Ganesha Atharva Sheersha Explained - Part 1

Listen to this Audio

In the Atharva Seersha, Rishi Atharva narrates his experience of Ganesha. It is his personal encounter, as he has experienced Ganesha himself. Contrary to popular belief, Ganesha Atharva Seersha is not part of the Atharva Veda. It is called Atharva Seersha because its author is Rishi Atharva, who is also the rishi for many Atharva Veda mantras.

The mantra 'Bhadram Karnebhi' is not part of Atharva Sheersha; it is a Shanti Patha, chanted at the beginning of Upanishads. Atharva Sheersha begins with 'Om Namaste Ganapataye.' Since Atharva Sheersha is an Upanishad, it is chanted here as per tradition: 'May we, with your grace, be able to hear auspicious words.' With the eyes, 'Bhadram Pashyema' means 'let us see auspicious things.' Sthirairangaih means 'with healthy and firm organs,' and Tushtuvamsah refers to 'we who are praising you.' Vyashema Devahitam Yadayuhu expresses, 'let us live our full life as desired and fixed by Deva Prajapati.' Svasti Na Indro – Vridhasravaha, those whose praises are always heard by the elderly, as narrated in the Puranas – Indra, Pusha, Tarkshya (Garuda), who is Arishtanemi, and Brihaspati, may they all accord comfort and happiness to us. Svasti Dadhatu.

'ॐ नमस्ते गणपतये' – 'Om' at the beginning is called Mangalacharanam. Any act, such as chanting or performing a ritual, should begin with Mangalacharanam, an auspicious word or shloka. Mangalacharanam should be at the beginning, middle, and end. The shastras are written this way. Saying Omkara at the start means beginning with the most auspicious word of all.

Chanting Omkara at the beginning brings the results of whatever is practiced. As Taittireeya Upanishad says, 'यो वेदादौ स्वरः प्रोक्तः,' meaning the Svara or syllable chanted at the beginning of the Vedas is Omkara. Omkara is so auspicious that it is chanted even at the beginning of the Veda. The purpose of Mangalacharanam is also to ward off obstacles. Ganesha, as the remover of all obstacles, is praised at the beginning of his own Atharva Sheersha with Omkara. Uttering Omkara is the same as Ganesha Pujanam.

Ganesha’s worship at the beginning can take four forms: some think about him in their mind (Ganesha Smaranam), some utter Omkara (as he IS Omkara), some physically worship his murti, and some worship him in the yoga bhava, merging with him. Every act should begin with one of these ways of worshiping Ganesha to ensure its successful completion.

When Vyasa Maharshi set out to write the Puranas, he omitted the Mangalacharanam. Without a Mangalacharanam praising Ganesha at the beginning, he faced obstacles: he couldn’t remember things, information mixed up, and he couldn’t concentrate. Approaching Brahma, he asked, 'Why is this happening to me? I wish to create the Puranas and interpret the essence of the Vedas for Kali Yuga’s people, who may lose interest in divine knowledge. I aim to present the deep Vedic principles in simple stories for them.'

Brahma thought for a while, then smiled and said, 'Any act should be performed thoughtfully, with integrity, and without arrogance. All of us – Me, Vishnu, Shiva, Surya, Agni, Varuna – are subject to a power that alone can remove obstacles. Due to your arrogance, you ignored him and didn’t praise him at the beginning. Remember him at the start of all tasks. Now that you understand, take refuge in Ganesha. If he is pleased, he will remove your obstacles.' Brahma then taught Vyasa the Ekakshara Mantra for worshiping Ganesha, and with this, Vyasa pleased Ganesha, who helped him complete his task.

Even if the task involves praising Ganesha, he must be worshiped independently at the beginning, as he is Mangalamurthy. Shiva says at the time of the destruction of Tripura, 'Shaivas, Vaishnavas, Shaktas, Sauras – all should worship Ganesha first in all tasks, whether auspicious or inauspicious, worldly or divine.'

Ganapati means the lord of groups – groups of devas, yakshas, kinnaras, manushyas, asuras, rakshasas, and more. Mudgala Purana says, 'Gana' means 'group.' When inside and outside attain unity, it becomes a group. When external and internal become one, the samooha yoga bhava or Gana is achieved. He is the lord of yoga bhava, yoga prajna, the realization of non-separation of inside and outside.

