Ganesha Tatwa - Part 3

मायाधाराय वै तुभ्यं मायाहीनाय ते नमः मायिनां मोहकाराय सर्वज्ञाय च ते नमः

मायाधार – माया exists within him only. Like how a pot contains water, माया exists within him only. माया is not in conflict with his principle. माया is not something that has come from somewhere else. He has only created this माया. He only sustains this माया, hence he is मायाधार.

But he is मायाहीन – this माया does not affect him. A director of a movie does not get affected by the emotions in the movie. Because he is the creator, he knows how the movie has come into existence and that the story is not for real. He would analyze it qualitatively, how it is impacting the audience, but the director himself is not influenced by the emotions in his movie.

He is also मायिनां मोहकार. Who is मायी? Someone who is affected by माया is मायी. Lord गणेश alone causes people to be affected by माया मोह. Hence he is मायिनां मोहकार.

And he is सर्वज्ञ, all-knowing.

सर्वसिद्धिधरायैव सिद्धीनां पतये नमः सिद्धिहीनाय सिद्धाय सिद्धानां पतये नमः

All सिद्धिस, all special powers exist within him only. Like a pot and water, they all are within him only. He is the Lord of सिद्धिस. He only gives special powers.

But he is सिद्धिहीन. सिद्धि means getting something, a power that you don’t have. Through साधना or blessing, you get a special power which you did not have. Then only it is called सिद्धि. But there was never a time when he didn’t have all the powers. He always had them; they don’t have to come to him as a सिद्धि. Hence he is called सिद्धिहीन.

He is already सिद्ध, fully accomplished with every power, and he is also the Lord of all the सिद्धs, सिद्धानां पति.

जगन्मयाय वै तुभ्यं जगद्धीनाय ते नमः कर्मणां फलदात्रे च कर्मरूपाय ते नमः

The Lord is जगन्मय – every single inch of this universe is filled with him. There is no place in this universe that is apart from him, outside of him, or other than him.

But he is also जगद्धीन – is only this world him? No, he is much more and beyond. जगत is an illusion. He is not an illusion. He is the only truth. He is the only unchanging truth. So he is जगद्धीन.

He is कर्मणां फलदाता – he only gives the results of कर्म. He has only put the system of कर्म in place. He doesn’t have to individually pick and choose the results of कर्म for each person and give. He has put in place this system of कर्म – which is action and result – and it works on its own. This system is he himself. This system works unfailingly because this system is he himself.

कर्महीनाय तेऽज्ञानज्ञानदात्रे नमो नमः ज्ञानिनां ज्ञानकर्त्रे च ज्ञानहीनाय ते नमः

But at the same time, he is not bound by कर्म. It is a system he has put in place for the beings he has created, functioning within this illusion called जगत or universe. But he is outside of it. Hence he is कर्महीन.

अज्ञान and ज्ञान both are given by him. अज्ञान is माया – that is given by him. ज्ञान – relief from अज्ञान, realization – is also given by him. Hence he is अज्ञानदाता and ज्ञानदाता.

But why is he called ज्ञानहीन? You can say, 'I have ज्ञान, I have received ज्ञान, I didn’t have ज्ञान, I got ज्ञान.' But he is ज्ञान himself. How can you say that ज्ञान itself has ज्ञान? So it is said he is ज्ञानहीन.

Ramaswamy Sastry and Vighnesh Ghanapaathi