, but there is no way to prove these references
embody what Ganesha means to the Hindu today. Likewise, we can trace the origin of the
prosperity-bestowing, elephant-headed Binayaka-ten and Kangi-ten found in contemporary
Japanese Buddhist temples to the Tantrik Ganeshas of 8th century India, but they clearly
embody a very different tributary of Oriental thought today. Of course, in times of religious
chauvinism, we can see these as proof of Hinduism’s impact on history and geography,
denied by Westernised scholarship.

The visual connection between Ganesha and the dwarf-like misshapen corpulent yakshas ,
keepers of treasures, also found in Buddhist and Jain lore is unmistakable. He appears as a
distinct deity in the Gupta period, which witnessed the waning of the old Vedic (Nigama, or
Shrauta) ways and the rise of the new Puranic (Agama, or Smarta) ways.

Ganapatyas Sect --The Tantric followers of GANESH

We know that 1,200 years ago, Ganesha was a major deity with a sect of his own, known as
the Ganapatyas. Around this time, a rock-cut shrine was built for him, in the era of the
Pallava kings, in Tiruchirappalli in Tamil Nadu. Here, he was more popularly known as
Pillaiyar, which probably means ‘venerable young elephant’. About 500 years ago, the
Ganapatya saint, Morya Gosavi, popularised the worship of Ganesha in Maharashtra, where
Ganesha eventually became a patron deity of the Peshwas.

1. The first and most popular sect of the Ganesha cult worshipped ‘the Great’ Maha
Ganesha, a red skinned, three eyed, ten armed figure carrying his broken tusk, a
pomegranate, a club, Kama’s sugarcane bow, noose, blue lotus, a jewel box, a paddy sprig,
discus and a mace, which can all be seen in the picture above37, depicting this specific
aspect. Accompanied by a white ‘Shakti’ on his left, he is the representation of Ganesha as
the Supreme Being, and stands for happiness, prosperity and brilliance. 36 The Maha
Ganapatyas believe that he existed before the Universe, created it, and will continue to live
even after it has been destroyed

2. The second sect of the Ganapatyas are the Haridra Ganapatyas who worship Haridra
Ganapati (also known as Ratri Ganapati), whose picture can be seen above38. Golden in
color, dressed in yellow clothing, and sitting on an ornamental golden throne, the four
armed and three eyed Haridra Ganapati, holds his tusk, a modak, a noose to bring his
devotees forward and a goad to push them on.

41
3.Ucchista Ganapatyas is the third sect is the who follow the deity of ‘Blessed Offerings’
and the ‘Tantric Guardian of Culture’, as pictured above.39 Six armed and blue
complexioned, he holds a vina, pomegranate, a paddy sprig, a blue lotus and a rosary.
Accompanied by his consort, Ganesha has his trunk on her lap, and is often seen as an
erotic form because of her often nude appearance. This particular aspect is worshipped
when the devotee is in the sacrilegious state (Ucchista) state to get what is desired.

4. The fourth sect is the Lakshmi Ganapatya sect which worships the Lakshmi Ganapati for
his Intelligence and Accomplishment, as pictured above

5. The fifth sect is the Heramba Ganapatya which worships the Heramba aspect for protecting
the weak. This sect is particularly popular in Nepal, where the Tantric worship of Ganesha is
most popular. He is depicted with five faces – four facing the four directions and one raised to
the top, looking upwards - in white, riding a big lion to protect the weak. His hands are in varada
and abhay mudra to show protection and boon giving, while holding a rosary, noose, his tusk, a
modak, a battle-axe and mallet. He is worshipped with Devi or Shakti as his consort, which are
reincarnations of his mother Parvati. Heramba.

6. sixth most popular sect of the Ganesha cult is the Shakti Ganapatyas which worship the aspect
which combines the Maha, Urdhava, Ucchista, Lakshmi and Pingala aspects into one Tantric
form, as seen above. Eight armed and white, the Shakti Ganapati holds a parrot, a pomegranate, a
lotus, a water vessel, a gold set with rubies, goad, noose. He embraces his consort Sakti on his
left knee, and is known for guarding the household. His right hand is in abhay mudra
representing protection and hence, the Ganapatyas worship this aspect to bring peace and safety
to their households.

Female Ganapati

An interesting thing to note would be that a female form of Ganesha exists

which is known as Vinayaki or Ganeshvari, an elephant headed Hindu goddess.
Despite her mythology and iconography being undefined, she is a definite Matrika
goddess, as a Brahmanical consort of Ganesha because of her elephant headed
appearance.57
However. apart from Vinayaki, Ganapatyas individually worship all other
forms of Ganesha, focussing on some specific forms like the Ucchista Ganesha or the
Urdhava Ganesha or the Lakshmi Ganesha, depending on what sort of blessing they
hope to get. By following the tantric way of living, the Ganapatyas worship Ganesha as
the Supreme Lord, to ask for his help to purify things, rectify mistakes, sacrifice
themselves or get his blessings before starting something new.58 In conclusion, as
humble were the beginnings of this half human - half animal deity, it was the same
humble beginnings that lead to the rise of such a massive following in current times, as
without appealing to the lower parts of society, there would have been no way the
Ganesha cult would have gotten to where it is today as one fifth of the Panchayatana
Puja, affecting so many people all across the world.

42
 Om Shri Siddhi Buddhi Sahitaye Mahaganapataye Namaha
Om Shri Ucchistha Ganapataye Namaha
Uchchhishta Ganapati (Sanskrit: उच्छिष्ट-गणपति, Ucchiṣṭa Gaṇapati) is a Tantric aspect
of the Hindu god Ganesha (Ganapati). He is the primary deity of the Uchchhishta
Ganapatya sect, one of six major schools of the Ganapatyas. He is worshipped primarily by
heterodox vamachara rituals. He is one of the thirty-two forms of Ganesha, frequently mentioned
in devotional literature. Herambasuta was one of the exponents of the Uchchhishta
Ganapatya sect.
The god derives his name from Uchchhishta ("leftovers"). The word refers to the food left over
at the end of a ritual, but in this context refers to its Tantric connotation. Uchchhishta is the food
kept in the mouth, which is contaminated with saliva, thus ritually impure and a taboo in
Hinduism. Uchchhishta Ganapati is the patron of the Uchchhishta Ganapatya sect, one of the six
major schools of the Ganapatya sect. They follow Tantric Vamachara ("left-handed") practices.
The sect may have been influenced by the Kaula worship of Shaktism (Goddess-oriented sect).
As per Vamachara practices, the deity is worshipped when the devotee is in
the Uchchhishta ("ritually impure") state, that is, nude or with remnants of food (Uchchhishta) in
his mouth.
Uchchhishta Ganapati is also associated with six rituals of abhichara (uses of spells for
malevolent purposes) by which the adept can cause the target to suffer delusions, be overcome
with irresistible attraction or envy, or to be enslaved, paralysed or killed.

43
44
Lord Ganesha is the god of success and the destroyer of evils and obstacles . He is the beloved
son of Aadi Shakti , the Supreme energy . Lord Ganesha is also worshiped as Mahaganapati and
Ucchista-Ganapati and many other forms . Mahaganapati is the higher form of Ganesha and
Ucchista Ganapti is the tantric Ganesha which is worshiped according to the Kaula form of left
hand worship of the Mother Goddess . Mahaganapati has the body smeared in Sindoor just like
his Mother , His colour is a reference to the dawn. He is often depicted with a third eye on his
forehead, a crescent moon over his head ten arms which hold a lotus, a pomegranate fruit, a gada
(mace), a chakra (discus), his own broken tusk, a pasha (noose), a jewelled water vessel or a pot
of jewels, a blue lotus, a rice sprig and a sugarcane bow. An alternate depiction replaces the
pomegranate with a mango and the gada with a shankha (conch) and elaborates that the jewelled
pot contains amrita which is the menstrual blood which is the symbol of fertility and birth in the
tantric.worship. Mahaganapati is considered the most powerful of all gods and is considered
equal or more powerful to Bramha , Vishnu and Shiva as he being trigunatma has all the three
important gunas ( Sattwa , Rajas and Tamas ) given by Mother Shakti . Parvati his Mother
becomes his Shakti and sits on his lap and provides him the power to perform the tasks of
creation , preservation and destruction . Mahaganapati is also worshiped as the supreme being in
the Ganapatya sect of Ganesha . He is the bestower of all wealth and happiness to his devotees
and removes the obstacles from their lives.

Ucchistha Ganapati is the Tantric Ganesha, is not necessarily a Buddhist deviation or

adaptation.It is an ancient Hindu concept which is an amalgam of good fortune in getting good
sex. Ucchistha means the left overs. The elephant-headed god is described to be reddish in
colour in the Mantra-maharnava, while mentioned as dark in the Uttara-kamikagama. The deity
is described to have four or six arms. He is described to be seated, sometimes specifically noted

45
in on padmasana (a lotus pedestal). The Uttara-kamikagama elaborates that he wears a ratna
mukuta (jewelled crown) and has a third eye on his forehead. The Kriyakramadyoti mentions
that the god carries in his six hands: a lotus (in some descriptions, a blue lotus),a pomegranate,
the veena, an akshamala (rosary) and a rice sprig.As per the Mantra-maharnava, he carries a bana
(arrow), a dhanus (bow), a pasha (noose) and an ankusha (elephant goad).

This form of Ganesha again has Shakti as his consort and she sits on his lap. She is described as
a beautiful young maiden and is also called as Vighneshwari . In the Kaula form of worship the
deities are worshiped naked as nudity is considered purity and again symbolizes the fertility and
beauty , so Ganesha in this form is not worshiped with clothes , the Shakti too sites naked . He
drinks the Yoni Amritam from the Yoni with his trunk and the Goddess touches his phallus .
Such erotic imagery is not known by everyone but is of huge importance to the Shaktas and
Ganapatya Hindus .

Many forms of Ganesha has Shakti as his consort , seated on his lap She holds a plate of modaks
in her lap and the god's trunk reaches into it, to fetch the sweet. The trunk is taken as a symbolic
of an "erotic bond" between Ganesha and the goddess. The Uchchhishta Ganapati takes the idea
a step further, by eliminating the bowl of sweets and allowing the trunk to reach the goddess's
yoni. This bond of the Goddess and God simply shows the importance of fertility , reproduction
and love in the lives of everyone and the worship of this God Goddess couple is mostly enjoyed
by couples .

Uchchhishta Ganapati is the patron of the Uchchhishta Ganapatya sect, one of the six major
schools of the Ganapatya sect. They follow the Tantric Vamachara ( left hand form of worship )
which came from the Kaula worship of Shaktism , the worship of Mother Goddess . This erotic
iconography also shows the oneness of Devi and Ganesha , as when Ganesha becomes one with
her through union he is blessed with all siddhis and powers which makes him the most powerful
of all deities . When Ganesha becomes powerful through her Shakti then it is also said the other
gods become jealous as when he took birth from Shakti this is also one of the reasons they fought
a war with the child Ganesha and Shiva beheaded him from behind with his trident .

Ucchista Ganapati and his consort Shakti may be impure or unsuitable for some orthodox
patriarchal hindus , this kind of relationship is taboo for them but not for the left hand path lovers
. Ganesha and Devi in this form is not bound by any caste and other differences , orthodox
patriarchal rules and restrictions . Devotee is free to come and explore with the God and Goddess
.As per the scriptures , Ucchistha Ganapati is bestower of all boons and is also the controller of
fie sensory organs . He is also the guardian of his devotees .

I C O N O G R A P H Y

The elephant-headed god is described to be red in colour in the Mantra-maharnava, while

mentioned as dark in the Uttara-kamikagama. Another description describes him to be blue in
complexion. The deity is described to have four or six arms. He is described to be seated,
sometimes specifically noted in on padmasana (a lotus pedestal). The Uttara-

46
kamikagama elaborates that he wears a ratna mukuta (jewelled crown) and has a third eye on his
forehead.
The Kriyakramadyoti mentions that the god carries in his six hands: a lotus (in some
descriptions, a blue lotus), a pomegranate, the veena, an akshamala (rosary) and a rice sprig. As
per the Mantra-maharnava, he carries a bana (arrow), a dhanus (bow), a pasha (noose) and
an ankusha (elephant goad). The Uttara-kamikagama says that the god has four arms and holds
a pasha, an ankusha and a sugarcane in three hands.
Rao classifies Uchchhishta Ganapati as one of the five Shakti-Ganesha icons, where Ganesha is
depicted with a shakti, that is, a female consort. The large figure of Ganesha is accompanied with
smaller figure of the consort. The nude devi (goddess) sits on his left lap. She has two arms and
wears various ornaments. In the Uttara-kamikagama, she is called Vighneshvari and is
prescribed to be sculpted as a beautiful, young maiden. The fourth hand of Uchchhishta Ganapati
touches the genitalia of the naked goddess. The Mantra-maharnava prescribes that the god
should be depicted as though he is trying to have intercourse.
The textual descriptions generally do not correspond to the sculptures of the deity. Uchchhishta
Ganapati is always shown with a naked consort, who is seated on his left lap. The god is
generally depicted with four arms and holds a pasha, an ankusha and a ladoo or a modak (a
sweet), while the fourth arm hugs the nude goddess around her hip. She holds a lotus or another
flower in the left hand. Instead of his hands, the tip of his elephant trunk touches
the yoni (vagina) of the goddess. Occasionally, the goddess touches the lingam (phallus) of the
god with her right hand. The god is depicted ithyphallic in the latter icon. Such erotic imagery is
restricted to his four-armed form.
Cohen notes that many Ganesha icons are depicted with a shakti, seated on his left hip. She holds
a plate of modaks in her lap and the god's trunk reaches into it, to fetch the sweet. The trunk is
taken as a symbolic of an "erotic bond" between Ganesha and the goddess. The Uchchhishta
Ganapati takes the idea a step further, by eliminating the bowl of sweets and allowing the trunk
to reach the goddess' yoni. This erotic iconography reflects the influence of the Tantric
Ganapatya (the sect that considered Ganesha as the Supreme Being) sects. The pomegranate is
also a symbol of fertility, often represented in the icons of the sects.

47
Uchchhishta Ganapati, Nanjangud, India/ Uchchhishta Ganapati, folio from the 19th-century Sritattvanidhi. A
rare depiction of the deity with a clothed goddess.

The iconography of the deity bears Kaula Tantric character. The erotic iconography is
interpreted to convey the oneness of Ganesha and Devi ("The Hindu Divine Mother").The sect
also worships a Ganesha, who is depicted drinking wine and also its use in worship, a taboo in
classical Hinduism (see Panchamakara). Adherents of this sect wear red marks on their
foreheads. This sect does not believe in caste and varna distinctions, disregards the orthodox
Hindu rules of sexual intercourse and marriage and leaves the adherence of traditional Hindu
rituals to the follower's own will.
As per the Kriyakramadyoti, Uchchhishta Ganapati is worshipped as a giver of great boons. Rao
notes that he is worshipped by "many" to gain the desired from the deity. He is also regarded as
the guardian of the country. Meditating over his form is said to impart control over the five
sensory organs. A temple dedicated to Uchchhishta Ganapati exists in Tirunelveli, where he is
worshipped as a giver of progeny.
The Kanchi Ganesh shrine within the Jagannath Temple, Puri houses the icon of Uchchhishta
Ganapati, also called Bhanda Ganapati and Kamada Ganapati, which was originally the patron
icon of Kanchipuram (Kanchi), but was brought to Puri as war booty when
the Gajapati king Purushottama Deva (1470–97) of Puri defeated Kanchi.
The relation between Nila saraswati and Ucchista Ganapati is both of Father-
Daughter,Husband-wife and Mother -son....Ucchista dev is the presiding deity of
the chaos before the creation and after the destruction...from this Chaos the
great Lord Ucchista comes out and begins his creation play!

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For this he gives birth to Mahamaya..hence she becomes his daughter.
After this he mates with her for the creation. Hence they become husband wife.
After mating, Ucchista enters into Mahamaya's womb, and born from there as
the Universe!!!!

That's how he becomes her son.

