Gajānana

Gajānana, “the elephant-faced one”, is the Dvāpara-yuga avatāra (descent) of Bhagavān Gaṇeśa. He was born to Pārvatī at Paryalī mahāvana (the great forest of Paryalī) on the river Kṛshṇā. He came to slay Sindūra, the great red daitya born from Brahmā’s yawn. Sindūra had conquered all three worlds and had attacked Pārvatī.

Gajānana was born four-armed, red-bodied and elephant-faced. In his hands he held a paraśu (axe), a kamala (lotus), a mālā (garland) and a modaka (sweet). His infancy was full of great events. Sindūra tried to destroy him as a newborn. He was thrown into the Narmadā, and the tīrtha Gaṇeśakuṇḍa was formed. The ṛshi Pārāśara raised him. He made the mūshaka (mouse) his vehicle. At the age of nine he rode out to battle and killed Sindūra. He then taught the Gaṇeśa Gītā to King Varṇya.

The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa also tells of Gaṇeśa’s future descent in Kali-yuga. That avatāra is called Dhūmravarṇa.

Birth at Paryalī vana

Sindūra’s conquest of the three worlds was complete. He had destroyed temples and had stopped the offerings of svāhā, svadhā and vashaṭkāra (the calls made at fire rituals). The devas had lost all their duties. Bṛhaspati led the devas to pray to Vināyaka for rescue. Vināyaka appeared and promised to descend as Gajānana, his Dvāpara-yuga avatāra, born to Pārvatī. This is told in Chapter 129.

Gajānana was born to Pārvatī in Paryalī mahāvana on the river Kṛshṇā.

  • He came out four-armed, red-bodied (raktavarṇa) and elephant-faced (gajamukha).
  • In his four hands he held a paraśu (axe), a kamala (lotus), a mālā (garland) and a modaka (sweet).
  • His birth came with an ākāśavāṇī (a voice from the sky).
  • At once he told Pārvatī who he was and spoke of his purpose.

Bhagavān Śiva and Pārvatī knew that this avatāra was complete in itself. They went back to Paryalī vana to watch from a distance. Nandī was sent to carry the infant to safety. This is told in Chapter 130.

Infancy in Māhishmatī

Nandī carried the infant Gajānana to Māhishmatī on the Narmadā. He placed him in the house of Pushpikā, the wife of King Varṇya. On the way, Nandī defeated rākshasīs and gandharvas who tried to stop him. The infant arrived safely. Pushpikā received him and raised him as her own son. This is told in Chapters 130 and 131.

Sindūra’s attempts to destroy the infant

Sindūra knew that a divine child had been born to defeat him. He searched for the infant, first at Kailāsa and then at Paryalī vana. He found the baby in the sūtikā-gṛha (birthing room) in Māhishmatī. He tried to throw the infant into the ocean, but the baby became so heavy that Sindūra could not lift or move him. He then threw the infant into the river Narmadā. This is told in Chapters 131 and 132.

The infant fell into the Narmadā near a group of munis. At that holy touch the tīrtha now known as Gaṇeśakuṇḍa was formed. The ṛshi Pārāśara found the infant in the forest nearby. He knew the child was divine and brought him to his āśrama. Pārāśara’s wife nursed the infant. This is told in Chapters 132 and 133.

How the mūshaka became his vehicle

The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa gives two accounts of how Gajānana gained his mūshaka (mouse) as his vehicle.

First account, told in the dialogue of Śukrācārya and Prahlāda. The gandharva Krauñca was passing through Indra’s sabhā (court) and stepped on the ṛshi Vāmadeva by accident. Vāmadeva cursed him with a śāpa (a curse) to become a mūshaka. The curse also held its remedy. Gajānana would make the mūshaka his vehicle and set him free. This is told in Chapter 134.

Second account, told through the story of the ṛshi Saubhari. The gandharva Krauñca attacked Manomayī, the wife of the ṛshi Saubhari. Saubhari cursed Krauñca to become a mūshaka, and said that he would be freed by becoming Gajānana’s vehicle. This mūshaka then caused great damage in Pārāśara’s āśrama. He destroyed crops and goods. The infant Gajānana was still in the āśrama. He threw his pāśa (noose) and caught the mūshaka. The mūshaka gave up, sang a stotra (hymn of praise) to Gajānana, and was accepted as his vehicle. This is told in Chapter 135.

The slaying of Sindūra

When he was nine years old, Gajānana told Pārāśara of his purpose and received his blessing. He mounted the mūshaka and rode to Sindūra’s capital, Siddhasindūravādaka, near Ghṛshṇeśvara. He first sent messengers to give Sindūra a chance to free the devas in peace. Sindūra refused and came out himself to fight.

In the fight Gajānana showed his viśvarūpa (his form containing the whole cosmos). He seized Sindūra by the throat and crushed him to death. He then smeared Sindūra’s red blood (sindūra) over his own body. From this act he got the names Sindūravadhana (“the one who slew Sindūra”) and Sindūrapriya (“the one who loves sindūra”). The Gaṇeśa Purāṇa gives this as the origin of the Vaishṇava and Śaiva custom of smearing mūrtis of Gaṇeśa with sindūra.

After the battle, King Varṇya of Māhishmatī knew Gajānana and honoured him. Varṇya was Pushpikā’s husband, so he was Gajānana’s “second father”. Gajānana stayed in the rāja-sadana (royal palace) at Māhishmatī. Devas, ṛshis and kings came there for his darśana. This is told in Chapter 137.

The Gaṇeśa Gītā

King Varṇya came to Gajānana and asked to be taught the highest knowledge. Gajānana gave him a long teaching, the Gaṇeśa Gītā (Chapters 138 to 148). It follows the Bhagavad Gītā in form and subject. Gajānana is the teacher and Varṇya is the student.

The Gītā covers these subjects:

  • karma-yoga and nishkāma-karma (action without desire for its fruit)
  • jñāna-yoga and sāṃkhya
  • the practice of yoga: āsana, prāṇāyāma, dhāraṇā, dhyāna and samādhi
  • the ātman and the four varṇas
  • Gajānana as the maker of all
  • the teaching on avatāras
  • the Pañcadevatā as one (Gaṇeśa, Śiva, Vishṇu, Śakti and Sūrya)
  • aparā and parā prakṛti (lower and higher nature) and the three guṇas
  • the two paths, śuklā and kṛshṇā gati
  • three kinds of tapas, dāna, karma and kartā (the doer)
  • the viśvarūpa darśana
  • worship with form (sākāra upāsanā) and without form (nirākāra upāsanā)
  • moksha

Gajānana gave Varṇya a viśvarūpa darśana, and showed him the whole cosmos within his form. When the teaching was finished, King Varṇya gave up his kingdom, went to the forest and reached moksha. This is told in Chapters 138 to 148.

Vyāsa and Gajānana

Vyāsa did tapas for twelve years, centred on Gajānana’s ekākshara mantra (the one-syllable mantra). At the end of this tapas Gajānana appeared to Vyāsa. He was bright in red clothes and red garlands, wore the serpent Śesha, and had eyes like lotuses. The sight was so great that Vyāsa fainted. Gajānana comforted him, entered his udara (body), and gave him the power to compose the eighteen Purāṇas and the eighteen Upapurāṇas.

Vyāsa then set up a mūrti of Gajānana at a siddha-kshetra (a place of attainment) and declared it a place of divine presence. The passing on of the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa to Vaiśampāyana began from this point. This is told in Chapters 149 and 150.

The Dhūmravarṇa avatāra in Kali-yuga

In the Dvāpara account, Brahmā tells Vyāsa of Gaṇeśa’s coming descent in Kali-yuga. Kali-yuga will reach its lowest point. Brāhmaṇas will give up the Vedas, varṇāśrama (the order of the varṇas and stages of life) will fall, mlecchas will rule, and the devas will go without svāhā and svadhā. Then the devas will pray once more to Gajānana.

In answer, Gaṇeśa will descend as Dhūmravarṇa (“smoke-coloured” or “grey-coloured”). He is also called Śūrpakarṇa (“winnow-eared”). He will be:

  • riding a blue horse (nīlavarṇa aśva)
  • holding a sword (khaḍga) in his hand
  • blazing with anger
  • raising a great army by his own will

Dhūmravarṇa will slay the mlecchas who have overrun the world. He will gather the brāhmaṇas who have taken refuge in forest caves. He will honour them, give them land and restore dharma. Then he will disappear, and the Kṛtayuga (Satyayuga) will begin again. This is told in Chapter 149.

Sources

  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 127–155
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 129 (the promise to descend)
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 130–131 (Nandī and Māhishmatī)
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 131–133 (Sindūra’s attempts, Gaṇeśakuṇḍa, Pārāśara)
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 134–135 (the mūshaka)
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapter 137 (the slaying of Sindūra)
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 138–148 (the Gaṇeśa Gītā)
  • Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, Krīḍā Khaṇḍa, Chapters 149–150 (Vyāsa and Dhūmravarṇa)