Annam (food) is Brahma. All beings are born from annam, they survive because of annam, and they return to annam. Ganesha is Brahma, the lord of the groups of annam. Yogis realize this through Ganesha. By knowing Ganesha’s svaroopa, they attain ultimate peace.

कथितं सामवेदे यच्छृणु वेदरहस्यकं
येन त्वं शान्तिसंयुक्तो भविष्यसि न संशयः
मनोवाणीमयं सर्वं दृश्यादृश्यस्वरूपकं
गकारात्मकमेवं तत्तत्र ब्रह्म गकारकः
मनोवाणीविहीनं च संयोगायोगसंस्थितम्
णकारात्मकरूपं तण्णकारस्तत्र संस्थितः
विविधानि गकाराच्च प्रसूतानि महामते
ब्रह्माणि तानि कथ्यन्ते तत्वतूपाणि योगिभिः

This is a secret revealed in the Sama Veda. The 'ग' (Gakara) in Ganapathy represents all the tatvas that have come into existence. The tatvas, as explained before, combined into various forms and beings.

'णकाराच्च प्रसूतानि ब्रह्माणि तानि योगिभिः निरोधात्मकरूपाणि कथितानि समन्ततः' – the 'ण' (Nakara) in Ganapathy represents all aspects of dissolution, where individual forms disappear and assimilate into a single homogeneous entity.

गकारश्च णकारश्च नाम्नि गणपतेः स्थितौ
तदा जानीहि भो योगिन् ब्रह्माकारौ श्रुतेर्मुखात्
तयोः स्वामी गणेशश्च योगरूपेण संस्थितः
तं भजस्व विधानेन शान्तिमार्गेण पुत्रक

Both these aspects are contained within him alone – both creation and dissolution. Take refuge in him.

ॐ गणेशो वै ब्रह्म – Ganesha is Brahma, says the Ganesha Geeta. Just as there is a Bhagavad Gita, there is also a Ganesha Geeta.

तद्विद्यात् – Know that
यदिदं किंच सर्वं भूतं भव्यं जायमानं च तत्सर्वमित्याचक्षते – Whatever exists, whatever has existed, and whatever will exist – it is all him.
अस्मान्नातः परं किंचित् – There is nothing other than him.
यो वेद स वेद ब्रह्म – One who knows this knows Brahma, the supreme truth.

नमः ते – नमस्ते – Namaskara to you.

त्वमेव प्रत्यक्षं तत्वमसि
त्वमेव – त्वं एव – You alone, no one else.
तत्वमसि – 'Tat Tvam Asi' is one of the Mahavakyas (great sayings) of Advaita.

Some others are:

• अहं ब्रह्मास्मि
• प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म
• अयं आत्मा ब्रह्म
• ब्रह्म सत्यं जगन्मिथ्या
• एकमेवाद्वितीयं ब्रह्म
• सोऽहं
• सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्म

तत् त्वं असि – You are that.

In the Chandogya Upanishad, Uddalaka tells Shvetaketu, 'That which is the subtlest of all is the Self of all this. It is the Truth. It is the Self, the atma. There is nothing other than this. 'That you are' – that atma you are – Tat Tvam Asi.'

Ganesha is Tat Tvam Asi embodied. Ganesha’s physical form embodies Tat Tvam Asi: half human, half elephant – नरः + गजः.

नरः – नराज्जातानि तत्वानि – The tatvas, as explained before, originate from Nara. The world originates from Nara, and in that sense, Nara is Omkara. 'Tvam' in Tat Tvam Asi symbolizes Nara, Omkara.
यस्मादोंकारसंभूतिर्यतो वेदो यतो जगत् – Omkara originates from him, and from Omkara, the Vedas, and from the Vedas, the world and universe.

गजः – Gakara and Jakara in 'गजः' represent Tat in Tat Tvam Asi.
समाधिना योगिनो यत्र गच्छन्तीति गः – 'गच्छन्ति गः' – where yogis go through Samadhi.
यस्माज्जगज्जायत इति जः – 'जायते जः' – from whom or which the world is born.

In 'गजः,' this is in reverse order: first dissolution, then creation. By assuming a form that is half human and half elephant, Ganesha shows us that the cycles of creation and dissolution are within him; they are himself. Creation through Nara, then dissolution, and again creation through Gaja.

So, Nara and Gaja, both parts of his body, are inseparable. Dissolution is inevitable after creation; creation is inevitable after dissolution. This is what Ganesha is teaching us through his physical form. 'Asi' here indicates both combined together – the human half and the elephant half.