This Mahamaya,is blue in colour which resembles her authority on the cosmic
universe.
She is Lord Ucchista's consciousness. Withour her, he can not do anything. They
are inseparable, like fire and its heat....water and its flow. They are Purna
Brahma and Mahamaya. Purus and Prakiti!!
<3

OM UCCHISTA GANANATHAE RAKTABARNAE PASANKUSHAHASTAE NILATARA

SAMETAE MUSHAKBAHANAE SARVASIDDHIDAE GUNESHPUTRAE
MAHAGANESHAE NAMO NAMAH!!! <3

The Amalgam of Tantricism and other forms --Ganapatya

This is a denomination of Hinduism that worships Ganesha (also called Ganapati) as the Saguna
Brahman.
The worship of Ganesha is considered complementary with the worship of other deities. Hindus
of all sects begin prayers, important undertakings, and religious ceremonies with an invocation

49
of Ganesha, because of Ganesha's role as the god of beginnings. But although most Hindu sects
do revere Ganesha, the Ganapatya sect goes further than that, and declares Ganesha to be the
supreme being. Ganapatya is one of the five principal Hindu sects which focus on a particular
deity, alongside Shaivism, focussed on Shiva, Shaktism, focussed on Shakti, Vaishnavism,
focused on Vishnu, and Saura, focussed on Surya. While Ganapatya is not as large a sect as the
other four, it still has been influential. There is also the Smartism sect, which
follows Advaita philosophy and practices the "worship of the five forms" (pañcāyatana pūjā)
system, popularized by Śaṅkarācārya. In this system, the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu,
Shiva, Devī, and Sūrya are viewed as five equal forms of one Nirguna Brahman.
Ganapati has been worshipped as part of Shaivism since at least the fifth century. A specific
Ganapatya sect probably began to appear between the sixth and ninth centuries: six sects are
mentioned in the Sankara digvijaya (life of Adi Shankara) by Anandigiri. It reached a high point
about the tenth century, and built temples dedicated to Ganesha, the largest of which is the Ucchi
Pillayar Koil (the Columns Hall of a Thousand Pillars), on the Rock Fort of Tiruchirapalli
in Tamil Nadu. Ganesha is worshipped as the Supreme Being (Para Brahman) in this sect. Being
the chief deity in this form of Hinduism, he is known by the epithet Parameshwara (Supreme
God), which is normally reserved for Shiva.
Moraya Gosavi
Later, the sect was popularized by Morya Gosavi. According to one source, he found an idol of
Ganapati not made by human hands, and built the Moragao temple near Pune in the 14th century.
According to another, he experienced visions of Ganapati at the Morgaon shrine, and was
entombed alive (jeeva samadhi) in 1651, in a Ganesha temple at his birthplace in Chinchwad.
Following him, the Ganapatya sect became prominent between the seventeenth and nineteenth
centuries in Maharashtra in south western India, centering on Cinchwad. Its centre is still among
high-caste Hindus in the Marathi-speaking Maharashtra, and it is important in the rest of South
India. Devotees hold an annual pilgrimage between Chinchwad and Moragao.
Sect marks include a red circle on the forehead, or the brands of an elephant face and tusk on the
shoulders.

In contrast to the Brahma cult which has now declined completely, the Ganesha cult is still going
strong. One of the main reasons why the cult is still prominent is because its rise coincided with

50
the escalation of tantric worship in other parts of India, in the post Gupta period, which further
influenced each other in the worship. The Ganapatyas worship Ganesha as the ultimate God,
following the Ganapati Upanishad (mid 17th Century) where Ganesha is praised as the creator,
preserver, and destroyer of the worlds. They believe that Ganesha is the Lord of the Five
Elements, and that chanting ‘Om’ will please and placate him to provide them with blessings.
The symbol of ‘Om’, associated with Ganesha, is said to have been the inspiration for the
creation of Ganesha as Parvati pictured two elephants mating when she saw the symbol, from
which Ganesha was created.56 Since every mantra begins with ‘Om’ which is considered to be
the seed of the universe, Ganesha is the rebirth of the entire cosmic universe.
NAMO NAMAH!!! <3

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 Chapter 3
Tantra and Ganesh
When discussing Tantra, many immediately think of tantric sex. But Tantra is so much more than
that. Tantra is an ancient spiritual path that turns into a self-development system in which the
human body is seen as a microcosm of the universe. In Tantra, there is no distinction between
pure and impure and no difference between the self and the divine. Tantra shatters the cultural
conditions of the mind and ego-led emotions such as hate and fear. Instead, it adopts a non-
discriminating attitude that breaks taboos. Tantra is both a lived experience and science that
people can use to bring out their inherent spiritual power.

The History of Tantra

Tantric philosophy dates back to first-century India. The word is coined from the word tan which
means to weave or compose. Originally, Tantra is an instructional text, often a dialogue between a
goddess and a god. After the breakdown of two major dynasties, Guptas and Vakatakas, the
popularity of Tantra rose, simultaneously with the rise of new kingdoms, across the land. At this
time arts flourished and Tantra goddesses were depicted everywhere.
Tantric god Bhairava, was worshiped by early tantric practitioners called Tantrikas. They
mimicked his anarchic appearance, to obtain his power. Many rulers worshiped Bhairava as well
because they believed that this would strengthen their political positions. The practice accepts
people of all social backgrounds. Since it challenged the caste system Tantra has become
particularly appealing to women and marginalised groups. Among early followers was a poet
called Karaikkal Ammaiyar, who left her role of obedient wife to become a Tantrikas.

52
53
Tantra Practice and Worldview

The Tantric worldview believes that all material reality is made by the feminine power of Shakti,
which led to the sudden rise of goddesses worshiping in medieval India. Shakti epitomised the
tension between maternal and catastrophic. But this isn’t the only goddess Indians worshiped.
Yoginis goddesses, which could change shape and turn into women, tigers, or other animals, were
also highly revered. Many Tantrikas wanted to obtain their powers to take control over others.
Apart from immortality, these goddesses could protect from epidemics and enemies, and even
help gain new territories.
In Tantric philosophy, the human body is visualised as a microcosm of the universe. The whole
body becomes an instrument through which the cosmic power reveals itself. Through biological
and psychological processes our entire body becomes Yantra. Since everything that exists within
one human body also exists in the universe, by studying the human body and by searching the
truth within, we’ll be able to better understand the universe.

Tantric Yoga

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One of more popular tantric practices is tantric yoga also known as hatha yoga roughly translated
to “yoga of force”. The practice employs complex poses and muscular contraction to manage
breathing. While practicing the practitioners are visualising an individual source of Shakti, at the
base of the spine. Around the spine, a network of energy is located known as chakras. Every
chakra has a deity, and together they create the yogic body. The individual source of Shakti, a
divine feminine power, surges like a current, filling chakras thus transforming the world through
the body rather than transcending it.

Tantric Sex

Tantric sex represents the merging of souls, as sex awakens a powerful source of energy that can
be used for spiritual growth. In Tantra sex, awareness represents the most powerful aphrodisiacs.
By being present and aware, the partners tune into their natural sexual vitality and awaken the
wisdom of the body on an inner level. In Western traditions, Tantra is often reduced to ritualised
sex alone, a misconception dating back to the 19th century. Tantric sex aims to use sexual energy
to reach the altered state of conciseness.
Orgasm isn’t necessarily a goal of tantric sex. By controlling sexual energy a couple can go to a
higher plane of awareness and spirituality. In Tantra, sex is sacred, and not something you should
hide or be ashamed of. While many traditions, shy away from eye contact during sex, in tantric
sex lovers gaze into each other eyes as it is believed that the eyes are gateways to the souls.
Synchronisation of the breath, takes sex to another level, by combining life forces and enhancing
the feeling of togetherness.\

Tantra and Art

Tantra has influenced art in a multitude of ways. Ancient Tantra temples are full of sculptures
representing goddesses and gods that Tantracis worship. Many Tantra temples featured circular
and roofless designs, with numerous sculptures of goddesses and gods incorporated into the walls.
After the independence of India and Pakistan, the artists rediscovered pre-colonial traditions
which they mixed with modern art genres. For example, many made images reflecting on social
inclusivity and spiritual freedom.

Debunking the Misconceptions about Tantra

If you want to learn more about Tantra, spanning beyond the Western theory of sin, make sure to
visit our upcoming event. Tantra: Art, Science & Sexual Rituals an all-encompassing lecture
about the history, meaning, and misconceptions about Tantra. During an hour-long talk our guest
lecturer Aditi Kumar, an art historian, curator, and cultural practitioner, will demystify the
philosophy of Tantra. Join us to explore the vitality and diversity of the ancient practice and gain
a deeper understanding of the traditions. Biren De via The British Museum

Tibetan Ganesh?

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The distinctive Dancing Ganesha relief in Candi Sukuh has a similarity with the Tantric ritual
found in the history of Buddhism in Tibet written by Taranatha. The Tantric ritual is associated
with several figures, one of whom is described as the "King of Dogs" (Sanskrit: Kukuraja),
the mahasiddha who taught his disciples by day, and by night performed Ganacakra in a burial
ground or charnel ground. Importantly, Ganesha also appears in Buddhism, not only in the form
of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also portrayed as a Hindu demon form also called Vināyaka.
Ganesha's image may be found on Buddhist sculptures of the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist
god Vināyaka, Ganesha is often shown dancing, a form called Nṛtta Ganapati that was popular in
North India and adopted in Nepal and then into Tibet. Sukuh temple has a distinctive thematic
reliefs from other candi where life before birth and sexual education are its main theme. Its main
monument is a simple pyramid structure with reliefs and statues in front of it, including three
tortoises with flattened shells and a male figure grasping his penis. A giant 1.82 m (6 ft) high of
lingga (phallus) with four balls, representing penile incisions, was one of the statues that has
been relocated to the National Museum of Indonesia.

The Mudgalpurana has described Lord Ganesha, in his eight chief incarnations. Each one brings
forth a certain quality and aspect of that particular purpose, for which he incarnated, at various
periods in mythology. The peoples of this Earth are very dear to Him, and each time the
existence of the human was threatened with a mighty show of negative powers, he came forth, in
all His glory, to save them. Each of these demons symbolizes a particular negative quality ever
present in the human mind and heart. So this is also a symbolic mastery over all these negative
aspects of the personality, to qualify as a Perfect Master.

This Beloved Being, a human with an elephant head, is much loved in India, and I was surprised
to note, that even in Western countries His name is revered, and little statues of His likeness are
kept in their altars. Even those who do not know of the religious powers of Lord Ganesha find
themselves inevitably attracted to His likenesses, and end up having Him in their homes.

1.Vakratunda: When the demon Matsarasur threatened to annihilate humankind, Lord Ganesha
came riding a Lion, in His incarnation as Vakratunda, forcing Matsarasur to surrender before
Him.
2. Ekdanta: The second time around Lord Ganesha incarnated as Ekdanta, using the mouse as
his vehicle of transportation, to overcome the force of the demon Madasur, and capture him.
3. Mahodara: As Mahodara, Lord Ganesha overcame the combined forces of the three demons,
Mohasur, Durbuddhi, and his son Jnanaari, capturing the first, and slaying the other two.
4. Gajanana: In his forth incarnation, he was known as Gajanana, where he overcame the forces
of Lobhasur, son of Kuber, while riding along on a mouse.
5. Lambodara: The great angry demon Krodhasur was made to surrender before Him, as he
incarnated as Lambodara, using the mouse again to ride into the battle. He also killed the demon
Mayakar in this fierce battle.
6. Vikata: The demon Kamasur surrendered when Lord Ganesha appeared to him in this
incarnation, riding a resplendent peacock.
7. Vighnaraja: This is His most popular incarnation, known as The Remover of Obstacles.
Riding his vehicle called Sheshnag, a serpent, he strode into battle with Mamtasur, and overcame
him.

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8. Dhoomravarna: Lord Ganesha's eighth incarnation was as Dhoomravarna, when he went
forward on his little mouse, to conquer the last of the demons controlling the human personality,
Ahamtasur.

The word "Aham" signifies the human ego, and this is the demonic force which never lets go of
the human till the very end. This is so entrenched in the psyche, so that the human thinks that this
is all that he can identify with. This demon has also been called Ahamkarasur, or Abhimanasur,
both words again pointing to the inextricable control of the ego on the human.

The Vināyakas were a group of four troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties
in Hindu mythology, but who were easily propitiated. One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that
he gradually came to prominence in connection with the Vināyakas.

In Puranic literature of a much later period the group of four Vināyakas was merged into one
definite god named Vināyaka whom Rudra appointed as the "Leader of the Ganas"
(Ganapati). This Vināyaka-Ganapati is associated with another god called Dantin, "the one with
the tusk," who is said to possess a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and who holds a corn-sheaf, a
sugar cane, and a club. This description of Dantin is so characteristic of the Puranic Ganapati that
Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with this Vedic Dantin." The name
Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras.
In the Smrti of Yājñavalkya, written in the 6th century, Vināyaka is definitely mentioned as a
demon who had been exalted to the rank of a deva. He is clearly described as elephant-headed
by the 8th century.

Mānava-Gṛhyasūtras
The Vināyakas in their original demonic role are mentioned only in a limited number of
Brahmanical texts that are essentially within only one school of the Vedas, the Kṛṣṇa Yajur
Veda.

The Vināyakas are first mentioned in the where they appear as four demonic creatures. Dating
for the Mānava-Gṛhyasūtra is only tentative, but P. V. Kane assigns it to a period prior to 600-
300 BCE and considers that they had attained a position of authority in the 2nd century BCE. S.
Bhattachrji dates them between 600-200 BCE. Macdonell dates them between 500-200 BCE.
Thapan concludes that the period reflected in the Vināyaka section of the Mānava-
Gṛhyasūtra must have been between the end of the 3rd and early 2nd century BCE. She based
this conclusion in part on the fact that in the Mānava-Gṛhyasūtra the Vināyakas are associated
with various other beings, including three of the four Buddhist lokpālas (guardians of the
quarters), as well as the deities Mahādeva and Mahāsena. Mahādeva and Mahāsena were popular
gods during the Aśokan period, a time when the spread of Buddhism must have posed a
challenge to adherents of the Vedic tradition. Thapan says that this association implies that "not
only was Buddhism viewed inimically by the brāmaņa authors of this text..., but so were
Mahādeva and Mahāsena."

The Vināyakas are also mentioned in the Mahābhārata where their role shows a distinct change
in two different age strata of that epic.[

57
 In the Śānti Parva they are depicted as evil beings and are mentioned along
with bhūtas and piśācas. These passages may date shortly after the composition of
the Mānava Gṛhya Sūtras.
 In the Anuśāsana Parva they lose their evil characterization and are worshipped as
the Gaṇeśvara-Vināyakas, part of the Rudragaṇa contingent. These passages are certainly
dated as belonging to the first one or two centuries CE. A passage in the Sabhā Parva which
mentions a being named Danti belongs to the same period. Danti appears to be synonymous
with the Mahākāya (One having a huge body) who is named along with the Gaṇeśvara-
Vināyakas as part of Śiva's entourage in the Anuśāsana Parva.

Thapan notes that almost all of the references to the Vināyakas, Danti, and their related beings do
not appear in the main body of the critical edition of the Mahābhārata, but are only mentioned in
the Appendices. This means that the traditions associated with these figures were limited to only
a few versions which must have been found in only specific regions.
ttps://sacredsites.com/asia/indonesia/candi_sukuh.html

Ganesh as a Buddhist Demigod

Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka but
also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image has recurred in Buddhist sculptures
during the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing.

Ri
hanna & Ganesh pendant

Many people are unaware that although a renowned Hindu deity, Ganesh is
also worshiped by Buddhists.

It is said that during the 10 th century, merchants traveling from Asia began to worship
Lord Ganesh. As their devotion and teachings spread among the trading community,
many other traders began to worship Ganesh as well. His role as Remover of Obstacles
was very much important to their journeys in trade as the hoped for safe voyages and
safety from harm while at sea. Lord Ganesh therefore became the primary deity
associated with traders. They would invoke his image before any other god whenever
hardship would arise.
When Hindus began to spread across to the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia they
took with them not only their culture but their particular fondness for Ganesh . Statues

58
were erected throughout the region in his honor. Hindus migration further into
Southeast Asia such as in Indochina, brought the practice of worship of Hindu deity’s
right alongside Buddhists. It is here that Buddhists alike began to adopt their fondness
for Ganesh as Remover of Obstacles. Within Mahayana Buddhism Ganesh is appears
in the form of the Buddhist god Vinayaka. His image often appears in Buddhist
scriptures shown dancing. Vinayaka, the Buddhist equivalent to Ganesha, is known in
Japanese as Shōten (聖天, lit. "sacred deva" or "noble deva"; alternatively Shōden) or Kangiten (歓
喜天, "deva of bliss") and is worshiped mainly in the Shingon and Tendai schools.
Can Buddhists worship Hindu gods?-He did not subscribe to the traditional religious views of
his day, and Buddhists only ever worship Hindu deities in an instrumental way. Note that
some Hindus see the Buddha as an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who took rebirth in order to
teach religion to demons and other opponents of Hinduism. Gautama Buddha, the founder of
Buddhism, is also venerated as a manifestation of God in Hinduism and the Baháʼí Faith.
Some Hindu texts regard Buddha as an avatar of the god Vishnu, who came to Earth to delude
beings away from the Vedic religion. Despite the very small number of Hindus here, elements
of Hinduism permeate Thailand’s socio-cultural life. Even as the group is a minority, various
Hindu elements remain deeply embedded in the traditional culture and social life of the Thai
people.

Hinduism arrived in Thailand partly along the land route from India via Burma, but also
traversed the Bay of Bengal to Indonesia and was instrumental in the establishment of the
maritime Sri Vijaya Empire. It is from Java that Hinduism also spread to Cambodia, and what
is now Vietnam and northwards to Thailand – absorbing local cultural elements along the way.
Waves of invasions, and especially the Khmer rule, left the residue of Hinduism in the Thai
culture. And as is often the case with external influences, the elements have been absorbed and
overlaid with Buddhist rituals seamlessly, giving them Thai characteristics. Alongside their
Buddhist beliefs, many Thais worship Hindu deities. One of them is the Brahma ( Phra Phrom)
at the famous Erawan Shrine in Bangkok . People in deep anguish are known to go to this
shrine, and when a wish has been granted, devotees hire dancers to perform Ram Kae Bon, to
thank the god.

Statues of Ganesh, Indra (Phra In), and Shiva (Phra Isuan) can be found across
Thailand. Ganesh is known as Phra Phikanet in Thai and is worshipped as the remover of
obstacles. He is the deity Thai Buddhists often pray to before they start an important venture
— just as Hindus in Nepal and India do at Ganesh temples. Buddhist Ganesha’s appeal is wide-
reaching, not just amongst the spiritual. Ganesh tatoos and t-shirts are very popular worldwide.
There is, a “life-affirming” quality about his image, even for the non-religious. Ganesha has star
power. He even appears in brands, marketing, pop culture and fashion.And, of course, “Ganesha,
also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in
the Hindu pantheon… Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and
Buddhists.To many Mahayana Buddhists, Ganesha is an important practice. He can be a Yidam,
a friendly “bringer of prosperity,” a Dharma protector deity — and he takes on many other roles.
Shakyamuni Buddha suggested his mantras prior to practice. He appears in two Buddhist sutras,
and various tantras — in different roles. His mantra may be chanted by all. None of these roles
are mutually exclusive.

59
In all of his aspects, he is easily identified by his symbolic “elephant head.”//Maharakta 12 Armed Red
Ganapati, the great remover of obstacles.

Many Forms of Ganapati

In both Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश, IAST: Gaṇeśa)
is the protector of prosperity and the remover of hindrances. In the Sakya and Gelug traditions,
Ganesha — together with Vajrayogini and Kurukulla — are the three “red deities” in the
Thirteen Golden Dharmas of the Sakyapa tradition. [See the large museum thangka of Hayagriva
with Ganesha below.] In other traditions, he is a directional Protector known as Vinayaka. In
one of the Tantra stories, Avalokiteshvara convinces Ganesha to become a Dharma Protector. In
Hindu tradition, there are at least 32 aspects of Ganesha.

60
One of Ganesha’s forms in Tibetan Buddhism as a wealth deity associated with Jambhala./ 12
armed

In one sutra Buddha Shakyamuni advises his bikhus to make offerings and recite the essence
mantra of Ganesha Ganapati seven times — after first taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha. [More on these sutras in the section Origins of Ganesha below.] The reason is to ensure
our practice obstacles are removed, so that our meditations result in realizations. The essence
mantra of Ganapati is:

Om Ah Ga Hum Svaha
In Tibetan pronunciation: Om Ah Ga Hung Soha.

In one variation on the essence mantra, in the Gelug tradition, accroding to Lama Yeshe Archive,
the syllable “PAT” (or “P’hat” or “P’het”; pronounced in Tibetan usually as PEY)

OM AH GA HUM PAT SVAHA

In Tibetan pronunciation:

OM AH GA HUNG PEY SOHA

The seed syllable of Ganesha is GAM. GAM is often worn as a symbol for luck.

61
In the Hindu tradition, the mantra is slightly different: Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ.

A magnificent 1800-1899 Tangkha (Sakya lineage) of Hayagriva Sangdrup in the Rubin Museum of Art. On his
crown is Amitayus, the long-life aspect of Amitabha. To his top left is Maharaklta Ganapti (Wrathful Gasesha),
dancing atop a rat. On the right is the power goddess Kurukulla, red (see below), with one face and four hands
holding a bow and arrow, hook and lasso. At the bottom center is Begtse Chen (Red Mahakala: see below), red in
colour. On the left is Legden Mahakala (left, see below), blue in colour and right is Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo
(Palden Lhamo, the protector of the Dalai Lama)RIGHT PIC.A very old Tibetan Buddhist Ganesha Tangkha. This is
“Twelve-armed” Red Ganesha Wishfulfilling Jewel.

I collected a variety of references in a Buddhist context. Ganesha appears popularly in various

Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. In some Buddhist traditions Ganesh is worldly — but still
and important remover of obstacles. In some Mahayana traditions he is viewed as a god. In
others a Enlightened Protector. In yet others, as a Bodhisattva. There is no universality. In one
tradition it is Avalokiteshvara who asks Ganesha to be a Dharma Protector. Ganesha later

62
promised again to protect the Dharma before the great Padmasambhava — who composed 108
Sadhanas of Ganesha.

In this feature we’re highlighting all the various aspects. In other words — even where there
appear to be contradictions — there is no right, or wrong, in these various views, and ultimately,
for practice, one should only be guided by your own tradition and teacher, and your own
preferences.

In Buddhism, there are two sutras that mention Ganapati, and one with his “Dharani” (mantra)
which can be chanted by anyone. In the sutra, Buddha says:

“Any son or daughter of high birth, whether monk or nun, lay brother or sister who
undertakes any matter [such as] accomplishing the [rites to call a sacred being by
means of] mantras, worshipping the Three Jewels, travelling to another country,
going to the royal court or concealing [from view] should upon worshipping the
Blessed Buddha, practice seven times the Arya Ganapati Hrdaya [mantras]: for him
all tasks will be accomplished; no doubt about this!
[The full Arya Maha Ganapati Hrdaya Dharani is at the end of this article.]

Two sutras on Ganapati contain the Dharani of Ganapati; one is the Dharani Sutra of the Golden
Ganapati, found in the T. XXI 1269, which was delivered by the Buddha to his disciple
Shariputra when the Buddha was residing at Shravasti. The Dharani, as presented in this Sutra, is
somewhat a variant of the Dharani, in the Ganapati Heart Sutra. At the end of the Sutra, Ganapati
himself appears and assures that he will protect and bestow wishes of those who uphold this
Dharani. The other text, the one that is presented here is the “Arya Maha Ganapati Hridaya
Dharani” [Heart Dharani of Maha Ganapati] — in full at the bottom of this features.In
Buddhism, sometimes Ganesha is seen as a worldly deity dedicated to protecting Buddhism, but
in some Mahayana stories he is a Bodhisattva and in origin stories, he is an emanation of
Avalokiteshvara (in the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras).

In most Buddhist tantric traditions, Ganesha appears as a protector sworn to protect the Dharma
by either Shakyamuni Buddha or Padmasambhava. However, Ganapati, Maha Rakta (Tibetan:
ཚོགས་བདག tsog gi dag po, mar chen. English: The Great Red Lord of Hosts or Ganas) is a
Tantric Buddhist form of Ganapati (Ganesha) related to the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras.
This form of Ganapati is regarded as an emanation of Avalokiteshvara.

“…beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, in the middle a blue rat
expelling various jewels, [above] Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant
face with sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with a
wishing-gem and a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve hands,
the six right hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle, bow,
khatvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield together with

63
a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and skullcup
filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening manner.
Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel ornaments, the left
foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright rays of red flickering
light.” (Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup, 1497–1557).

This form of Ganapati belongs to a set of three powerful deities known as the ‘mar chen kor
sum’ or the Three Great Red Deities included in a larger set called ‘The Thirteen Golden
Dharmas’ of Sakya. The other two deities are Kurukulle and Takkiraja. (See 18th century
Thangka of Hayagriva Sangrup below with Ganapati and Kurukulle both featured below.)

Buddhist Vinayaka Ganesha

In one tantric description of Ganesha’s Divine Lila (Lila means “dramatic play”,)
Avalokiteshvara, determined to convince Ganesha to be a Dharma protector, transforms his
appearance to an image of Ganesha and enters his palace, sitting on his throne. The entire palace,
including Ganesha’s consort, are convinced this is the real Ganesha. When Ganesha returns, he is
astonished by Avalokiteshvara’s majesty and becomes an Protector of the Dharma.

In the “divine Lila” (Play), Avalokiteshvara transforms himself into Ganesha. An astonished
Ganesha, upon seeing himself on his own throne, decides to become a Dharma Protector. (One
version of the Divine Lila of Buddhist Ganesha.)

It depends on the tradition and teacher. In yet another tradition, Mahanirvana Tantra, he was
converted by the protector Mahakala — Mahakala being a fierce form of Avalokiteshvara — and
symbolically appears under his feet, representing the King of Protectors

Less worship, more practice

From the Buddhist perspective on deities, there is less “worship” of deities and more “practice”
of deities as a path. In Tantric Buddhism, for example, we visualize ourselves as the perfect
forms of Enlightenment — as the deities — this, as practice for our mindstreams.That doesn’t
mean we don’t make offerings or honor deities. Offerings and prostrations help us develop
positive karmic imprints — merits, as they are often called.Most Ganesha practices — the ones
not requiring extensive initiations or permissions — are conducted to “ask for the removal of
obstacles to our practice.” Normally, in tantric practice, we would visualize ourselves as our own
Yidam — not as Ganesha — then make offerings to Ganesha (in whatever form is taught to us.)

His long Dharani, according to the Blessed Shakyamuni Buddha, will “obtain and propagate …
the accomplishments of his [Ganesha’s] tasks.” The sutra-based Dharani, requiring no
permission (see the full Sutra at end of this feature) is:

64
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ kaṭa kaṭa maṭa maṭa dara dara vidara vidara hana hana gṛhṇa gṛhṇa dhāva
dhāva bhañja bhañja jambha jambha tambha tambha stambha stambha moha moha
deha deha dadāpaya dadāpaya dhanasiddhi me prayaccha |
oṃ rudrāvatārāya svāhā |
oṃ adbhutavindukṣubhitacittamahāhāsam āgacchati |
mahābhayamahābalaparākramāya mahāhastidakṣiṇāya dadāpaya svāhā |
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ suru suru svāhā | oṃ turu turu svāhā | oṃ muru muru svāhā |

65
 Very old Mongolian tangkha of
Ganesha.

Ganesha comes first

Ganesha is normally the first deity practiced or honored in some Buddhist (and Hindu) traditions.
Why? Because he is known as the “remover of obstacles.” It is symbolically important to remove
obstacles before, for example, moving on to your main practices.

Many deities are known as “obstacle removers” in Tantric Buddhism, and often these
are practiced first in daily sadhanas — although it varies by tradition. It is for this
reason, too, that Ganesha is often at the door of temples, or homes. He removes
obstacles and is, by this definition, a guardian.

Obstruction-remover
Importantly, in Buddhism, Ganapati (Ganesha) is a “remover of obstacles.” Many Buddhist
deities are, removers or obstacles, but Ganesha is particularly venerated for this role.

Since poverty is a major obstacle — if we are fighting to survive, we have no time to practice
Dharma — Ganesha also takes on a “wealth deity” role.
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Some of his depictions overlap with Jambhala (another wealth deity, and also another Hindu
deity), complete with depictions of gold and jewels falling from the mouth of his rat. (In the case
of Jambhala the animal is a mongoose). Red Jambala, especially, is usually thought of as none
other than Ganesha, Red Ganapati, with the head of an elephant (see thangka below.)

Many forms of Ganesha

Importantly, Red Ganapati in common with many “red” deities belongs to the Padma family in
Tibetan Buddhism — the family of Avalokiteshvara, Hayagriva, and Amitabha. In one
traditional lineage of Chinese Buddhism, where Guanyin (Kuan Yin, Avalokiteshvara) is female,
Ganesh is her consort.

Ganesha’s Buddhist enlightened forms are many: overcoming obstacles and bringing success
(similar to Hinduism); fierce protector at the gate of many mandala palaces; high-form tantric
deity; and, even, in Chinese Buddhism, a legendary consort to Guan Yin.

In Shingon, he is popular as Kankiten. In Japan there are 250 stand-alone Ganesh temples, where
he is the god of prosperity and happiness. As Nrtta Ganapti, the dancing Ganesha, he is the
destroyer of obstacles in Tibet and Nepal. In Thailand he is called Phra Phikanet, a deity of
fortune and success. In Indonesia he is associated with wisdom. He is also the Buddhist deity
Vinayaka, popular in Tibet.

He is worshiped widely in India (by both Buddhists and Hindus) and by Buddhists in China,
Thailand — where Ganesh amulets are very popular — Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal (basically all of
Japan, China, Central Asia, and southeast Asia) — and around the world. In India, he is in every
temple, regardless of the main deity, and he is in nearly every home. In Chinese Buddhism, he is
extremely popular. He is even a “fix” for homes with bad “feng shui.”

Aspects of Buddhist Ganesha

There are, as with all deities in Buddhism, many symbolic forms in Tantric practices. Each pose,
arm, implement, and gesture triggers recognition as archetypes by our minds.

Ganesha, in Buddhism, can be elephant-faced, dancing, with matted locks of hair and many arms
and implements. He can be red and fierce, as with Maha Rakta Ganapati (Great Red Lord of the
Ganas). He can look very nearly like Hindu Ganesha. He can have three eyes — symbolic of
wisdom and Enlightenment. He can carry a kapala filled with blood, symbolic of bliss and
emptiness. In most forms, the “mouse” mount is carried over from Hinduism symbolism.

67
Some of his forms:

 Lord Ganesh, pale of complexion with a mouse mount (similar to Hindu form).
 Maha Rakta Ganapati: red and fierce tantric form with many arms, an emanation of
Avalokiteshvara (related to the Chakrasamvara tantras)
 Nrtta Ganapati, the dancing god.
 He is one of the Three Great Red Deities (Mar Chen Kor Sum), which is part of the
Thirteen Golden Dharmas of the Sakyas.
 He can be Vinayaka (which is both the name of an enlightened deity and a demon) —
and in this form he is sometimes seen being stepped on by Mahakala.
 Kangiten in Japan, a wealth and success god.
 Ragavajra: Three-faced, six hands (Atisha tradition)
 One-face- four hands (white, red or blue)
 Maharakta Red, one-face-twelve hands
 One face, two hands (white)
 Nyingma forms of Ganapati, such as Maha Ganesha or Vajra Ganesha

68
 Mah
arakti Ganesha.

69
Maharakta Ganapati — emanation of Avalokiteshvara
Perhaps the most exotic of the Ganapati forms is Maharakta, instantly recognizable by his red
form, surrounded by red tantric flames on a red lotus. This form is related to the Chakrasamvara
tantras. The description from Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub (1497-1557):

“…beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, in the middle a blue rat
expelling various jewels, [above] Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant
face with sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with a
wishing-gem and a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve hands,
the six right hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle, bow,
katvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield together with
a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and skullcup
filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening manner.
Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel ornaments, the left
foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright rays of red flickering
light.”

Maharakta blongs to the “Three Great Red Deities” (mar chen kor sum), along with red
Kurukulla and Takkiraja.

70
 One of
many forms of Buddhist Ganesha.

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Offerings to Ganesha
There isn’t much difference between offering recommendations for Buddhist Ganesh or Hindu
Ganesh. Relatively, they may seem like distinct deities, but at the ultimately level they are One.
Typically, in Buddhism, water bowls are always a perfect offering for any deity.

But, symbolically, Ganesh prefers “sweet treats” and “sweet smells” and “sweet flowers.” Why?
Because Ganesh is just plain “sweet.” In formal retreat or practice, usually the “three white”
offerings are made: yogurt, rock sugar, milk.

Ganesh loves flower garlands. (Because he’s sweet!). The best offering of all is his mantras.
(Depending on the form you are honoring, the mantra may vary.)

Normally, the offerings are placed before a picture or statue of Ganesh, but in Tantric Buddhism,
this can be just projected mentally through visualization (as always, with Tantric Buddhist
deities.)

Pujas or sadhanas of Ganesh will differ in a significant ways between Buddhist and Hindu. The
key to any Buddhist sadhana or ritual is:

 Taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the Three Jewels

 Making the Bodhisattva vow (with each practice)
 Dedicating the merit of the practice to the cause for Enlightenment for the benefit of all
beings.

Ārya Mahā Gaṇapati Hṛdaya

namo bhagavate āryamahāgaṇapatihṛdayāya |

namo ratnatrayāya ||

Thus I have heard. Upon a time, the Blessed One was staying at Rajagriha, on the Vulture Peak,
together with a great assembly of monks: forty-five hundreds of monks and numerous great
Bodhisattvas. On that occasion the Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda:

“Ananda, whoever, son or daughter of high birth, would keep [in mind], recite, obtain and
propagate these “heart” [mantras] of Ganapati, his will be the accomplishments of all his tasks”

oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |

oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
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oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ kaṭa kaṭa maṭa maṭa dara dara vidara vidara hana hana gṛhṇa gṛhṇa dhāva dhāva bhañja
bhañja jambha jambha tambha tambha stambha stambha moha moha deha deha dadāpaya
dadāpaya dhanasiddhi me prayaccha |

oṃ rudrāvatārāya svāhā |
oṃ adbhutavindukṣubhitacittamahāhāsam āgacchati |
mahābhayamahābalaparākramāya mahāhastidakṣiṇāya dadāpaya svāhā |
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ suru suru svāhā | oṃ turu turu svāhā | oṃ muru muru svāhā |

“These Ananda, are the “hearts” of Ganapati”

“Any son or daughter of high birth, whether monk or nun, lay brother or sister who undertakes
any matter [such as] accomplishing the [rites to call a sacred being by means of] mantra,
worshipping the Three Jewels, travelling to another country, going to the royal court or
concealing [from view] should upon worshipping the Blessed Buddha, practice seven times the
Arya Ganapati Hrdaya [spells]: for him all tasks will be accomplished; no doubt about this!. He
should forever put an end to all strifes and quarrels , violence and envy, and become entirely
calm. Day upon day abiding the rules and practicing a full seven times: it will come out into the
fortune of this great one! Upon his coming to the royal court there will be great kindness
(prasada). He will become “Keeper of hearing [1]” (Shruti-Dhara). There wil be no major illness
to his body. Never will he assume the descent as a tara-praksina or the descent as a humble bee:
nothing ellse will occur to him that the Mind of Awakening. In every birth he will be
remembering [his previous] births.”

Thus spoke the Blessed One, and upon receiving [his teaching] these monks, these great
Bodhisattvas and whole attendance, the world with the gods, the humans, the asuras, the garudas
and the gandarvas rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.

73
Why is Maha Rakta Ganapati recommended by Buddhist Teachers as the remover of obstacles
— the protector of prosperity? What makes Ganapati a spiritual superstar? Why is Ganesha so
loved around the world? In Buddhism, what makes his practice unique and powerful
Venerable Zasep Rinpoche, explained his versatile popularity:

“Ganesha is honoured as a Yidam deity as well as a Dharma Protector in both the Hindu tradition
and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Ganesha is a protector of Dharma practice and prosperity; he
also removes hindrances and obstacles.
Ganesha, Vajrayogini, and Kurukulla are the three red deities, part of the thirteen golden
Dharmas of the Sakypa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Ganesha is one of the fifteen directional protectors – in that group he is known as a Vinayaka.”
Red 12-armed Ganapati is the remover of obstacles in Tibetan Buddhist practice.

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Ganapati in Most Schools of Buddhism
Ganapati practice is pervasive and popular in most schools of Buddhism, including Mahayana
and Vajrayana. Zasep Rinpoche illustrated with this example:
“Ganesha also promised to protect the Dharma in front of Guru Padmasambhava at the great
stupa, Gomasala Ganda, in India. Guru Padmasambhava composed 108 Sadhanas of Ganesha
and gave them to Tibet’s second great king Trisong Detsen.”
Rinpoche also explained that there are 32 aspects of Ganesha in Hinduism and several in
Buddhism, including as an aspect of Avalokiteshvara [See the charming story below.]
12-Armed Maha Rakta Ganapati.

The Story of Avalokiteshvara and Ganesha

From the chapter of Ganesha-Ganapati in Zasep Rinpoche’s book Source of All Buddhist
Protectors, he synopsized the charming story of how Avalokiteshvara “convinced” Ganesha to
protect the Buddha Dharma:
“Avalokiteshvara knew Ganesha was a powerful god and wanted him to become a Dharma
protector. Avalokiteshvara decided the only way to do this was to manifest as an even more
powerful Ganesha. One day Ganesha and his attendants went on an outing… While they were
gone Avalokiteshvara manifested himself as Ganesha and entered the royal palace. The consort
of Ganesha and her entourage greeted him and offered flowers and music….when the real
Ganesha returned to the royal palace, the consort and entourage were very confused and told him
the great Maha Deva Ganapati was already sitting on the golden throne! … Then Ganesha was
overwhelmed by the power of Avalokiteshvara; right away he took refuge and the Bodhisattva
vows from him, to protect and maintain the holy Dharma.”

Maharakta 12 Armed Red Ganapati. On October 1, the great remover of obstacles. Venerable
Zasep Rinpoche will offer precious empowerment on Oct 1, 2021 via Zoom (details below.)

Heart Dharani of Ganesha

Ganapati’s Heart Dharani is a Sutra proclaimed by Shakyamuni Buddha in the Arya Ganapati
Hridaya. [1 ] [See the full quoted Sutra below.] In the sutra, Buddha suggested Ganapati’s
dharani be practiced first, before other practices and meditations, to help remove obstacles to
practice. Buddha said to Venerable Ananda:
“Retain this, the Heart of Ganapati. The people who read this will accomplish all their endeavors.
All the aspirations they hold in their minds will be accomplished as well. They will accomplish
all the secret mantras, too. All their wealth and resources will become abundant.”

Antique statue of Maha Rakta Ganapati, a Buddhist form of Ganesha.

Venerable Zasep Rinpoche said:

“At the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha advised his chief disciple Maha Ananda, that the
monks, nuns and lay devotees should first take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, then
make offerings to Ganesha. They should recite his Mantras seven times, twenty-one times or 108
times, then they could achieve their wishes and remove obstacles to Dharma practice.”
The shortest version of the mantra would be:

75
OM AH GA HUM SVAHA
In simple terms: Om Ah and Hum respectively represent Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind and
GA is the seed-syllable of Ganapati Ganesha.
The full Dharani Shakyamuni Buddha referred to, is:
TADYATHĀ/ NAMO TUDDHE/ GANAPATI/ KATA KATA/ KITI KITI/ KUTA KUTA/
MATRA MATRA/ DARA DARA/ DHAHA DHAHA/ GHRINA GHRINA/ DABĀ DABĀ/
JAMBHA JAMBHA/ SAMAYA MANUSMARANA TUDDE TUDTRA/ BACHANAYE
SVĀHĀ/ ABUTE BHIDUKSHA BANCHA TANA/ BASAMA GARACHHA/ THAMAHA
BHAYA/ MAHĀBAYĀ/ MAHETETA KSHINIYA/ PRAKOMPAYASI/ TADYATHĀ/ OM
KURU KURU/ MURU MURU/ CHURU CHURU/ NAMA NAMA SVĀHĀ

A very old image of 12-armed Ganapati.

Prayer to 12-armed Ganapati

Traditionally, devotees would make a daily offering of flowers, carrots, and other sweet offerings
with a simple prayer such as:
Lord Ganapati, you are the embodiment of
Vajra Body, Speech and Mind of the Buddhas
Arising from non-dual wisdom,
I offer fragrant flowers, carrots and other substances,
To you, the Lord who removes obstructors,
I pray to you and your entourage,

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Please send your blessings and siddhas upon us!
Siddhas can be loosely translated as “wish-granting” although depending on context has many
meanings, including the greatest of Siddhis — Enlightenment.
The Wish-Granting Ganapati with 12 Arms
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup (1497 – 1557) described Ganapati (Great Red Ganehsa) as “…
beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, [standing on] …a blue rat
expelling various jewels; Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant face with
sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with a wishing-gem and
a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve hands, the six right
[hands] hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle, bow,
khatvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield together with
a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and skullcup
filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening manner.
Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel ornaments, the left
foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright rays of red flickering
light.” [Antique thangka of 12 Armed Maha Rakta in the Rubin Museum collection.
2]
Ganapati — Clears Away Obstacles
As the clearer of obstacles, he often appears prominently in many mandalas and Thangkas, or at
the door of the temple or home. (For example, see 12-Armed Maha Rakta Ganapati top left of
the Hayagriva Sangdrup thangka below.) As a remover of obstacles, he is a vital symbol and
Enlightened Deity.
Ganesha under foot?
As the clearer obstacles, he appears symbolically under the feet of Mahakala — not because his
brother Mahakala is subduing him or trampling on him, but because this symbolizes Ganesha
supporting Mahakala’s work. This is why Ganesh does not appear in distress under the feet of
Mahakala of Vinayaka [See thangka of Vignantaka standing on Ganesha below]; both are
emanations of Avalokiteshvara.
Ganapati clears away obstacles, obscurations — and supports our practice. Ganesha practice is
foundational and supportive — symbolized by under our feet — or, where he is our key
“clearing” practice he appears at the doorway, protecting us.
Ārya Mahā Gaṇapati Hṛdaya
namo bhagavate āryamahāgaṇapatihṛdayāya |
namo ratnatrayāya ||
Thus I have heard. Upon a time, the Blessed One was staying at Rajagriha, on the Vulture Peak,
together with a great assembly of monks: forty-five hundreds of monks and numerous great
Bodhisattvas. On that occasion the Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda:
“Ananda, whoever, son or daughter of high birth, would keep [in mind], recite, obtain and
propagate these “heart” [mantras] of Ganapati, his will be the accomplishments of all his tasks”

77
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ kaṭa kaṭa maṭa maṭa dara dara vidara vidara hana hana gṛhṇa gṛhṇa dhāva dhāva
bhañja bhañja jambha jambha tambha tambha stambha stambha moha moha deha deha
dadāpaya dadāpaya dhanasiddhi me prayaccha |
oṃ rudrāvatārāya svāhā |
oṃ adbhutavindukṣubhitacittamahāhāsam āgacchati |
mahābhayamahābalaparākramāya mahāhastidakṣiṇāya dadāpaya svāhā |
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ suru suru svāhā | oṃ turu turu svāhā | oṃ muru muru svāhā |
“These Ananda, are the “hearts” of Ganapati”
“Any son or daughter of high birth, whether monk or nun, lay brother or sister who undertakes
any matter [such as] accomplishing the [rites to call a sacred being by means of] mantra,
worshipping the Three Jewels, travelling to another country, going to the royal court or
concealing [from view] should upon worshipping the Blessed Buddha, practice seven times the
Arya Ganapati Hrdaya [spells]: for him all tasks will be accomplished; no doubt about this!. He
should forever put an end to all strifes and quarrels , violence and envy, and become entirely
calm. Day upon day abiding the rules and practicing a full seven times: it will come out into the
fortune of this great one! Upon his coming to the royal court there will be great kindness
(prasada). He will become “Keeper of hearing [1]” (Shruti-Dhara). There wil be no major illness
to his body. Never will he assume the descent as a tara-praksina or the descent as a humble bee:
nothing ellse will occur to him that the Mind of Awakening. In every birth he will be
remembering [his previous] births.”
Thus spoke the Blessed One, and upon receiving [his teaching] these monks, these great
Bodhisattvas and whole attendance, the world with the gods, the humans, the asuras, the garudas
and the gandarvas rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.
Red Ganapati in Tibetan Buddhism.

Practicing Ganapati
Although it is best to have empowerment, any with faith and good heart can practice this sadhana
and mantra with one proviso — you must not self-generate as Ganapati. If you have a Yidam,
you would self-generate as your own Yidam, then visualize/imagine Ganapati in front of you.
Sadhana of Twelve-armed Red Ganesha Wishfulfilling Jewel
Compiled by Gyal Khenpo Drakpa Gyaltsen
Translated, modified with the addition of refuge, Bodhicitta, offerings, dedication and auspicious
prayers by Zasep Tulku Losang Tenzin Gyaltsen.
NAMO GURU VAJRA VARNAYE

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Maha Deva, Tsog Dagpo Ganesha is the protector for yogis and yoginis who have honored
Samaya and who practice the Sadhana.
Ganesha is the source of virtue and prosperity. He is the provider of glory and good fortune of
the three realms, so I make supplications to him to protect life and Dharma practice.
First set up the altar for Ganesha, place a statue or painting on the altar, arrange a jewel shaped
red Torma decorated with butter ornaments of Sun, Moon and Nanda. Also set up the special
three white offerings— milk, yogurt, and rock sugar with carrot. Set up two sets of offering
bowls starting from right to left on the altar.
If you have the initiation of Heruka, Vajrayogini, Yamantaka Hayagriva, or Six-Armed
Mahakala, do the short Sadhana of that deity (or at the very least, do the mantras). Sit on a
comfortable cushion, place the Bell, Vajra, Damaru and inner nectar cup on the table in front of
you, and begin with the Yidam deity Sadhana, then front- generated Puja of Ganesha.
Taking Refuge
For myself and all sentient beings throughout space I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To my Gurus, the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Supreme Sangha. (x3)
Cultivating Bodhicitta
For the benefit of all sentient beings I must achieve full Enlightenment.
For this purpose, I shall practice the Guru Yoga for the Wisdom and prosperity deity, Maha Deva
Ganapati. (x3)
Consecrate the Torma offerings in advance
OM RURU PURU ZWALA TISHTA SIDDHA LOTSANI SARVA ARTA SADHANAYE
SVAHA (x3)
(While saying the above mantra do the Sky Treasure mudra) OM VAJRA AMRITA KUNDALI
HANA HANA HUNG PHET
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HUNG
From the state of emptiness I visualize myself arising
—as Heruka, Vajrayogini, Yamantaka (or whichever deity I practice).
I invite Great Maha Deva Ganesha to this marvelous mountain of lapis lazuli light, decorated by
the red lotus flowers and the great fabled blue mongoose vomiting all kinds of jewels. He has the
red syllable GAM on his back, then the red GAM transforms into glorious Red Ganesha with
elephant face, three eyes and long white tusks. His hair is tied up on his crown and decorated
with red jewels on the top and silk strips hanging on the side. He has twelve arms; the first right
arm holds an axe, the second a great arrow, the third an iron hook, the fourth a Vajra, the fifth a
sword, the sixth a Phangdu (spear). His first left hand holds a wooden pestle, the second a bow,
the third a Khatvanga, the fourth a skullcup filled with blood, the fifth a skullcup filled with
meat, the sixth holds a shield with a silk strip banner. He is also holding a Vajra and bell at his
heart. He wears a Dhoti (lower garment) with marvelous jewels. His left foot stands on a great
fabled blue mouse and his right foot is in the dancing posture. On his crown there is an OM, at
his throat an AH, and at his heart a HUM. At the center of his heart, there is a GAM, the seed
syllable of Ganesha.
Light shines forth from my heart as an invocation of Maha Deva Ganesha from one of the 33
realms of Devas known as Do Amo Linka; the glorious Maha Deva Ganesha and his
unimaginable entourage descend and dissolve into the front- generated Ganesha. (Ring bell)
OM GA GA SIDDHI SIDDHI SARVA ARTHA METRA SADA YA HUM HUM ZA ZA
SOHA (x100 or recite as much as you can)

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DZA HUM BAM HO
The commitment beings and wisdom beings become one.
PADMA KAMALA YE TAM
SAMAYA HO
Absorbing the Wisdom Beings and Receiving the Empowerment
From the blue HUM at my heart light-rays emanate bringing forth
From their natural abodes the wisdom beings and the empowering deities.
The wisdom-beings dissolve into me. We become non-dual. The empowering deities confer the
empowerment on me, the surplus nectar remains
Above me as Amitabha Buddha on the crown of my head. Making offerings that have been
blessed from above, Consecrated water, purified water, flowers and powder incense,
Bright flame, excellent aromas, high quality delicious food, All kinds of beautiful musical
instruments I offer to Opponents of Mara and the great Maha Deva Ganesha. Whatever I have
obtained, as well as imagined offerings,
I consecrate them by the power of my mantra recitation, Concentration and fine mudras. I also
bless them,
I offer them with great care and honor to the deities
I request and make supplications to Maha Deva,
Please provide long life, virtues, power and energy,
Glory, prosperity and all kinds of marvels,
All my wishes fulfilled without any hindrance.
Offerings to Ganapati
(EDITOR: Here make Kriya Tantra offering mudras, or visualize making the offerings.)
OM GANAPATI ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GANDHE, NAIVIDYA,
SHABDA, HUM SVAHA OM GANAPATI OM AH HUM !
Praise to Maha Deva Ganesha
The embodiment of Buddha’s body, speech and mind,
Arise from the non-dual wisdom.
The Lord of accumulation, the power of accumulation and owner of accumulation,
I prostrate to the great owner of the Geg obstacles.
Translator’s note: Ganesha is known as Geg Kyi Gyalpo, the king of obstacles, owner of
obstacles. This term sometimes causes a bit of confusion and concern. Lord Ganesha is a god of
peace, love, prosperity and remover of hindrances. He never causes harm or obstacles. But from
a divine Lila point of view he has a subtle influence, inspiring living beings to be joyful and
playful. He generates long life, good health and lots of fun in life. There is nothing else quite like
him; he is unusual. With his elephant face, he looks majestic and very beautiful. Playful,
powerful, kind, generous and somewhat child-like, he is not serious like other Protectors, and
enjoys wealth and the good life. For some Dharma practitioners, who have little sense of
humour, they doubt that Ganesha is serious enough. While he inspires people with worldly
happiness, sometimes this can be an obstacle and a distraction for their minds. However, I think
in this degeneration age we need gods like him when we are facing suffering, sadness,
depression, dangers of pandemics and illness. We need joyful cheerful happy Dharma Protectors
like Lord Ganesha.

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Mantra recitation of Ganesha-Ganapati
From the heart of myself, visualized as the Yidam mantra, light rays emanate and strike at the
GAM syllable at the heart of the front-generated deity, requesting a rain of food, wealth and all
kinds of siddhis.
Mantra of glorious Ganesha.
OM AH GA HUNG SOHA (x100)
(When you do Lerung retreat do 100,000 mantras, or you could recite until you receive good
signs of realization.)
OM GAM GANA SIDDHI SODHA METRI YAZA HUNG SOHA (x 21)
Make Mandala offering, concentrating on the object of offerings.
I offer mind-capturing flowers, ornaments and jewels, Sweet Ladoo made with rice, honey, sugar
and turmeric, Fresh carrots and fruit with hundreds of flavours, Cloud-like offerings of the ten
directions;
Please accept these offerings with delight.
Mandala-like beautiful food, lamp light, and water offerings, Rice wine, raisin wine and sweet
drinks,
Naturally pure or fermented drinks,
Accept these uncontaminated offerings.
Blessed by Samadhi, Mantras and Mudras,
Accept these desirable good quality offerings,
Which I set up with a pure mind and my imagination, Ver
Very old thangka of 12-armed Ganapati.
Great Maha Deva Ganesha, enjoy my offerings.
OM GANAPATI, ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GHANDE,
NAIVIDYA, SHABDA OM GANAPATI OM AH HUM
When you wish to make Torma offerings, here is the method
OM HUNG HA HO HRI (x 3)
The front-generated deity drinks the essence of the Torma, drawing it up with his tongue in the
form of a Vajra straw.
OM GANAPATI SAPARIVARA IDAM BALINGTA KHA KHA KAHI KAHI (x3)
OM GANAPATI AKARO MUKAM SARVA DHARMA NAM ADYA
NUPANA NATWATI NAMA SARVA TATHAGATA AVALOKETISHVARA OM
SAMBARA SAMBARA HUM (x3)
OM GANAPATI, ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GHANDE,
NAIVIDYA, SHABDA
OM GANAPATI OM AH HUM
Say the 100 syllable mantra of Vajrasattva
OM VAJRA SATTVA SAMAYA MANU PALAYA
VAJRA SATTVA TENO PATISHTA DRIDHO ME BHAVA
SUTO KAYO ME BHAVA SUPO KAYO ME BHAVA ANURAKTO ME BHAVA SARVA SIDDHI
ME PRAYACCHA SARVA KARMA SUCHA ME
CHITTAM SHRIYAM KURU HUM HA HA HA HA HO
BHAGAVAN SARVA TATHAGATA VAJRA MA ME MUNCHA
VAJRA BHAVA MAHA SAMAYA SATTVA AH HUM PHAT

81
 Chapter 4
Ganesh as a Buddhist Demigod
Dr Uday Dokras

Vajrayana (Buddhism)
Vajrayana, (Sanskrit: “Thunderbolt Vehicle” or “Diamond Vehicle”) form of Tantric
Buddhism that developed in India and neighbouring countries, notably Tibet. Vajrayana, in
the history of Buddhism, marks the transition from Mahayana speculative thought to the
enactment of Buddhist ideas in ...
Kālacakra-tantra (Buddhist literature)
Kalacakra-tantra, (Sanskrit: Wheel of Time Tantra) chief text of a divergent, syncretistic, and
astrologically oriented school of Tantric Buddhism, or Vajrayana, that arose in India ...
Amoghasiddhi (Buddha)
Amoghasiddhi, (Sanskrit: Unfailing Success) in Mahayana and Vajrayana (Tantric)
Buddhism, one of the five self-born Buddhas. See Dhyani-Buddha. .
.
Tantric traditions and Shaktism

Toward the end of the 5th century, the cult of the mother goddess assumed a significant place in
Indian religious life. Shaktism, the worship of Shakti, the active power of the godhead conceived
in feminine terms, should be distinguished from Tantrism, the search for spiritual power and
ultimate release by means of the repetition of sacred syllables and phrases (mantras), symbolic
drawings (mandalas), and other secret rites elaborated in the texts known as Tantras (“Looms”).

82
In many respects the Tantras are similar to the Puranas. Theoretically, the Tantras deal with
knowledge, or philosophy, Yoga, or concentration techniques, ritual, which includes the
construction of icons and temples, and conduct in religious worship and social practice. In
general, the last two subjects are the most numerous, while Yoga tends to centre on the mystique
of certain sound-symbols (mantras) that sum up esoteric doctrines. The philosophy tends to be a
syncretistic mixture of Sankhya and Vedanta thought, with special and at
times exclusive emphasis on the god’s power, or shakti. The Tantric texts can be divided into
three classes:

(1) Shaiva Agamas (traditions of the followers of Shiva),

(2) Vaishnava Samhitas (“Collections of the Vaishnavas,” a name borrowed from the Vedic
Samhitas), and
(3) Shakta Tantras (“Looms of the Followers of the Goddess Shakti”). However, they all have
the common bond of venerating the Goddess.The surviving Hindu Tantras were written much
later than many of those of Tantric Buddhism, hich may have heavily influenced the Hindu texts.
Although there is early evidence of Tantrism and Shaktism in other parts of India, the chief
centres of both were in Bengal, Bihar, and Assam. hakta Tantras.

Shaktism in one form or another has been known since Bana (c. 650) wrote his Hundred
Couplets to Chandi (Chandi-shataka) and Bhavabhuti his play Malati Madhava (early 8th
century), about the adventures of the hero Madhava and his beloved Malati; both of these works
refer to Tantric practices. There is no traditional authoritative list of Tantric texts, but many
are extant.

Shaktism is an amalgam of Shaivism and mother goddess traditions. The Shaiva notion that
Shiva’s shakti, not Shiva himself, is active is taken to the extreme—without Shakti, Shiva is a
corpse, and Shakti is the creator as well as creation. Another important notion (partly derived
from Yoga philosophy) is that throughout the body there are subtle canals that carry esoteric
powers connected with the spinal cord, at the bottom of which the Goddess is coiled around the
lingam as kundalini (“coil”); she can be made to rise through the body to the top, whereupon

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release from samsara takes place. Important among the Shakta Tantras are the Kularnava-
tantra (“Ocean of Tantrism”), which gives details on the “left-handed” cult forms of ritual
copulation (i.e., those that are not part of traditional Hindu practice);
the Kulachudamani (“Crown Jewel of Tantrism”), which discusses ritual; and
the Sharadatilaka (“Beauty Mark of the Goddess Sharada”) of Lakshmanadeshika (11th
century), which focuses almost exclusively on magic. The goddess cults eventually centred
around Durga, the consort of Shiva, in her fiercer aspect.

Nature of Tantric tradition

Tantrism, which appears in both Buddhism and Hinduism, influenced many religious trends and
movements from the 5th century CE, but some of it was meant for esoteric circles. Claiming to
show in times of religious decadence a new way to the highest goal, Tantrism bases itself upon
mystic speculations concerning divine creative energy (shakti). Tantrism is thought to be a
method of conquering transcendent powers and realizing oneness with the highest principle by
Yogic and ritual means—in part magical and orgiastic—which are also supposed to achieve
other supranormal goals.

Proto-Tantric elements in Shaktism and Shaivism

The Mahabharata, the Harivamsa, and the Devi Mahatmya in the Markandeya Purana all
mention the fierce, demon-killing manifestations of the Great Goddess, Mahishamardini,
identified with Durga-Parvati. These suggest that Shaktism, reverence and worship for the
Goddess in Indian culture, was an established tradition by the early centuries of the 1st
millennium.] Padoux mentions an inscription from 423 to 424 CE which mentions the founding
of a temple to terrifying deities called "the mothers".However, this does not mean Tantric rituals
and practices were as yet a part of either Hindu or Buddhist traditions. "Apart from the somewhat
dubious reference to Tantra in the Gangadhar inscription of 423 CE", states David Lorenzen, it is
only 7th-century Banabhatta's Kadambari which provide convincing proof of Tantra and Tantric
texts.
Shaivite ascetics seem to have been involved in the initial development of Tantra, particularly
the transgressive elements dealing with the charnel ground. According to Samuel, one group of
Shaiva ascetics, the Pasupatas, practiced a form of spirituality that made use of shocking and
disreputable behavior later found in a tantric context, such as dancing, singing, and smearing
themselves with ashes.
Early Tantric practices are sometimes attributed to Shaiva ascetics associated with Bhairava,
the Kapalikas ("skull men", also called Somasiddhatins or Mahavartins). Besides the shocking
fact that they frequented cremation grounds and carried human skulls, little is known about them,
and there is a paucity of primary sources on the Kapalikas. Samuel also states that the sources
depict them as using alcohol and sex freely, that they were associated with terrfying female
spirit-deities called yoginis and dakinis, and that they were believed to possess magical powers,
such as flight.

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 .

Kushan sculpture of a yakṣiṇī (2nd century), Mathura region/ Dancing Bhairava in the Indian Museum,
Kolkata

Kapalikas are depicted in fictional works and also widely disparaged in Buddhist, Hindu and Jain
texts of the 1st millennium CE. In Hāla's Gatha-saptasati (composed by the 5th century AD), for
example, the story calls a female character Kapalika, whose lover dies, he is cremated, she takes
his cremation ashes and smears her body with it. The 6th-century Varāhamihira mentions
Kapalikas in his literary works. Some of the Kāpālika practices mentioned in these texts are
those found in Shaiva Hinduism and Vajrayana Buddhism, and scholars disagree on who
influenced whom.
These early historical mentions are in passing and appear to be Tantra-like practices, they are not
detailed nor comprehensive presentation of Tantric beliefs and practices. Epigraphic references
to the Kaulas Tantric practices are rare. Reference is made in the early 9th century to vama (left-
hand) Tantras of the Kaulas. Literary evidence suggests Tantric Buddhism was probably
flourishing by the 7th century. Matrikas, or fierce mother goddesses that later are closely linked
to Tantra practices, appear both in Buddhist and Hindu arts and literature between the 7th and
10th centuries.

Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism or Esoteric Buddhism in Maritime Southeast Asia

Indonesian Esoteric Buddhism or Esoteric Buddhism in Maritime Southeast Asia refers to the
traditions of Esoteric Buddhism found in Maritime Southeast Asia which emerged in the 7th
century along the maritime trade routes and port cities of the Indonesian
islands of Java and Sumatra as well as in Malaysia. These esoteric forms were spread by pilgrims
and Tantric masters who received royal patronage from royal dynasties like the Sailendras and

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the Srivijaya. This tradition was also linked by the maritime trade routes with Indian Vajrayana,
Tantric Buddhism in Sinhala, Cham and Khmer lands and in China and Japan, to the extent that
it is hard to separate them completely and it is better to speak of a complex of "Esoteric
Buddhism of Mediaeval Maritime Asia." Many key Indian port cities saw the growth of Esoteric
Buddhism, a tradition which coexisted alongside Shaivism.

Java under the Sailendras became a major center of Buddhism in the region, with monumental
architecture such as Borobudur and Candi Sukuh. The capital of the Buddhist empire of Srivijaya
in Palembang, Sumatra was another major center.
The decline of Buddhist states and the rise of Islamic states in the region during the 13th–16th
centuries saw the steep decline of this tradition.

13th century Javanese statue of Prajnaparamita, from the Cungkup Putri ruins near Singhasari temple /To
the right an erotic sculpture from Candi Sukuh

The diffusion of Esoteric Buddhism in the region began with the arrival of Indian Buddhist
monks in the 7th century. These include the central Indian Atikuta (fl. 650s), the Chinese
Punyodaya (fl 650s), Yijing (635-713), the South Indian Dharmaruci/Bodhiruci (d. 727),
Nagabodhi, Vajrabodhi and Bianhong (the 8th century teacher of Kukai). The Chinese Buddhist
monk Yijing reports that in the 7th century there was a Buddhist center in Java named Kalinga
(Heling) to which Chinese monks traveled in order to study.

Another source of this Indonesian Tantric tradition was from Sri Lanka's Abhayagiri vihāra, a
well known center of Vajrayana study and practice, which even established a branch monastery
in Central Java in the 8th century with Sailendra patronage.
A stronghold of Esoteric Buddhism, the empire of Srivijaya (650 CE–1377 CE) patronized
Buddhist monks and institutions and thus attracted pilgrims and scholars from other parts of
Asia. These included the Chinese monk Yijing, who made several lengthy visits to Sumatra on
his way to study at Nalanda University in India in 671 and 695, and the Bengali Buddhist
scholar Atisha (982-1054 CE) who played a major role in the development of Vajrayana
Buddhism in Tibet. Yijing praised the high level of Buddhist scholarship in Srivijaya and
advised Chinese monks to study there prior to making the journey to the great institution of
learning, Nalanda Vihara, India. He wrote:
In the fortified city of Bhoga, Buddhist priests number more than 1,000, whose minds are bent
on learning and good practice. They investigate and study all the subjects that exist just as in

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India; the rules and ceremonies are not at all different. If a Chinese priest wishes to go to the
West in order to hear and read the original scriptures, he had better stay here one or two years
and practice the proper rules.

Yijing was also responsible for the translation of a large numbers of Buddhist scriptures from
Sanskrit into Chinese. He translated more than 60 sutras into Chinese such as the Golden Light
Sutra. The Account of Buddhism sent from the South Seas & Buddhist Monks Pilgrimage of Tang
Dynasty are two of Yi Jing's best travel diaries, describing his adventurous journey to Srivijaya
and India, the society of India and the lifestyles of various local peoples.

In Java, the 8th century Shailendra dynasty promoted large scale Buddhist building projects such
as Borobudur. Later central Javanese bronze and silver Buddhist images show Tantric themes
such as mandalas and the Five Tathagatas.

In the 13th century Buddhism thrived in Eastern Java, the Singhasari kingdom of
King Kertanegara of Singhasari patronized Vajrayana. Buddhism continued to thrive under the
Hindu-Buddhist Majapahit Empire (1293–1527). Their capital Trowulan had many annual
festivities for Buddhism, Shaivism, and Vaishnavism. Some of their kings were Vajrayana
practitioners, such as King Adityawarman (1347–79) whose inscriptions state he was "always
concentrated on Hevajra".A feature of Javanese Buddhism was the deification and worship of
kings as Buddhas or Bodhisattvas. Important Buddhist deities included Prajnaparamita, Tara,
Bhairava and Lokesvara.

The fall of Majapahit and the rise of Muslim states such as the Sultanate of Malacca saw the
decline of Buddhism in the region. Many escaped to the island of Bali after the end of Majapahit
rule fleeing persecution, where Buddhism was merged into Balinese Hinduism. This process of
merging Buddhism and Hinduism predated the fall of the Majapahit however, and many textual
sources from the later Hindu-Buddhist kingdom state that Hinduism and Buddhism are both two
paths to the same reality and also equate the five Buddhas with five forms of Shiva. Likewise,
some Majapahit temples depict both Buddhist and Shaiva elements.

The oldest extant esoteric Buddhist Mantrayana literature in Old Javanese, a language
significantly influenced by Sanskrit, is enshrined in the San Hyan Kamahayanikan (possibly 8th
century). The San Hyan Kamahayanikan claims that its teachings come from Dignaga.
The Tibetan Buddhist canon includes translations of texts written by Javanese masters, such as
the Durbodhaloka (a commentary on the Abhisamayalamkara) of Suvarnadvipa Dharmakīrti.[15]
Another work by an Indonesian Tantric Buddhist is Bianhong's Ritual Manual for Initiation into
the Great Mandala of the Usnisa-Cakravartin which survives in the Chinese Taisho Tripitaka (T.
959). The Japanese master Kukai wrote a biography of Bianhong.

Bahal temple I, in Padang Lawas, North Sumatra. One of the remnants of Pannai Kingdom.
Various unique forms of Buddhist architecture developed in Indonesia and Malaysia the most
common of which is the stone Candi which shows Indic influences as has been interpreted as a
symbol of Mount Meru.

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The Sailendras built many Buddhist structures in Java, including the
massive stupa of Borobodur, as well as Candi Sukuh, Candi Mendut, Candi Kalasan and Candi
Sewu. The Srivijayans also built Buddhist temple complexes in Sumatra, such as Muara
Takus and Bahal temple and also in the Malay Peninsula, such as in their regional capital
at Chaiya. Majapahit also built Candis, such as Jabung, and Penataran. Other architecture types
include punden, small terraced sanctuaries built on mountains and pertapaan, hermitages built on
mountain slopes.
Around the 7th to the 13th centuries, the reliefs, carvings and statues in the temple complex,
especially those of the Tantric sect, such as the Sukuh and Cetho temples, were very ‘vulgar’.
The body is a representation of the self, a symbol of creation and fertility. The very bottom of
Borobudur temple, which is called kamadathu, also displays erotic and ‘vulgar’ things as
symbols of lust.

Much later to the 3 temples and the 4 th less known temple that lie in a straight line in Yogakarta
Kingdom and far from it in distance of 128 K, though not in concept lies the Candi Sukuh - a
fifteenth-century Javanese-Hindu-Buddhist temple that demonstrates strong tantric influence.

Tibetan Ganesh?
The distinctive Dancing Ganesha relief in Candi Sukuh has a similarity with the Tantric ritual
found in the history of Buddhism in Tibet written by Taranatha. The Tantric ritual is associated
with several figures, one of whom is described as the "King of Dogs" (Sanskrit: Kukuraja),
the mahasiddha who taught his disciples by day, and by night performed Ganacakra in a burial
ground or charnel ground. Importantly, Ganesha also appears in Buddhism, not only in the form
of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also portrayed as a Hindu demon form also called Vināyaka.
Ganesha's image may be found on Buddhist sculptures of the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist
god Vināyaka, Ganesha is often shown dancing, a form called Nṛtta Ganapati that was popular in
North India and adopted in Nepal and then into Tibet. Sukuh temple has a distinctive thematic
reliefs from other candi where life before birth and sexual education are its main theme. Its main
monument is a simple pyramid structure with reliefs and statues in front of it, including three
tortoises with flattened shells and a male figure grasping his penis. A giant 1.82 m (6 ft) high of
lingga (phallus) with four balls, representing penile incisions, was one of the statues that has
been relocated to the National Museum of Indonesia.
The Mudgalpurana has described Lord Ganesha, in his eight chief incarnations. Each one brings
forth a certain quality and aspect of that particular purpose, for which he incarnated, at various
periods in mythology. The peoples of this Earth are very dear to Him, and each time the
existence of the human was threatened with a mighty show of negative powers, he came forth, in
all His glory, to save them. Each of these demons symbolizes a particular negative quality ever
present in the human mind and heart. So this is also a symbolic mastery over all these negative
aspects of the personality, to qualify as a Perfect Master.

This Beloved Being, a human with an elephant head, is much loved in India, and I was surprised
to note, that even in Western countries His name is revered, and little statues of His likeness are
kept in their altars. Even those who do not know of the religious powers of Lord Ganesha find
themselves inevitably attracted to His likenesses, and end up having Him in their homes.

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1.Vakratunda: When the demon Matsarasur threatened to annihilate humankind, Lord Ganesha
came riding a Lion, in His incarnation as Vakratunda, forcing Matsarasur to surrender before
Him.
2. Ekdanta: The second time around Lord Ganesha incarnated as Ekdanta, using the mouse as
his vehicle of transportation, to overcome the force of the demon Madasur, and capture him.
3. Mahodara: As Mahodara, Lord Ganesha overcame the combined forces of the three demons,
Mohasur, Durbuddhi, and his son Jnanaari, capturing the first, and slaying the other two.
4. Gajanana: In his forth incarnation, he was known as Gajanana, where he overcame the forces
of Lobhasur, son of Kuber, while riding along on a mouse.
5. Lambodara: The great angry demon Krodhasur was made to surrender before Him, as he
incarnated as Lambodara, using the mouse again to ride into the battle. He also killed the demon
Mayakar in this fierce battle.
6. Vikata: The demon Kamasur surrendered when Lord Ganesha appeared to him in this
incarnation, riding a resplendent peacock.
7. Vighnaraja: This is His most popular incarnation, known as The Remover of Obstacles.
Riding his vehicle called Sheshnag, a serpent, he strode into battle with Mamtasur, and overcame
him.
8. Dhoomravarna: Lord Ganesha's eighth incarnation was as Dhoomravarna, when he went
forward on his little mouse, to conquer the last of the demons controlling the human personality,
Ahamtasur.

The word "Aham" signifies the human ego, and this is the demonic force which never lets go of
the human till the very end. This is so entrenched in the psyche, so that the human thinks that this
is all that he can identify with. This demon has also been called Ahamkarasur, or Abhimanasur,
both words again pointing to the inextricable control of the ego on the human.

The Vināyakas were a group of four troublesome demons who created obstacles and difficulties
in Hindu mythology, but who were easily propitiated. One theory of the origin of Ganesha is that
he gradually came to prominence in connection with the Vināyakas.

In Puranic literature of a much later period the group of four Vināyakas was merged into one
definite god named Vināyaka whom Rudra appointed as the "Leader of the Ganas"
(Ganapati). This Vināyaka-Ganapati is associated with another god called Dantin, "the one with
the tusk," who is said to possess a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and who holds a corn-sheaf, a
sugar cane, and a club. This description of Dantin is so characteristic of the Puranic Ganapati that
Heras says "we cannot resist to accept his full identification with this Vedic Dantin." The name
Vināyaka is a common name for Ganesha both in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras.
In the Smrti of Yājñavalkya, written in the 6th century, Vināyaka is definitely mentioned as a
demon who had been exalted to the rank of a deva. He is clearly described as elephant-headed
by the 8th century.

Mānava-Gṛhyasūtras
The Vināyakas in their original demonic role are mentioned only in a limited number of
Brahmanical texts that are essentially within only one school of the Vedas, the Kṛṣṇa Yajur
Veda.

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 The Vināyakas are first mentioned in the where they appear as four demonic creatures. Dating
for the Mānava-Gṛhyasūtra is only tentative, but P. V. Kane assigns it to a period prior to 600-
300 BCE and considers that they had attained a position of authority in the 2nd century BCE. S.
Bhattachrji dates them between 600-200 BCE. Macdonell dates them between 500-200 BCE.
Thapan concludes that the period reflected in the Vināyaka section of the Mānava-
Gṛhyasūtra must have been between the end of the 3rd and early 2nd century BCE. She based
this conclusion in part on the fact that in the Mānava-Gṛhyasūtra the Vināyakas are associated
with various other beings, including three of the four Buddhist lokpālas (guardians of the
quarters), as well as the deities Mahādeva and Mahāsena. Mahādeva and Mahāsena were popular
gods during the Aśokan period, a time when the spread of Buddhism must have posed a
challenge to adherents of the Vedic tradition. Thapan says that this association implies that "not
only was Buddhism viewed inimically by the brāmaņa authors of this text..., but so were
Mahādeva and Mahāsena."

The Vināyakas are also mentioned in the Mahābhārata where their role shows a distinct change
in two different age strata of that epic.[
 In the Śānti Parva they are depicted as evil beings and are mentioned along
with bhūtas and piśācas. These passages may date shortly after the composition of
the Mānava Gṛhya Sūtras.
 In the Anuśāsana Parva they lose their evil characterization and are worshipped as
the Gaṇeśvara-Vināyakas, part of the Rudragaṇa contingent. These passages are certainly
dated as belonging to the first one or two centuries CE. A passage in the Sabhā Parva which
mentions a being named Danti belongs to the same period. Danti appears to be synonymous
with the Mahākāya (One having a huge body) who is named along with the Gaṇeśvara-
Vināyakas as part of Śiva's entourage in the Anuśāsana Parva.

Thapan notes that almost all of the references to the Vināyakas, Danti, and their related beings do
not appear in the main body of the critical edition of the Mahābhārata, but are only mentioned in
the Appendices. This means that the traditions associated with these figures were limited to only
a few versions which must have been found in only specific regions.

Ganesha in Thervada and Mahayana Buddhism

Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka
but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name. His image has recurred in Buddhist
sculptures during the late Gupta period. As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown
dancing.

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 Ri
hanna & Ganesh pendant

Many people are unaware that although a renowned Hindu deity, Ganesh is
also worshiped by Buddhists.

It is said that during the 10 th century, merchants traveling from Asia began to worship
Lord Ganesh. As their devotion and teachings spread among the trading community,
many other traders began to worship Ganesh as well. His role as Remover of Obstacles
was very much important to their journeys in trade as the hoped for safe voyages and
safety from harm while at sea. Lord Ganesh therefore became the primary deity
associated with traders. They would invoke his image before any other god whenever
hardship would arise.

When Hindus began to spread across to the Malay Archipelago in Southeast Asia they
took with them not only their culture but their particular fondness for Ganesh. Statues
were erected throughout the region in his honor. Hindus migration further into
Southeast Asia such as in Indochina, brought the practice of worship of Hindu deity’s
right alongside Buddhists. It is here that Buddhists alike began to adopt their fondness
for Ganesh as Remover of Obstacles. Within Mahayana Buddhism Ganesh is appears
in the form of the Buddhist god Vinayaka. His image often appears in Buddhist
scriptures shown dancing. Vinayaka, the Buddhist equivalent to Ganesha, is known in
Japanese as Shōten (聖天, lit. "sacred deva" or "noble deva"; alternatively Shōden) or Kangiten (歓
喜天, "deva of bliss") and is worshiped mainly in the Shingon and Tendai schools.
Can Buddhists worship Hindu gods?-He did not subscribe to the traditional religious views of
his day, and Buddhists only ever worship Hindu deities in an instrumental way. Note that some
Hindus see the Buddha as an avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu, who took rebirth in order to teach
religion to demons and other opponents of Hinduism. Gautama Buddha, the founder of
Buddhism, is also venerated as a manifestation of God in Hinduism and the Baháʼí Faith. Some
Hindu texts regard Buddha as an avatar of the god Vishnu, who came to Earth to delude beings
away from the Vedic religion. Despite the very small number of Hindus here, elements of
Hinduism permeate Thailand’s socio-cultural life. Even as the group is a minority, various
Hindu elements remain deeply embedded in the traditional culture and social life of the Thai
people.

Hinduism arrived in Thailand partly along the land route from India via Burma, but also
traversed the Bay of Bengal to Indonesia and was instrumental in the establishment of the

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maritime Sri Vijaya Empire. It is from Java that Hinduism also spread to Cambodia, and what
is now Vietnam and northwards to Thailand – absorbing local cultural elements along the way.
Waves of invasions, and especially the Khmer rule, left the residue of Hinduism in the Thai
culture. And as is often the case with external influences, the elements have been absorbed and
overlaid with Buddhist rituals seamlessly, giving them Thai characteristics. Alongside their
Buddhist beliefs, many Thais worship Hindu deities. One of them is the Brahma ( Phra Phrom)
at the famous Erawan Shrine in Bangkok. People in deep anguish are known to go to this
shrine, and when a wish has been granted, devotees hire dancers to perform Ram Kae Bon, to
thank the god.

Statues of Ganesh, Indra (Phra In), and Shiva (Phra Isuan) can be found across
Thailand. Ganesh is known as Phra Phikanet in Thai and is worshipped as the remover of
obstacles. He is the deity Thai Buddhists often pray to before they start an important venture
— just as Hindus in Nepal and India do at Ganesh temples. Buddhist Ganesha’s appeal is wide-
reaching, not just amongst the spiritual. Ganesh tatoos and t-shirts are very popular worldwide.
There is, a “life-affirming” quality about his image, even for the non-religious. Ganesha has star
power. He even appears in brands, marketing, pop culture and fashion.And, of course, “Ganesha,
also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in
the Hindu pantheon… Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and
Buddhists.To many Mahayana Buddhists, Ganesha is an important practice. He can be a Yidam,
a friendly “bringer of prosperity,” a Dharma protector deity — and he takes on many other roles.
Shakyamuni Buddha suggested his mantras prior to practice. He appears in two Buddhist sutras,
and various tantras — in different roles. His mantra may be chanted by all. None of these roles
are mutually exclusive.

Many Forms of Ganapati

In both Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश, IAST: Gaṇeśa)
is the protector of prosperity and the remover of hindrances. In the Sakya and Gelug traditions,
Ganesha — together with Vajrayogini and Kurukulla — are the three “red deities” in the
Thirteen Golden Dharmas of the Sakyapa tradition. [See the large museum thangka of Hayagriva
with Ganesha below.] In other traditions, he is a directional Protector known as Vinayaka. In
one of the Tantra stories, Avalokiteshvara convinces Ganesha to become a Dharma Protector. In
Hindu tradition, there are at least 32 aspects of Ganesha.

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In all of his aspects, he is easily identified by his symbolic “elephant head.”//Maharakta 12 Armed Red
Ganapati, the great remover of obstacles.

One of Ganesha’s forms in Tibetan Buddhism as a wealth deity associated with Jambhala./ 12 armed

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In one sutra Buddha Shakyamuni advises his bikhus to make offerings and recite the essence
mantra of Ganesha Ganapati seven times — after first taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and
Sangha. [More on these sutras in the section Origins of Ganesha below.] The reason is to ensure
our practice obstacles are removed, so that our meditations result in realizations. The essence
mantra of Ganapati is:

Om Ah Ga Hum Svaha
OM AH GA HUM PAT SVAHA
The seed syllable of Ganesha is GAM. GAM is often worn as a symbol for luck.In the Hindu
tradition, the mantra is slightly different:

Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ.

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A magnificent 1800-1899 Tangkha (Sakya lineage) of Hayagriva Sangdrup in the Rubin Museum of Art. On his crown is
Amitayus, the long-life aspect of Amitabha. To his top left is Maharaklta Ganapti (Wrathful Gasesha), dancing atop a rat. On
the right is the power goddess Kurukulla, red (see below), with one face and four hands holding a bow and arrow, hook and
lasso. At the bottom center is Begtse Chen (Red Mahakala: see below), red in colour. On the left is Legden Mahakala (left, see
below), blue in colour and right is Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo (Palden Lhamo, the protector of the Dalai Lama)RIGHT PIC.A
very old Tibetan Buddhist Ganesha Tangkha. This is “Twelve-armed” Red Ganesha Wishfulfilling Jewel.

I collected a variety of references in a Buddhist context. Ganesha appears popularly in various

Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions. In some Buddhist traditions Ganesh is worldly — but still
and important remover of obstacles. In some Mahayana traditions he is viewed as a god. In
others a Enlightened Protector. In yet others, as a Bodhisattva. There is no universality. In one
tradition it is Avalokiteshvara who asks Ganesha to be a Dharma Protector. Ganesha later
promised again to protect the Dharma before the great Padmasambhava — who composed 108
Sadhanas of Ganesha.

In this feature we’re highlighting all the various aspects. In other words — even where there
appear to be contradictions — there is no right, or wrong, in these various views, and ultimately,
for practice, one should only be guided by your own tradition and teacher, and your own
preferences.

In Buddhism, there are two sutras that mention Ganapati, and one with his “Dharani” (mantra)
which can be chanted by anyone. In the sutra, Buddha says:

“Any son or daughter of high birth, whether monk or nun, lay brother or sister who
undertakes any matter [such as] accomplishing the [rites to call a sacred being by
means of] mantras, worshipping the Three Jewels, travelling to another country,
going to the royal court or concealing [from view] should upon worshipping the
Blessed Buddha, practice seven times the Arya Ganapati Hrdaya [mantras]: for him
all tasks will be accomplished; no doubt about this!

Two sutras on Ganapati contain the Dharani of Ganapati; one is the Dharani Sutra of the Golden
Ganapati, found in the T. XXI 1269, which was delivered by the Buddha to his disciple
Shariputra when the Buddha was residing at Shravasti. The Dharani, as presented in this Sutra, is
somewhat a variant of the Dharani, in the Ganapati Heart Sutra. At the end of the Sutra, Ganapati
himself appears and assures that he will protect and bestow wishes of those who uphold this
Dharani. The other text, the one that is presented here is the “Arya Maha Ganapati Hridaya
Dharani” [Heart Dharani of Maha Ganapati] — in full at the bottom of this features.In
Buddhism, sometimes Ganesha is seen as a worldly deity dedicated to protecting Buddhism, but
in some Mahayana stories he is a Bodhisattva and in origin stories, he is an emanation of
Avalokiteshvara (in the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras).

In most Buddhist tantric traditions, Ganesha appears as a protector sworn to protect the Dharma
by either Shakyamuni Buddha or Padmasambhava. However, Ganapati, Maha Rakta (Tibetan:
ཚོགས་བདག tsog gi dag po, mar chen. English: The Great Red Lord of Hosts or Ganas) is a

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Tantric Buddhist form of Ganapati (Ganesha) related to the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras.
This form of Ganapati is regarded as an emanation of Avalokiteshvara.

