Pārthiva Gaṇeśa Pūjā

Pārthiva Gaṇeśa Pūjā, simply known as Parthiva Ganesha Puja, Sanskrit: पार्थिव गणेश पूजा, Telugu: పార్థివ గణేశ పూజ, Hindi: पार्थिव गणेश पूजा.

The Pārthiva Gaṇeśa Pūjā is the worship of Gaṇeśa made from sacred earth (mṛttikā). Pārthiva means “made of earth”. Himavān taught it to his daughter Pārvatī, as the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa tells in the Upāsanā Khaṇḍa (Chapters 48 to 50). The mūrti is made from pure earth gathered with care, worshipped, and then put into water at the end of the pūjā. Pārvatī kept this pūjā after the time of Tripurāsura, on Himavān’s advice, to bring back harmony with Bhagavān Śiva.

The setting

Bhagavān Śiva destroyed Tripura. This was done only by the grace of Gaṇeśa and the chanting of the Gaṇeśa Sahasranāma. During the war Pārvatī had been apart from Bhagavān Śiva, and she had taken shelter at the home of her father Himavān. Even after the victory she had not gone back to Kailāsa. The parting was not caused by any quarrel between them but by the turmoil of the great war.

Himavān, the great mountain, who always knows the ways of dharma and devotion, advised his daughter: “The power that gave Śiva his victory is the power of Gaṇeśa. It is the grace of Gaṇeśa that settles all troubles and restores all harmony. Do the Pārthiva Gaṇeśa Pūjā. Worship Gaṇeśa made from earth, and the harmony between you and Śiva will be fully restored.” (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 48.)

The sacred earth

The pārthiva mūrti is made from earth gathered for this purpose. The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa says the earth should be taken from a holy and clean place: earth from a riverbank, earth from a tīrtha, or soil from a garden that has not been made unclean. The earth is kneaded with pure water (in some rules, with fragrances and holy substances as well) until it is easy to work.

From this sacred earth the image of Gaṇeśa is made in his usual form: the elephant head, the big belly, the single tusk, the seated posture, and the number of arms the rule gives. The mūrti is made with devotion, and the mind is kept on the form of Gaṇeśa the whole time. (Chapter 49.)

Prāṇapratishṭhā

When the earthen mūrti is ready, the pūjā begins with prāṇapratishṭhā. This is the rite of calling life into the image. It places the living presence of Gaṇeśa in the clay form. The set mantras are said and the rite gestures are made. Gaṇeśa is formally invited to take this clay image as his body for as long as the worship lasts. (Chapter 49.)

The shoḍaśopacāra pūjā

After the prāṇapratishṭhā, the full sixteen steps of service (shoḍaśopacāra) are done. The naivedya includes various fruits, each in a set number; the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa names different fruits in set quantities. Modakas (sweet dumplings) are the most important offering. Dūrvā grass, twenty-one blades, is offered with the twenty-one names of Gaṇeśa. (Chapter 49.)

Mantra japa

After the pūjā of the upacāras, a set time of mantra japa is kept. It may be the Ekāksharī (the one-syllable bīja), the Shaḍaksharī (the six-syllable mantra), or the particular mantra taught for the occasion. The japa is done facing the mūrti, with the mind on one point. (Chapter 50.)

The mantra and the stotra

Himavān taught Pārvatī not only the pūjā but also the special mantra for the worship of Gaṇeśa, and the stotra with which to close the pūjā. This teaching of the mantra (mantra-upadeśa) from father to daughter is itself a pattern for how the worship of Gaṇeśa is handed down in a family line: it is given with love by one who holds it to one who receives it with devotion. (Chapter 50.)

The close and the immersion

At the end of the pūjā the earthen mūrti is put into holy water: a river, a pond or the ocean. Gaṇeśa had taken the clay as his body for the time of the worship. In the immersion he is released from it into the formless state, and his divine presence stays in the heart of the devotee.

The same steps, setting up, worshipping and immersing the mūrti, are the pattern of the great Gaṇeśa Caturthī festivals of Maharashtra and of Gaṇeśa devotion more widely. (Chapter 50.)

The result: Pārvatī and Śiva meet again

By the puṇya of the Pārthiva Gaṇeśa Pūjā, Gaṇeśa was pleased with the worship of his mother and made all things ready for the reunion. Bhagavān Śiva came to the home of Himavān. Himavān performed the kanyādāna, the formal gift of his daughter’s hand. It was a joyful gathering, and it closed the account of Tripurāsura. The three worlds rejoiced. (Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 54 and 55.)

Sources

• Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 48–50
• Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Upāsanā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 54–55