Ganesha assumed this form of half elephant and half human through his own leela (play). He wanted to show us his true nature and created a series of events at the end of which he became one with an elephant’s head.

Once, Parvati was getting ready for her bath. She asked Nandi to guard the door and allow nobody inside. Nandi stood guard, but when Shiva came and wanted to enter, Nandi could not say no. Shiva was his master; how could he stop him? Parvati became upset, realizing she had no one who was exclusively her own and loyal only to her. She wiped some turmeric paste from her body, made a human form out of it, and infused it with life. Thus, Ganesha came into existence, fully loyal to his mother and with no allegiance to Shiva.

The next time Parvati went for a bath, Ganesha stood guard. When Shiva returned, Ganesha refused him entry into Parvati’s chamber. Enraged, Shiva ordered his ganas to kill him, but they failed. Furious, Shiva beheaded Ganesha. When Parvati saw her son slain, she became furious, summoning her army of yoginis and preparing to destroy the world.

Brahma intervened, and Parvati put forth two conditions: first, Ganesha must be brought back to life, and second, he should be given the first place among all Devas. Shiva agreed. He told Brahma to retrieve the head of the first creature he encountered, which was an elephant. Shiva placed the elephant’s head on Ganesha’s body and brought him back to life, also granting him the status of being first among Devas. This was his leela to show his true nature.

The Ganesha Purana offers a different version, where Ganesha’s avatar during the Treta Yuga was Mayuresha. After completing his mission in Treta Yuga, he promised the Devas and Rishis that he would incarnate as the son of Shiva and Parvati in Dvapara Yuga as Gajanana. In this version, Ganesha was born from Parvati’s womb after she became pregnant with Shiva.

ततोऽकस्माद्धैमवती शिवानुग्रहतो दधौ गर्भं स ववृधेत्यन्तं दिने दिने यथा शशी ततस्तु नवमे मासि पूर्णे सा सूत् बालकम् – Upon completing nine months, Parvati gave birth to a boy. He was born with a normal head, four hands, a crown, and ornaments, holding a parashu, lotus, rosary, and modaka in his four hands, and had the brilliance of a crore suns.

When Parvati asked who he was, he responded:
गुणेशोहमनेकानां ब्रह्माण्डानां विनायकः असंख्याता मेवतारानज्ञायं तेऽमरैरपि इच्छया सृष्टिसंहारपालनानि करोम्यहं – 'I am Vinayaka, lord of numerous universes. I have countless avatars that even the Devas do not fully know. I create, sustain, and dissolve at my will and pleasure.'

When Parvati requested him never to leave her, he took on another form, one with a trunk, which became his permanent form. There is no mention here of a conflict between Shiva and Ganesha.

In the earlier version, the Ganesha that Parvati created was from turmeric. He was not Shiva’s son. After Shiva beheaded him and Parvati threatened destruction, Shiva gave her the greatest gift in the form of the eternal Ganesha in his true form with an elephant head. Parvati requested the revival of her child, but what she received was Ganesha himself as her son. This Ganesha, created from the lower body of the slain child and the head of an elephant, was a new creation. By infusing him with life, Shiva performed prana pratishta, making him his son.

Now the terms 'Tvam,' 'Tat,' and 'Asi' are clarified:

त्वमेव केवलं कर्तासि
त्वमेव केवलं धर्तासि
त्वमेव केवलं हर्तासि

'Karta' – creator of the world, 'Dharta' – sustainer who rules over all, giving beings the results of their karma, 'Harta' – one who dissolves the universe.

त्वमेव सर्वं खल्विदं ब्रह्मासि – You, embodying Tat Tvam Asi, are all this. You are Brahma.

There is a difference between Brahma and Brahmaa:

• Brahmaa – the creator god in the Trimurti (Brahmaa, Vishnu, and Shiva), who only creates. Brahmaa is masculine, and Saraswati is his consort.
• Brahma – in neuter gender, represents truth, bliss, non-dual, immortal, and unbound by thought, time, or space. It is omnipresent, all-seeing, all-hearing, and knows all. Brahma is the cause of creation, sustenance, and dissolution, and Brahmaa exists within Brahma. Ganesha is Brahma.

त्वं साक्षादात्मासि नित्यम् – You are the eternal atma, never decaying. That you are.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi