Ganapati Atharvasirsha

The Upanishad
Adidaivat Pratipaadhak Khand

aum namaste ganapataye ..
tvameva pratyaksham tattvamasi .. tvameva kevalam kartaasi ..
tvameva kevalam dhartaasi .. tvameva kevalam hartaasi ..
tvameva sarvam khalvidam brahmaasi ..
tvam saakshaadaatmaasi nityam .. 1..

I bow to thee, O Ganapati, who is the Lord of all the groups of Deities ranging from Brahma. You are the personified form of Brahman or the Brhmatattva. You are the creator, protector and destroyer of all beings. You are the in-dweller, eternal, all pervading Brahman embodied in all of us as Self. 1Svapratignaatmak Khand

ritam vachmi.. satyam vachmi.. 2..

I shall speak the scriptural truth and experiential truth only.2

Vighna Rakshanaruup Khand

ava tvam maam .. ava vaktaaram .. ava shrotaaram..
ava daataaram .. ava dhaataaram..
avaanuuchaanamava sishhyam..
ava pashchaattaat.. ava purastaat ..
avottaraattaat .. ava dakshinaattaat..
ava chordhvaattaat .. avaadharaattaat ..
sarvato maam paahi paahi samantaat .. 3..

Please, protect me, who is speaking about your true form. Please protect me who is hearing about your noble qualities. Please protect me who is teaching your adorations and worship to the other disciples. Please protect me who imbibes the spirit of Sadhana for your worship. Please protect me from all the obstacles in the way of my worshipping You emanating from all the sides and the directions (North, South, East and West, Above and Below). 3

Aadhyaatmapratipadhak Khand

tvam vaangmayastvam chinmayah ..
tvamaanandamayastvam brahmamayah ..
tvam sachchidaanandaadvitiiyosi ..
tvam pratyaksham brahmaasi ..
tvam jnaanamayo vijnaanamayosi .. 4..

You are the word, deed and thought . You are the truth, consciousness and bliss. You are the One only and non-dual Universal Self. You are the personified Brahma, appearing before us. You are the entire knowledge and wisdom. 4

Aadidaivat Varnanaatmak Khand

sarvam jagadidam tvatto jaayate ..
sarvam jagadidam tvattastishthati ..
sarvam jagadidam tvayi layameshyati ..
sarvam jagadidam tvayi pratyeti ..
tvam bhuumiraapo.analo.anilo nabhah ..
tvam chatvaari vaakpadaani .. 5..

This entire world has arisen from you, been nourished by you and dissolved into you. You support this moving and unmoving world. You are the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and ether. You are the four levels of speech viz. para, pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari. 5

Aadhyaatma Prakaashak Khand

tvam gunatrayaatiitah tvamavasthaatrayaatiitah ..
tvam dehatrayaatiitah .. tvam kaalatrayaatiitah..
tvam muulaadhaarasthithosi nityam ..
tvam shaktitrayaatmakah ..
tvaam yogino dhyaayanti nityam ..
tvam brahmaa tvam vishhnustvam rudrastvam indrastvam agnistvam vaayustvam
suuryastvam chandramaastvam brahmabhuurbhuvah svarom .. 6..

You are beyond the three Gunas- sattwa, rajas and tamas. You are beyond the three states of consciousness - waking, dreaming and deep sleep. You are beyond the three states of body- gross, subtle and causal. You are beyond the three time-periods – past, present and future. You are seated in the Mooladhara Chakra in the physical body from where the Kundalini shakti arises. You are the source of three types of energy viz creation, maintenance and dissolution. You are always being meditated upon by the sages. You are the creator Brahma, the protector Vishnu and the destroyer Rudra .. You are the Indra, the Fire, the Air, the Sun, the Moon. You are Brahma, the three worlds viz. prithvi, antariksh and svarg and also the Pranava – OM. 6

Ganesha Vidya Khand

ganaadim puurvamuchchaarya varnaadim tadanantaram ..
anusvaarah paratarah .. ardhendulasitam .. taarena riddham ..
etattavamanusvaruupam .. gakaarah puurvaruupam..
akaaro madhyamaruupam .. anusvaarashchaantyaruupam ..
binduruttararuupam .. naadah sandhaanam ..
samhitaasandhih .. saishhaa ganeshavidyaa ..
ganakarishih .. nichridgaayatrii chchandah ..
ganapatirdevataa .. aum gam ganapataye namah .. 7..

Your name starts with the letter 'ga', and ends with the letter 'sha' and in between come the letter 'a' and anuswara 'n'. These have symbolic meanings representing the 'ganas' of prosody, and the letters and sounds of 'akaara''anuswara' of the language and the ‘sandhis’ of the grammar. The sage of this hymn is 'Ganaka', its meter is 'nichridgayatrii' and the presiding deity is 'Ganapati'. After describing the structure of the mantra the Rishi gives the full form of the manra as ‘Om Gam’ after which one has to utter ‘Ganapataye Namah’ and then offer Namaskaars.This part is giving the deeper Vedic meaning of the mantrabiija ga (m*) and is called the Ganeshavidyaa. 7

Sri Ganesha Gayatri Mantra Khand

ekadantaaya vidmahe vakratundaaya dhiimahi ..
tanno dantih prachodayaat .. 8..

Praise be to the bearer of the single tusk and crooked trunk. May we be inspired by this knowledge and meditation. 8

Dhyaanaatmak Khand

ekadantam chaturhastam paashamankusha dhaarinam ..
radam cha varadam hastairbibhraanam muushhakadhvajam ..
raktam lambodaram shuurpakarnakam raktavaasasam ..
raktagandhaanuliptaangam raktapushhpaih supuujitam ..
bhaktaanukampinam devam jagatkaaranamachyutam ..
aavirbhuutam cha srishhtyaadau prakriteh purushhaatparam ..
evam dhyaayati yo nityam sa yogii yoginaam varah .. 9..