“…beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, in the middle a blue rat
expelling various jewels, [above] Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant
face with sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with a
wishing-gem and a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve hands,
the six right hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle, bow,
khatvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield together with
a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and skullcup
filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening manner.
Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel ornaments, the left
foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright rays of red flickering
light.” (Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup, 1497–1557).

This form of Ganapati belongs to a set of three powerful deities known as the ‘mar chen kor
sum’ or the Three Great Red Deities included in a larger set called ‘The Thirteen Golden
Dharmas’ of Sakya. The other two deities are Kurukulle and Takkiraja. (See 18th century
Thangka of Hayagriva Sangrup below with Ganapati and Kurukulle both featured below.)

Buddhist Vinayaka Ganesha

In one tantric description of Ganesha’s Divine Lila (Lila means “dramatic play”,)
Avalokiteshvara, determined to convince Ganesha to be a Dharma protector, transforms his
appearance to an image of Ganesha and enters his palace, sitting on his throne. The entire palace,
including Ganesha’s consort, are convinced this is the real Ganesha. When Ganesha returns, he is
astonished by Avalokiteshvara’s majesty and becomes an Protector of the Dharma.

In the “divine Lila” (Play), Avalokiteshvara transforms himself into Ganesha. An astonished
Ganesha, upon seeing himself on his own throne, decides to become a Dharma Protector. (One
version of the Divine Lila of Buddhist Ganesha.)

It depends on the tradition and teacher. In yet another tradition, Mahanirvana Tantra, he was
converted by the protector Mahakala — Mahakala being a fierce form of Avalokiteshvara — and
symbolically appears under his feet, representing the King of Protectors

Less worship, more practice

From the Buddhist perspective on deities, there is less “worship” of deities and more “practice”
of deities as a path. In Tantric Buddhism, for example, we visualize ourselves as the perfect
forms of Enlightenment — as the deities — this, as practice for our mindstreams.That doesn’t
mean we don’t make offerings or honor deities. Offerings and prostrations help us develop

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positive karmic imprints — merits, as they are often called.Most Ganesha practices — the ones
not requiring extensive initiations or permissions — are conducted to “ask for the removal of
obstacles to our practice.” Normally, in tantric practice, we would visualize ourselves as our own
Yidam — not as Ganesha — then make offerings to Ganesha (in whatever form is taught to us.)

His long Dharani, according to the Blessed Shakyamuni Buddha, will “obtain and propagate …
the accomplishments of his [Ganesha’s] tasks.” The sutra-based Dharani, requiring no
permission (see the full Sutra at end of this feature) is:

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namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ kaṭa kaṭa maṭa maṭa dara dara vidara vidara hana hana gṛhṇa gṛhṇa dhāva
dhāva bhañja bhañja jambha jambha tambha tambha stambha stambha moha moha
deha deha dadāpaya dadāpaya dhanasiddhi me prayaccha |
oṃ rudrāvatārāya svāhā |
oṃ adbhutavindukṣubhitacittamahāhāsam āgacchati |
mahābhayamahābalaparākramāya mahāhastidakṣiṇāya dadāpaya svāhā |
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ suru suru svāhā | oṃ turu turu svāhā | oṃ muru muru svāhā |

Very old Mongolian tangkha of Ganesha.

Ganesha comes first

Ganesha is normally the first deity practiced or honored in some Buddhist (and Hindu) traditions.
Why? Because he is known as the “remover of obstacles.” It is symbolically important to remove
obstacles before, for example, moving on to your main practices.Many deities are known as

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“obstacle removers” in Tantric Buddhism, and often these are practiced first in daily sadhanas —
although it varies by tradition. It is for this reason, too, that Ganesha is often at the door of
temples, or homes. He removes obstacles and is, by this definition, a guardian.

Obstruction-remover

Importantly, in Buddhism, Ganapati (Ganesha) is a “remover of obstacles.” Many Buddhist

deities are, removers or obstacles, but Ganesha is particularly venerated for this role.

Since poverty is a major obstacle — if we are fighting to survive, we have no time to practice
Dharma — Ganesha also takes on a “wealth deity” role.Some of his depictions overlap with
Jambhala (another wealth deity, and also another Hindu deity), complete with depictions of gold
and jewels falling from the mouth of his rat. (In the case of Jambhala the animal is a mongoose).
Red Jambala, especially, is usually thought of as none other than Ganesha, Red Ganapati, with
the head of an elephant (see thangka below.)

Many forms of Ganesha

Importantly, Red Ganapati in common with many “red” deities belongs to the Padma family in
Tibetan Buddhism — the family of Avalokiteshvara, Hayagriva, and Amitabha. In one
traditional lineage of Chinese Buddhism, where Guanyin (Kuan Yin, Avalokiteshvara) is female,
Ganesh is her consort.

Ganesha’s Buddhist enlightened forms are many: overcoming obstacles and bringing success
(similar to Hinduism); fierce protector at the gate of many mandala palaces; high-form tantric
deity; and, even, in Chinese Buddhism, a legendary consort to Guan Yin.

In Shingon, he is popular as Kankiten. In Japan there are 250 stand-alone Ganesh temples, where
he is the god of prosperity and happiness. As Nrtta Ganapti, the dancing Ganesha, he is the
destroyer of obstacles in Tibet and Nepal. In Thailand he is called Phra Phikanet, a deity of
fortune and success. In Indonesia he is associated with wisdom. He is also the Buddhist deity
Vinayaka, popular in Tibet.

He is worshiped widely in India (by both Buddhists and Hindus) and by Buddhists in China,
Thailand — where Ganesh amulets are very popular — Tibet, Mongolia, Nepal (basically all of
Japan, China, Central Asia, and southeast Asia) — and around the world. In India, he is in every

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temple, regardless of the main deity, and he is in nearly every home. In Chinese Buddhism, he is
extremely popular. He is even a “fix” for homes with bad “feng shui.”

Aspects of Buddhist Ganesha

There are, as with all deities in Buddhism, many symbolic forms in Tantric practices. Each pose,
arm, implement, and gesture triggers recognition as archetypes by our minds.

Ganesha, in Buddhism, can be elephant-faced, dancing, with matted locks of hair and many arms
and implements. He can be red and fierce, as with Maha Rakta Ganapati (Great Red Lord of the
Ganas). He can look very nearly like Hindu Ganesha. He can have three eyes — symbolic of
wisdom and Enlightenment. He can carry a kapala filled with blood, symbolic of bliss and
emptiness. In most forms, the “mouse” mount is carried over from Hinduism symbolism.

Some of his forms:

 Lord Ganesh, pale of complexion with a mouse mount (similar to Hindu form).
 Maha Rakta Ganapati: red and fierce tantric form with many arms, an emanation of
Avalokiteshvara (related to the Chakrasamvara tantras)
 Nrtta Ganapati, the dancing god.
 He is one of the Three Great Red Deities (Mar Chen Kor Sum), which is part of the
Thirteen Golden Dharmas of the Sakyas.
 He can be Vinayaka (which is both the name of an enlightened deity and a demon) —
and in this form he is sometimes seen being stepped on by Mahakala.
 Kangiten in Japan, a wealth and success god.
 Ragavajra: Three-faced, six hands (Atisha tradition)
 One-face- four hands (white, red or blue)

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  Maharakta Red, one-face-twelve hands
 One face, two hands (white)
 Nyingma forms of Ganapati, such as Maha Ganesha or Vajra Ganesha

Maharakti Ganesha.RIGHT Maharakta Ganesh

Maharakta Ganapati — emanation of Avalokiteshvara

Perhaps the most exotic of the Ganapati forms is Maharakta, instantly recognizable by his red
form, surrounded by red tantric flames on a red lotus. This form is related to the Chakrasamvara
tantras. The description from Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrub (1497-1557):

“…beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, in the middle a blue rat
expelling various jewels, [above] Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant
face with sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with a
wishing-gem and a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve hands,
the six right hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle, bow,
katvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield together with
a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and skullcup

101
filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening manner.
Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel ornaments, the left
foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright rays of red flickering
light.”

Maharakta blongs to the “Three Great Red Deities” (mar chen kor sum), along with red
Kurukulla and Takkiraja.

One of many forms of Buddhist Ganesha.

Offerings to Ganesha

There isn’t much difference between offering recommendations for Buddhist Ganesh or Hindu
Ganesh. Relatively, they may seem like distinct deities, but at the ultimately level they are One.
Typically, in Buddhism, water bowls are always a perfect offering for any deity.But,
symbolically, Ganesh prefers “sweet treats” and “sweet smells” and “sweet flowers.” Why?
Because Ganesh is just plain “sweet.” In formal retreat or practice, usually the “three white”
offerings are made: yogurt, rock sugar, milk.

Ganesh loves flower garlands. (Because he’s sweet!). The best offering of all is his mantras.
(Depending on the form you are honoring, the mantra may vary.)Normally, the offerings are
placed before a picture or statue of Ganesh, but in Tantric Buddhism, this can be just projected

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mentally through visualization (as always, with Tantric Buddhist deities.)Pujas or sadhanas of
Ganesh will differ in a significant ways between Buddhist and Hindu. The key to any Buddhist
sadhana or ritual is:

 Taking refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, the Three Jewels

 Making the Bodhisattva vow (with each practice)
 Dedicating the merit of the practice to the cause for Enlightenment for the benefit of all
beings.

Ārya Mahā Gaṇapati Hṛdaya

namo bhagavate āryamahāgaṇapatihṛdayāya |

namo ratnatrayāya ||

Thus I have heard. Upon a time, the Blessed One was staying at Rajagriha, on the Vulture Peak,
together with a great assembly of monks: forty-five hundreds of monks and numerous great
Bodhisattvas. On that occasion the Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda:

“Ananda, whoever, son or daughter of high birth, would keep [in mind], recite, obtain and
propagate these “heart” [mantras] of Ganapati, his will be the accomplishments of all his tasks”

oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |

oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ kaṭa kaṭa maṭa maṭa dara dara vidara vidara hana hana gṛhṇa gṛhṇa dhāva dhāva bhañja
bhañja jambha jambha tambha tambha stambha stambha moha moha deha deha dadāpaya
dadāpaya dhanasiddhi me prayaccha |

oṃ rudrāvatārāya svāhā |
oṃ adbhutavindukṣubhitacittamahāhāsam āgacchati |
mahābhayamahābalaparākramāya mahāhastidakṣiṇāya dadāpaya svāhā |
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ suru suru svāhā | oṃ turu turu svāhā | oṃ muru muru svāhā |

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“These Ananda, are the “hearts” of Ganapati”

“Any son or daughter of high birth, whether monk or nun, lay brother or sister who undertakes
any matter [such as] accomplishing the [rites to call a sacred being by means of] mantra,
worshipping the Three Jewels, travelling to another country, going to the royal court or
concealing [from view] should upon worshipping the Blessed Buddha, practice seven times the
Arya Ganapati Hrdaya [spells]: for him all tasks will be accomplished; no doubt about this!. He
should forever put an end to all strifes and quarrels , violence and envy, and become entirely
calm. Day upon day abiding the rules and practicing a full seven times: it will come out into the
fortune of this great one! Upon his coming to the royal court there will be great kindness
(prasada). He will become “Keeper of hearing [1]” (Shruti-Dhara). There wil be no major illness
to his body. Never will he assume the descent as a tara-praksina or the descent as a humble bee:
nothing ellse will occur to him that the Mind of Awakening. In every birth he will be
remembering [his previous] births.”

Thus spoke the Blessed One, and upon receiving [his teaching] these monks, these great
Bodhisattvas and whole attendance, the world with the gods, the humans, the asuras, the garudas
and the gandarvas rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.

Why is Maha Rakta Ganapati recommended by Buddhist Teachers as the remover of obstacles
— the protector of prosperity? What makes Ganapati a spiritual superstar? Why is Ganesha so
loved around the world? In Buddhism, what makes his practice unique and powerful
Venerable Zasep Rinpoche, explained his versatile popularity:

“Ganesha is honoured as a Yidam deity as well as a Dharma Protector in both the Hindu tradition
and the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Ganesha is a protector of Dharma practice and prosperity; he
also removes hindrances and obstacles.
Ganesha, Vajrayogini, and Kurukulla are the three red deities, part of the thirteen golden
Dharmas of the Sakypa tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.
Ganesha is one of the fifteen directional protectors – in that group he is known as a Vinayaka.”
Red 12-armed Ganapati is the remover of obstacles in Tibetan Buddhist practice.( See Pic
Below)

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Ganapati in Most Schools of Buddhism

Ganapati practice is pervasive and popular in most schools of Buddhism, including Mahayana
and Vajrayana. Zasep Rinpoche illustrated with this example:
“Ganesha also promised to protect the Dharma in front of Guru Padmasambhava at the great
stupa, Gomasala Ganda, in India. Guru Padmasambhava composed 108 Sadhanas of Ganesha
and gave them to Tibet’s second great king Trisong Detsen.”
Rinpoche also explained that there are 32 aspects of Ganesha in Hinduism and several in
Buddhism, including as an aspect of Avalokiteshvara [See the charming story below.]
12-Armed Maha Rakta Ganapati.

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The Story of Avalokiteshvara and Ganesha
From the chapter of Ganesha-Ganapati in Zasep Rinpoche’s book Source of All Buddhist
Protectors, he synopsized the charming story of how Avalokiteshvara “convinced” Ganesha to
protect the Buddha Dharma:
“Avalokiteshvara knew Ganesha was a powerful god and wanted him to become a Dharma
protector. Avalokiteshvara decided the only way to do this was to manifest as an even more
powerful Ganesha. One day Ganesha and his attendants went on an outing… While they were
gone Avalokiteshvara manifested himself as Ganesha and entered the royal palace. The consort
of Ganesha and her entourage greeted him and offered flowers and music….when the real
Ganesha returned to the royal palace, the consort and entourage were very confused and told him
the great Maha Deva Ganapati was already sitting on the golden throne! … Then Ganesha was
overwhelmed by the power of Avalokiteshvara; right away he took refuge and the Bodhisattva
vows from him, to protect and maintain the holy Dharma.”

Maharakta 12 Armed Red Ganapati. On October 1, the great remover of obstacles. Venerable
Zasep Rinpoche will offer precious empowerment on Oct 1, 2021 via Zoom (details below.)

Heart Dharani of Ganesha

Ganapati’s Heart Dharani is a Sutra proclaimed by Shakyamuni Buddha in the Arya Ganapati
Hridaya. [1 ] [See the full quoted Sutra below.] In the sutra, Buddha suggested Ganapati’s
dharani be practiced first, before other practices and meditations, to help remove obstacles to
practice. Buddha said to Venerable Ananda:
“Retain this, the Heart of Ganapati. The people who read this will accomplish all their endeavors.
All the aspirations they hold in their minds will be accomplished as well. They will accomplish
all the secret mantras, too. All their wealth and resources will become abundant.”

Venerable Zasep Rinpoche said:

“At the time of Buddha Shakyamuni, Buddha advised his chief disciple Maha Ananda, that the
monks, nuns and lay devotees should first take refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, then
make offerings to Ganesha. They should recite his Mantras seven times, twenty-one times or 108
times, then they could achieve their wishes and remove obstacles to Dharma practice.”
The shortest version of the mantra would be:
OM AH GA HUM SVAHA
In simple terms: Om Ah and Hum respectively represent Buddha’s Body, Speech and Mind and
GA is the seed-syllable of Ganapati Ganesha.
The full Dharani Shakyamuni Buddha referred to, is:
TADYATHĀ/ NAMO TUDDHE/ GANAPATI/ KATA KATA/ KITI KITI/ KUTA KUTA/
MATRA MATRA/ DARA DARA/ DHAHA DHAHA/ GHRINA GHRINA/ DABĀ DABĀ/
JAMBHA JAMBHA/ SAMAYA MANUSMARANA TUDDE TUDTRA/ BACHANAYE
SVĀHĀ/ ABUTE BHIDUKSHA BANCHA TANA/ BASAMA GARACHHA/ THAMAHA
BHAYA/ MAHĀBAYĀ/ MAHETETA KSHINIYA/ PRAKOMPAYASI/ TADYATHĀ/ OM
KURU KURU/ MURU MURU/ CHURU CHURU/ NAMA NAMA SVĀHĀ

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A very old image of 12-armed Ganapati.

