Ganapati

The Lord of Obstacle Remover

1999
A Transcribed Audio – Text Discourse

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 Ganapati
The Lord of Obstacle Remover

It was Vinayaka Chaturthi day.

"Every year, we celebrate Navarathri. The
Navarathri performed in Chaitra Maasam
which is the first month of the year is called
Vasantha Navarathri. Next month, we will be
celebrating Devi Navarathri. Now, we are
going through Ganapati Navarathri. It has to
be performed for nine nights and ten days.
That is the deeksha. Everyone is supposed to
do this. There are no distinctions in this, like
a learned man, Vedic scholar, non-brahmin
etc. . . . Even Chaturmasya Vratam is meant
for all. Where worship of God, approach to
Him or Dhyanam on Him is concerned, there
is no distinction. All are equal. For
performing Yagnas or study of Vedas, certain
qualifications are prescribed. On the
contrary, when it comes to Moksha or Jnana,
all are equally eligible. For example, the
stories tell us that the elephant, the spider
and the serpent too attained Moksha. So, as
regards the Jeevan’s ultimate goal, all are
equal. And, basically, all of us are Jeevas
only! There is no Brahmin-jeeva or a non-
Brahmin-jeeva! Any Jeeva, even in the body
of an animal, is eligible for Moksha. Before

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God, there is no one more learned than
others."

"Ganapati Navarathri is supposed to be

performed for ten days. Each man is
supposed to do it; in every household. Even
an ordinary man may be able to do it. For
this reason, a facility has been arranged in the
society. That is, on the first day itself, after
doing your pooja, you see nine Ganapati’s.
Your deeksha is over! All that you have to do
is a simple exercise of standing and sitting, '
thoppukkaranam '. In Nellore and Madras, in
all my childhood days, this was the practice.
It is not possible for someone who has a
stomach like Ganapati’s! He can have
anything. He can even dance and play with
that belly. You have to do it nine times! And
for nine days! That makes it 81!”

"What is Ganapati? Is He just another God?

There are so many Gods. Where is the
distinction between one God and another? Is
there any special reason why we should do
Ganapati pooja? Ganapati is known as the
vignana nayaka or vigna karaka or vigna
vinasaka. He is the cause of obstacles. He is
the destroyer of obstacles also. We have so
many Gods and Goddesses. So many deities

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for different purposes. We worship
Mahalakshmi for wealth, Subramanya for
progeny, Surya for health, Durga for warding
off troubles from enemies. Ganapati is for the
sake of obstacles! You have to invite
obstacles, it is necessary for us! Often, we
are saved by obstacles. We have to have
obstacles in our wrong attempts, which are
not going to be beneficial. So, He is the
vigna karaka. You must pray to Ganesa,
'Lord, cause such obstacles which are going to
save me from my foolish attempts." Once you
have taken to Ganesa as your protector, what
happens to your attempts? You will
understand the failures in your attempts as
the right obstacles. A man's attitude to life
changes. Man's understanding becomes
proper. He would not be disappointed. He
would feel, 'I wanted to do this. But, Lord
Ganesh did not will it. He stopped it.
Therefore, may be, he has protected me.'
What we call failures is nothing but obstacles
in our attempts. Instead of calling them
failures, call them as obstacles. Then, we will
be able to take them in the right spirit. There,
the man is free from himself in the day to day
life."

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"Who is Ganapati anyway? Why should He
have an elephant's head? Originally, Maha
Ganapati was the creation of His own self. He
created himself for the sake of protecting the
process of creation. There are some evil
forces, which come to stop the process of
creation. Well, according to one Siddhanta,
there are five Brahmas. There is the Nirguna
Brahma vastu. It has no quality or mind or
form. From that, creation has to emerge in
future. There has got to be desire for creation.
That desire to create itself is the second
Brahma. Naturally, when there is a desire to
create, there is duality. Prakruti and Purusha
are necessary for creation. That is the desire.
That is known as the Kama. The second
Brahma is Kameswara. The moment there
was a desire to create, Kameswari was there.
Out of Him, She was born. The duality arose.
The third Brahma is Mahavishnu. He is a
combination of this Prakruti and Purusha in
one. In one, He is two. He created the
creator, the material creator that is the fourth
Brahma. When there is a creation, it has to
end because it has begun. If it begins one
day, it has to end one day. Creation must be
withdrawn. So, Rudra was created from the
face of Brahma. He is the fifth Brahma.
Lalitha Sahasranamam says that Parashakti,

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which is chaitanyam or Prakruti as we call it,
the nature, is pervading all the Brahmas
again. So, it is described as Parameswari that
is pervading every Brahma. For Brahma, it is
Brahmani. For Rudra, it is Rudrani. For
Vishnu, it is Vaishnavi. The Shakthi is an
inevitable part of every God. These are all
Gods with forms and purposes. They are
known as Karya Brahmas, Brahmas with
purposes. Nirguna Brahma has no purpose at
all. It is self-fulfilling and self-contained. It
has no destruction. It has no beginning or
end. When there is a Karya Brahma, there
must be a Karya Shakthi. That is known as
Icha Sakthi, Kriya Sakthi and Jnana Sakthi.
Icha is the desire to create. Jnana is the
knowhow. The actual action is kriya. Even in
Ganesa, the Parashakti in him is Ganesi.
There is no one without Sakthi. All of us have
Sakthi in us. Suppose you want to construct
a house. That desire is Icha. The knowledge
or planning of how to go about it is Jnana and
the action is kriya."

"When the creation commenced, there were

obstructions. The negative forces arose. They
were already in a seed form from the previous
creation, which was withdrawn. Those forces
manifested. They were the Rakshasas whom

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Parashakti killed. They had to be destroyed so
that there was a methodical creation. They
had to meet with obstacles, which is the right
thing for the God to create. So, Kameswari
and Kameswara became the first couple, Siva
and Parvathi. They are the parents of all
creation including Brahma and Vishnu.
Parashakti looked into the eyes of Kameswara.
When their eyes met, Maha Ganapati was
born. He is the Adi Ganapati. In every Kalpa,
when the creation goes on periodically, that
Maha Ganapati is again reborn. The story
goes that Parvathi created Ganapati out of
sandal paste. He was created only by her. He
did not have the Jnana of Siva. He did not
recognize Siva when he came. SivaJnana
soonyam, Parashakti nirmaanam, prakrutam.
What did Siva do? He removed the Parashakti
Jnanam from him and introduced Siva
Jnanam. So, He cut his head off. There was a
Rakshasa by the name Gajasura who was a
great devotee of Siva. His head was brought
and attached. Body is Parashakti; head and
brain is Siva Jnana. Ganapati is the complete
Siva-Sakthi Jnana swaroopa. This Ganapati
is worshipped every year by us for nine days.
‘Suklaambaradharam vishnum.' What is
Vishnu? All pervading! What pervades all
over is Vishnu. Here, Ganapati has a special

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qualification. You have a body consciousness.
The seat of body consciousness is placed in
Mulaadhara chakram, which is a four petalled
lotus. It is a subtle center. You cannot find it
in an X-ray. MRI does not reveal it! It is one
of the light centers. It is the basic light center,
where the Jeevatma, the in-dweller of this
body is conscious of the body. That
consciousness pervades the entire body. That
is caused by the presence of this Ganapati in
the Mulaadhara chakram. Therefore, He is
the Vishnu in you residing in the four petalled
lotuses. In all our musical concerts, every
musician sings on this Mulaadhara the
famous song in Hamsadwani Raga. 'I am not
this body. I am conscious of this body. I am
not body itself. For the purpose of living
normally, body consciousness is necessary.' It
protects you. It is provided by him. 'Yet, I am
not the body; I am the all-pervading Brahman.
Ganapati resides by pervading the entire body.
If I cross the limits of this body, I will be able
to see Him pervading the entire universe.
Entire universe is occupied by him.'
Therefore, He is Vishnu for the entire
universe. And, He is the Vishnu in your body.
There is a Rudra, which is always trying to
destroy you. There is a Brahma in you. The
Trio is there in you all the time. All this is

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governed from the Mulaadhara chakra by
Maha Ganapati. He is there sitting on that
lotus with four petals. 'Gum Ghum Ghum
Ghum, Gajamukamabito vyaapakam
chintayanti.' In this form, I worship you as the
lord of the Mulaadhara responsible for my
body consciousness. At the same time, you
are pervading the entire universe. If you are
going to grace me with your kindness, I shall
cross the limits of my body consciousness and
enter your consciousness of the entire
universe. When I worship you, you take me
into the universal consciousness. So, I
become the universe where my Jeevatma is
redeemed. There is no re-birth."

"He is one in everything. He is everything

in everything. That is how Ganapati has to
be worshipped. This Ganapati is capable of
giving anything to you right from your train
ticket. If you are late for the train, it will wait
for you, if it is safe for you. He controls every
little thing. He works for you, behind you,
above and below. We are living with Him, day
by day, minute by minute, second by second.
That way, He is the most beautiful of all. Can
anyone call that elephant head ugly? It is the
most beautiful form that anyone can worship.
That is why Hindus love Him. He is a lovable

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thing. He is much more beautiful than the
most charming man. Beautiful is not the
word to be used in the case of men. I say this
deliberately, 'Ganapati is a beautiful man.'
There is something charming and attractive
about Him that convinces you that He is in
you and you are in him. His journey is safe
who is in love with Ganapati. Out of all the
five Brahmas, he is 'Brahmanaam
Brahmanaspathihi.' Their brahmatwam is
ruled by Ganapati. Their consciousness in
their wonderful body is ruled by Him."

"The churning of the great ocean was taking

place. The Devas worshipped Him. There
were dangers lurking there. The Amrutam did
not come out first. It was the Alahala Visham,
which came. It was the worst destructive
force. It would have destroyed everyone. They
found Rudra as their savior. To find Rudra as
the savior is the grace of Ganesa. He protects
us.'

"Raghavendran wants me to repeat this. In

Muslim countries like Indonesia where 81% of
the population are Muslims, a 20,000 rupaya
note contains Ganesa. It is a wonderful thing.
(Guruji shows the currency to all.) It is very
interesting. It passes the understanding of

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the Hindu who cannot think of putting Him
anywhere connected to the Govt. He is very
dear to the 60 crores of Hindus. Within that
population, a few lakhs of Hindus are against
Hinduism. We are insulted. In spite of that,
Ganesa is pervading. He is occupying the
streets, towns, cities, everywhere. Nobody is
able to check His vayaapthi. Twenty years ago,
He was not seen so much. But, He is giving a
shock to those few lakhs of people. He is
proving that no one can chuck him. The Veda
Mantra says,

Gananantva Ganapathihum havaamahe

Kavinkaveenam upamastravastamam
Jyeshtaraajam brahmanaanbrahmanaspatha
Aansrunnvan noothibisseethssathanaha

A learned Brahmin can say that. What about

me? "Gham", only one letter. The moment
you say "Gham', He is there. That is the
essence. Upanishads say that He is the Gha-
kaaram. Naadham is Gham. Gham is the
letter that makes Him come closer to you. Say
Gham. Think of His form. Gham. That is all
about it.'

In Tamil, they say, ' Ghammunnu iru,' meaning

keep quiet.

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"Summa iru, that is right. That is why He is so
dear to the South Indian. Why, entire India,
even Guwahati. We saw the idols of Ganesa
all over the streets. They were selling them on
14th April. That is the Tamil New Year day; '
varusha pirappu ' the day Sun enters Aries.
They are celebrating that with Ganesa pooja.'

"This Ganesa is being worshipped not only by

us but also by higher beings like Gandharvas,
Apsaras, Devas, Kinnaras, and Kimpurushas
etc. When you send your child to school, say
'Gham' and bless him. That is how you can
take advantage every minute, in every little
thing. When you are cooking, think of Him.
Your cooking will be alright, tasty."

We are praying for the safety of others!

"All our mothers are extremely efficient cooks.

There is no doubt about it. The story tells us
that those who see the moon tonight without
worshiping him get things wrong. Should you
worship Ganapati only on Vinayaka
Chaturthi? Once a year? When you start
something, when you go out, think of Him.
Say 'Gham.' Think of His form. Start your
journey. He will take care of everything for

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you. This is the greatness of Ganesa. He has
two mothers, Parvathi and Ganga. Any red
flower is dear to him. Why grass? The
elephant likes the grass! What about that wild
flower? The center stem progresses straight
with the branches. Every branch is in
ascending order. If you are able to keep it in
the house, all the in-coming or forthcoming
evils will be warded off. 'Erukkam poo' is for
'dhusta bhhota pretha pisacha naasanam.'"

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Everyone was able to take his blessings and Prasad from
his hand that evening. After he left, as swiftly as he
came, Pratima served us more snacks and coffee. When
did we ever refuse! Now, we have a very clear idea of
what Ganapati stands for and what we should pray Him
for:

 He is the protector of the process of creation.

 He is the embodiment of Siva-Sakthi jnana.

 In us, He resides in the four petalled Mulaadhara

chakra. He governs our body consciousness. It
is to Him that we should pray to take us above
that and into His universal consciousness.

 Thus, He is not only the pervader of our body but

He pervades the entire creation, including the five
Brahmas.

 He is the Lord of obstacles. He creates them for

our safety. We can ask Him for anything. If it is
not granted or if obstacles to it arise, we must
understand that He wants to protect us against
that which is not good for us. Thus, from an
average man to an aspirant on the spiritual path,
he is relevant and necessary.

 The easiest way to invoke Him is to say 'Ghum',

think of his form and be happy!

"Ghum Ganapathaye namaha!"

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