After describing the Lord in the Mantra form, the sage now paints His physical form for the purposess of meditation on Him. The Lord is holding a tusk, a rope, an instrument 'ankusha' in three hands and the fourth hand is showing the boon-giving posture (vara mudra). He has his body smeared with a red fragrant paste. He is wearing a red dress and being worshipped by red flowers. He has the mouse as his vehicle. He has a large stomach and long ears. He is compassionate to His devotees. He is the cause of all the ‘leelas’ in this earth. He appeared before the creation of this universe. He is beyond the primordial Nature or Prakriti and Purusha. That sage who meditates on the Lord in this form is better than those who meditate otherwise. 9

Stutipratipaadhak Khand

namo vraatapataye . namo ganapataye . namah pramathapataye . namaste.astu lambodaraaya ekadantaaya. vighnanaashine shivasutaaya . shrii varadamuurtaye namo namah .. 10..

Salutations to the Lord of Gods and the Lord of the group of Ganas or hosts created by Siva,. Salutations to the Lord of the Sevak of  Sankara.  Salutations to the large limbed and the single tusked Ganapati. Salutations to the destroyer of obstacles, to the son of Shiva and the boon-giver incarnate, Ganapati. 10

Phalashruti

etadatharvashiirsham yo.adhiite .. sa brahmabhuuyaaya kalpate ..
.. sa sarva vighnairnabaadhyate .. sa sarvatah sukhamedhate
sa panchamahaapaapaatpramuchyate ..
saayamadhiiyaano divasakritam paapam naashayati ..
praataradhiiyaano raatrikritam paapam naashayati ..
saayampraatah prayunjaano apaapo bhavati ..
sarvatraadhiiyaano.apavighno bhavati ..
dharmaarthakaamamoksham cha vindati ..
idamatharvashiirshhamashishhyaaya na deyam ..
yo yadi mohaaddaasyati sa paapiiyaan bhavati..
sahasraavartanaat yam yam kaamamadhiite..
tam tamanena saadhayet .. 11..

The one who studies Atharvasiirsham becomes qualified to become Brahma himself. He will not be afflicted by any obstacles and attains all-round happiness. He will be released from the five great sins.

If one studies this Upanishad in the evening he is absolved of the sins committed during the day; if studied in the morning the sins of the night are washed away; if studied both in the morning and evening, one is totally absolved of all sins. If studied always, one is freed from all obstacles; one obtains the benefits of all the four Purushaarthas (dharma, artha, kaama and moksha). However, one should not teach this to the undeserving student i.e. to the one who does not have faith and devotion to this scripture. If done so, out of greed for wealth, such a teacher becomes a great sinner. If one studies this Upanishad a thousand times according to prescribed Shastras, one achieves whatever is desired for.11

anena ganapatimabhishhinchati sa vaagmii bhavati ..
chaturthyaamanashnan japati sa vidyaavaan bhavati .
sa yashovaan bhavati ..
ityatharvanavaakyam .. brahmaadyaavaranam vidyaat
na bibheti kadaachaneti .. 12..

The devotee who performs Abhishek to the idol of Ganapati becomes a master in the art of speech. The devotee who studies this scripture on the Chaturthi by observing fast becomes a great and famous scholar. This is the final opinion of the Atharvasirsha. The one who practices this Brahma Vidya knows no fear, never.12

yo duurvaankurairyajati sa vaishravanopamo bhavati ..
yo laajairyajati sa yashovaan bhavati ..
sa medhaavaan bhavati ..
yo modakasahasrena yajati
sa vaanchitaphalamavaapnoti ..
yah saajyasamidbhiryajati
sa sarvam labhate sa sarvam labhate .. 13..

He who worships with 'Dhuurva' flowers becomes equal to the lord of wealth (Kubera), the worshipper who uses rice flakes, becomes a man of fame and scholarship, if one worships by offering a thousand coconuts and sugar mixed rice balls, obtains whatever is desired for and one who performs Yagna with ghee and ‘samidha’ sticks attains everything, everything indeed.13

ashhtau braahmanaan samyag graahayitvaa
suuryavarchasvii bhavati ..
suuryagrahe mahaanadyaam pratimaasannidhau
vaa japtvaa siddhamantro bhavati ..
mahaavighnaat pramuchyate .. mahaadoshhaat pramuchyate ..
mahaapaapaat pramuchyate ..mahaapratyavaayaat pramuchyate..
sa sarvavidbhavati sa sarvavidbhavati ..ya evam veda ityupanishad .. 14..

By teaching this (atharva) to eight brahmins properly, one becomes bright like the Sun. If the idol of Ganapati is worshipped by chanting this mantra, at the time of the solar eclipse, by standing in a great river like Ganga or Yamuna etc., one gets the full effect of the mantra and becomes a Siddha in that field. He is released from great obstacles, great defects/imperfections and great sins. He who knows this truth becomes the all-knower; he becomes the all-knower. Know this as the end of the Upanishad.14

.. shaanti mantra ..
Peace Invocation

aum sahanaavavatu .. sahanaubhunaktu ..
saha viiryam karavaavahai ..
tejasvinaavadhiitamastu maa vidvishhaavahai ..
aum shaantih . shaantih .. shaantih...

Let us both (the teacher and the taught) be protected together, let usenjoy together, let us endeavour together, let our study be resplendent, let us not hate or quarrel with each other.

Om Peace Peace PeaceMay there be peace all around (both outside and inside us).

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1. Ganesha Temples see Indonesia Click Here

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