Prayer to 12-armed Ganapati

Traditionally, devotees would make a daily offering of flowers, carrots, and other sweet offerings
with a simple prayer such as:
Lord Ganapati, you are the embodiment of
Vajra Body, Speech and Mind of the Buddhas
Arising from non-dual wisdom,
I offer fragrant flowers, carrots and other substances,
To you, the Lord who removes obstructors,
I pray to you and your entourage,
Please send your blessings and siddhas upon us!
Siddhas can be loosely translated as “wish-granting” although depending on context has many
meanings, including the greatest of Siddhis — Enlightenment.
The Wish-Granting Ganapati with 12 Arms
Ngorchen Konchog Lhundrup (1497 – 1557) described Ganapati (Great Red Ganehsa) as “…
beside a lapis lazuli rock mountain is a red lotus with eight petals, [standing on] …a blue rat
expelling various jewels; Shri Ganapati with a body red in colour, having an elephant face with
sharp white tusks and possessing three eyes, black hair tied in a topknot with a wishing-gem and
a red silk ribbon [all] in a bundle on the crown of the head. With twelve hands, the six right
[hands] hold an axe, arrow, hook, vajra, sword and spear. The six left [hold] a pestle, bow,
khatvanga, skullcup filled with blood, skullcup filled with human flesh and a shield together with

107
a spear and banner. The peaceful right and left hands are signified by the vajra and skullcup
filled with blood held to the heart. The remaining hands are displayed in a threatening manner.
Wearing various silks as a lower garment and adorned with a variety of jewel ornaments, the left
foot is extended in a dancing manner, standing in the middle of the bright rays of red flickering
light.” [Antique thangka of 12 Armed Maha Rakta in the Rubin Museum collection.
2]

Ganapati — Clears Away Obstacles

As the clearer of obstacles, he often appears prominently in many mandalas and Thangkas, or at
the door of the temple or home. (For example, see 12-Armed Maha Rakta Ganapati top left of
the Hayagriva Sangdrup thangka below.) As a remover of obstacles, he is a vital symbol and
Enlightened Deity.
Ganesha under foot?
As the clearer obstacles, he appears symbolically under the feet of Mahakala — not because his
brother Mahakala is subduing him or trampling on him, but because this symbolizes Ganesha
supporting Mahakala’s work. This is why Ganesh does not appear in distress under the feet of
Mahakala of Vinayaka [See thangka of Vignantaka standing on Ganesha below]; both are
emanations of Avalokiteshvara.
Ganapati clears away obstacles, obscurations — and supports our practice. Ganesha practice is
foundational and supportive — symbolized by under our feet — or, where he is our key
“clearing” practice he appears at the doorway, protecting us.
Ārya Mahā Gaṇapati Hṛdaya
namo bhagavate āryamahāgaṇapatihṛdayāya |
namo ratnatrayāya ||
Thus I have heard. Upon a time, the Blessed One was staying at Rajagriha, on the Vulture Peak,
together with a great assembly of monks: forty-five hundreds of monks and numerous great
Bodhisattvas. On that occasion the Blessed One told the Venerable Ananda:
“Ananda, whoever, son or daughter of high birth, would keep [in mind], recite, obtain and
propagate these “heart” [mantras] of Ganapati, his will be the accomplishments of all his tasks”

108
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ kaṭa kaṭa maṭa maṭa dara dara vidara vidara hana hana gṛhṇa gṛhṇa dhāva dhāva
bhañja bhañja jambha jambha tambha tambha stambha stambha moha moha deha deha
dadāpaya dadāpaya dhanasiddhi me prayaccha |
oṃ rudrāvatārāya svāhā |
oṃ adbhutavindukṣubhitacittamahāhāsam āgacchati |
mahābhayamahābalaparākramāya mahāhastidakṣiṇāya dadāpaya svāhā |
oṃ namo ‘stu te mahāgaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ gaḥ |
oṃ namo gaṇapataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇeśvarāya svāhā |
oṃ gaṇādhipataye svāhā |
oṃ gaṇapatipūjitāya svāhā |
oṃ suru suru svāhā | oṃ turu turu svāhā | oṃ muru muru svāhā |
“These Ananda, are the “hearts” of Ganapati”
“Any son or daughter of high birth, whether monk or nun, lay brother or sister who undertakes
any matter [such as] accomplishing the [rites to call a sacred being by means of] mantra,
worshipping the Three Jewels, travelling to another country, going to the royal court or
concealing [from view] should upon worshipping the Blessed Buddha, practice seven times the
Arya Ganapati Hrdaya [spells]: for him all tasks will be accomplished; no doubt about this!. He
should forever put an end to all strifes and quarrels , violence and envy, and become entirely
calm. Day upon day abiding the rules and practicing a full seven times: it will come out into the
fortune of this great one! Upon his coming to the royal court there will be great kindness
(prasada). He will become “Keeper of hearing [1]” (Shruti-Dhara). There wil be no major illness
to his body. Never will he assume the descent as a tara-praksina or the descent as a humble bee:
nothing ellse will occur to him that the Mind of Awakening. In every birth he will be
remembering [his previous] births.”
Thus spoke the Blessed One, and upon receiving [his teaching] these monks, these great
Bodhisattvas and whole attendance, the world with the gods, the humans, the asuras, the garudas
and the gandarvas rejoiced at the words of the Blessed One.
Red Ganapati in Tibetan Buddhism.

Practicing Ganapati
Although it is best to have empowerment, any with faith and good heart can practice this sadhana
and mantra with one proviso — you must not self-generate as Ganapati. If you have a Yidam,
you would self-generate as your own Yidam, then visualize/imagine Ganapati in front of you.
Sadhana of Twelve-armed Red Ganesha Wishfulfilling Jewel
Compiled by Gyal Khenpo Drakpa Gyaltsen
Translated, modified with the addition of refuge, Bodhicitta, offerings, dedication and auspicious
prayers by Zasep Tulku Losang Tenzin Gyaltsen.
NAMO GURU VAJRA VARNAYE

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Maha Deva, Tsog Dagpo Ganesha is the protector for yogis and yoginis who have honored
Samaya and who practice the Sadhana.
Ganesha is the source of virtue and prosperity. He is the provider of glory and good fortune of
the three realms, so I make supplications to him to protect life and Dharma practice.
First set up the altar for Ganesha, place a statue or painting on the altar, arrange a jewel shaped
red Torma decorated with butter ornaments of Sun, Moon and Nanda. Also set up the special
three white offerings— milk, yogurt, and rock sugar with carrot. Set up two sets of offering
bowls starting from right to left on the altar.
If you have the initiation of Heruka, Vajrayogini, Yamantaka Hayagriva, or Six-Armed
Mahakala, do the short Sadhana of that deity (or at the very least, do the mantras). Sit on a
comfortable cushion, place the Bell, Vajra, Damaru and inner nectar cup on the table in front of
you, and begin with the Yidam deity Sadhana, then front- generated Puja of Ganesha.
Taking Refuge
For myself and all sentient beings throughout space I go for refuge until I am enlightened
To my Gurus, the Buddhas, the Dharma and the Supreme Sangha. (x3)
Cultivating Bodhicitta
For the benefit of all sentient beings I must achieve full Enlightenment.
For this purpose, I shall practice the Guru Yoga for the Wisdom and prosperity deity, Maha Deva
Ganapati. (x3)
Consecrate the Torma offerings in advance
OM RURU PURU ZWALA TISHTA SIDDHA LOTSANI SARVA ARTA SADHANAYE
SVAHA (x3)
(While saying the above mantra do the Sky Treasure mudra) OM VAJRA AMRITA KUNDALI
HANA HANA HUNG PHET
OM SVABHAVA SHUDDHA SARVA DHARMA SVABHAVA SHUDDHO HUNG
From the state of emptiness I visualize myself arising
—as Heruka, Vajrayogini, Yamantaka (or whichever deity I practice).

I invite Great Maha Deva Ganesha to this marvelous mountain of lapis lazuli light, decorated by
the red lotus flowers and the great fabled blue mongoose vomiting all kinds of jewels. He has the
red syllable GAM on his back, then the red GAM transforms into glorious Red Ganesha with
elephant face, three eyes and long white tusks. His hair is tied up on his crown and decorated
with red jewels on the top and silk strips hanging on the side. He has twelve arms; the first right
arm holds an axe, the second a great arrow, the third an iron hook, the fourth a Vajra, the fifth a
sword, the sixth a Phangdu (spear). His first left hand holds a wooden pestle, the second a bow,
the third a Khatvanga, the fourth a skullcup filled with blood, the fifth a skullcup filled with
meat, the sixth holds a shield with a silk strip banner. He is also holding a Vajra and bell at his
heart. He wears a Dhoti (lower garment) with marvelous jewels. His left foot stands on a great
fabled blue mouse and his right foot is in the dancing posture. On his crown there is an OM, at
his throat an AH, and at his heart a HUM. At the center of his heart, there is a GAM, the seed
syllable of Ganesha.

Light shines forth from my heart as an invocation of Maha Deva Ganesha from one of the 33
realms of Devas known as Do Amo Linka; the glorious Maha Deva Ganesha and his
unimaginable entourage descend and dissolve into the front- generated Ganesha. (Ring bell)

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OM GA GA SIDDHI SIDDHI SARVA ARTHA METRA SADA YA HUM HUM ZA ZA
SOHA (x100 or recite as much as you can)
DZA HUM BAM HO
The commitment beings and wisdom beings become one.
PADMA KAMALA YE TAM
SAMAYA HO
Absorbing the Wisdom Beings and Receiving the Empowerment
From the blue HUM at my heart light-rays emanate bringing forth

From their natural abodes the wisdom beings and the empowering deities.
The wisdom-beings dissolve into me. We become non-dual. The empowering deities confer the
empowerment on me, the surplus nectar remains
Above me as Amitabha Buddha on the crown of my head. Making offerings that have been
blessed from above, Consecrated water, purified water, flowers and powder incense,
Bright flame, excellent aromas, high quality delicious food, All kinds of beautiful musical
instruments I offer to Opponents of Mara and the great Maha Deva Ganesha. Whatever I have
obtained, as well as imagined offerings,
I consecrate them by the power of my mantra recitation, Concentration and fine mudras. I also
bless them,
I offer them with great care and honor to the deities
I request and make supplications to Maha Deva,
Please provide long life, virtues, power and energy,
Glory, prosperity and all kinds of marvels,
All my wishes fulfilled without any hindrance.
Offerings to Ganapati
( Here make Kriya Tantra offering mudras, or visualize making the offerings.)
OM GANAPATI ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GANDHE, NAIVIDYA,
SHABDA, HUM SVAHA OM GANAPATI OM AH HUM !
Praise to Maha Deva Ganesha
The embodiment of Buddha’s body, speech and mind,
Arise from the non-dual wisdom.
The Lord of accumulation, the power of accumulation and owner of accumulation,
I prostrate to the great owner of the Geg obstacles.
Translator’s note: Ganesha is known as Geg Kyi Gyalpo, the king of obstacles, owner of
obstacles. This term sometimes causes a bit of confusion and concern. Lord Ganesha is a god of
peace, love, prosperity and remover of hindrances. He never causes harm or obstacles. But from
a divine Lila point of view he has a subtle influence, inspiring living beings to be joyful and
playful. He generates long life, good health and lots of fun in life. There is nothing else quite like
him; he is unusual. With his elephant face, he looks majestic and very beautiful. Playful,
powerful, kind, generous and somewhat child-like, he is not serious like other Protectors, and
enjoys wealth and the good life. For some Dharma practitioners, who have little sense of
humour, they doubt that Ganesha is serious enough. While he inspires people with worldly
happiness, sometimes this can be an obstacle and a distraction for their minds. However, I think
in this degeneration age we need gods like him when we are facing suffering, sadness,
depression, dangers of pandemics and illness. We need joyful cheerful happy Dharma Protectors
like Lord Ganesha.

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Mantra recitation of Ganesha-Ganapati
From the heart of myself, visualized as the Yidam mantra, light rays emanate and strike at the
GAM syllable at the heart of the front-generated deity, requesting a rain of food, wealth and all
kinds of siddhis.
Mantra of glorious Ganesha.
OM AH GA HUNG SOHA (x100)
(When you do Lerung retreat do 100,000 mantras, or you could recite until you receive good
signs of realization.)
OM GAM GANA SIDDHI SODHA METRI YAZA HUNG SOHA (x 21)
Make Mandala offering, concentrating on the object of offerings.
I offer mind-capturing flowers, ornaments and jewels, Sweet Ladoo made with rice, honey, sugar
and turmeric, Fresh carrots and fruit with hundreds of flavours, Cloud-like offerings of the ten
directions;
Please accept these offerings with delight.
Mandala-like beautiful food, lamp light, and water offerings, Rice wine, raisin wine and sweet
drinks,
Naturally pure or fermented drinks,
Accept these uncontaminated offerings.
Blessed by Samadhi, Mantras and Mudras,
Accept these desirable good quality offerings,
Which I set up with a pure mind and my imagination, Ver
Very old thangka of 12-armed Ganapati.
Great Maha Deva Ganesha, enjoy my offerings.
OM GANAPATI, ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GHANDE,
NAIVIDYA, SHABDA OM GANAPATI OM AH HUM
When you wish to make Torma offerings, here is the method
OM HUNG HA HO HRI (x 3)
The front-generated deity drinks the essence of the Torma, drawing it up with his tongue in the
form of a Vajra straw.
OM GANAPATI SAPARIVARA IDAM BALINGTA KHA KHA KAHI KAHI (x3)
OM GANAPATI AKARO MUKAM SARVA DHARMA NAM ADYA
NUPANA NATWATI NAMA SARVA TATHAGATA AVALOKETISHVARA OM
SAMBARA SAMBARA HUM (x3)
OM GANAPATI, ARGHAM, PADYAM, PUSHPE, DHUPE, ALOKE, GHANDE,
NAIVIDYA, SHABDA
OM GANAPATI OM AH HUM
Say the 100 syllable mantra of Vajrasattva
OM VAJRA SATTVA SAMAYA MANU PALAYA
VAJRA SATTVA TENO PATISHTA DRIDHO ME BHAVA
SUTO KAYO ME BHAVA SUPO KAYO ME BHAVA ANURAKTO ME BHAVA SARVA SIDDHI
ME PRAYACCHA SARVA KARMA SUCHA ME
CHITTAM SHRIYAM KURU HUM HA HA HA HA HO
BHAGAVAN SARVA TATHAGATA VAJRA MA ME MUNCHA
VAJRA BHAVA MAHA SAMAYA SATTVA AH HUM PHAT

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About the Author--- UDAY DOKRAS
The author has worked for 30 years in the human resources arena in India and abroad. He
was Group Vice -President of MZI Group in New Delhi and has anchored Human
Relations in Go Air and Hotel Holiday Inn;was General Manager-Health Human
Resources at the Lata Mangeshkar Hospital amd Medical college. Is currently Consultant
to Gorewada International Zoo,Nagpur and visiting Faculty at the Central Institute of
Business Management and Research, Nagpur.

In Sweden he anchored HR in Stadbolaget RENIA, SSSB and advisor to a multi

millionaire. He has studied in Nagpur, India where he obtained degrees of Bachelor of
Science, Bachelor of Arts(Managerial Economics) and Bachelor of Laws. He has done
his Graduate Studies in labour laws from Canada at the Queen's University, Kingston; a
MBA from USA, and Doctorate from Stockholm University, Sweden. Apart from that he
has done a Management Training Program in Singapore.
A scholar of the Swedish Institute, he has been an Edvard Cassel Fund and Wineroth
Fund Awardee.A scholar for the Swedish Institute for 5 years.
In 1984 he was involved with the Comparative Labour Law Project of the University of
California, Los Angeles, U.S.A. He was also visiting lecturer there. In 1985 he was
invited by the President of Seychelles to do a study of the efficacy of the labour laws of
Seychelles.
Author of a book on a Swedish human resource law, his brief life sketch is part of the
English study text book of 7 th Class Students in Sweden -“Studying English.
SPOTLIGHT 7”- and 8th Class students in Iceland - “SPOTLIGHT 8- Lausnir.”

RESEARCH PAPERS-320 + in Researchgate and academia.edu & scribd

Followers(readers) 65,000 consolidated as on 26 th September,2020.

Authors-DR Uday DOKRAS

113
 Dr.
Uday Dokras
B.Sc., B.A. (Managerial Economics), LL.B., Nagpur University, India
Certificat'e en Droit, Queen’s University. Ontario, Canada,
Ph.D. Stockholm University, Sweden,
Management and Efficacy Consultant, India

Reviews of the Book PROJECT HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

The authors highlight the benefits of paying attention to human resources and offer success and
failure factors guideline for a variety of potential practitioners and students in global project
marketplace.
Ms.Ylva Arnold, Head HR- Norstedts Publishers, Stockholm SWEDEN

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From the Newspaper Times of India March
24, 2018

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Iceland Sweden both countries use the English Text SPOTLIGHT-one of the lessons in
which is about Dr Uday Dokras

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Prof. S.Deshpande,President of the Indian Instituye of Architects, New Delhi INDIA
releasing the book of Dr Dokras HINDU TEMPLES on the web in CARONA
gimes( May 2010)

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Some of my books

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