Ganesha Gita

The Ganesha Gita is part of the Ganesha Purana, which is one of the Upapuranas (minor Puranas) in Hindu literature, focusing specifically on the deity Ganesha. Here's a concise overview of the context and significance behind the Ganesha Gita:

Origin and Context: The Ganesha Gita is modeled on the Bhagavad Gita, a 700-verse Hindu scripture that is part of the Indian epic Mahabharata. Like the Bhagavad Gita, where Lord Krishna imparts wisdom to Arjuna before the battle of Kurukshetra, the Ganesha Gita features Ganesha providing spiritual and philosophical guidance. However, in the Ganesha Gita, Ganesha takes the divine role, speaking to a king named Varenya.
Content: The Ganesha Gita comprises chapters 138 to 148 of the Kridakhanda section of the Ganesha Purana. It discusses themes of dharma (duty/righteousness), yoga, knowledge, and devotion, but it adapts these concepts to fit Ganesha's characteristics and stories. The teachings are aimed at achieving liberation through understanding and devotion to Ganesha, who is portrayed as the ultimate reality and the remover of obstacles.
Purpose and Teachings: The Gita serves to place Ganesha in a central divine role, similar to how Krishna is revered in the Bhagavad Gita. It emphasizes the worship of Ganesha as a path to spiritual enlightenment. The teachings encapsulate the essence of Hindu philosophy but are tailored to highlight Ganesha's attributes, like his wisdom, his role as a granter of success, and his capacity to overcome all obstacles.
Cultural Impact: While not as universally studied or known as the Bhagavad Gita, the Ganesha Gita has its significance within sects that worship Ganesha as the supreme deity. It reflects the flexibility of Hindu scriptures where different deities can be placed in similar narrative structures to convey philosophical teachings.

The story behind the Ganesha Gita, therefore, isn't about its creation in a historical sense but about its thematic and spiritual placement within Hindu scriptures where it serves to elevate Ganesha to a teacher of universal truths, akin to Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita.

Chapter 1

Dialogue between Suta and Shaunaka on the Commencement of Ganesha Gita

1. Brahmaji said - Thus, in ancient times, when the great sage Shaunaka asked, Suta Ji described the Gita he had heard from the mouth of Vyasa Ji at that time.

2-3. Suta Ji said - O Lord! You have made me drink the nectar which is the essence of the eighteen Puranas, but now I desire to drink an even more delicious and supreme nectar. By drinking which nectar, humans become one with Brahman, O fortunate one! Kindly narrate that nectar of Yoga to me.

4. Vyasa Ji said - O Suta Ji! I will now describe to you the Gita which illuminates the path of Yoga, which was narrated by Ganesha Ji upon the inquiry of King Varenya.

5. King Varenya said - O Lord of Obstacles! O mighty-armed one! O scholar of all knowledge! O knower of the essence of all scriptures! Please describe to me the path of Yoga.

6-7. Lord Gajanana said - O King! By my grace, your intellect has become pure and stable. Listen, I tell you the Gita filled with the nectar of Yoga. The term "Yoga" does not mean just yoga; it is not the attainment of wealth, nor the enjoyment of sensory pleasures, nor is it the perfection of the senses.

8-9. O King! The union of mother and father is not called Yoga. The eight types of siddhis, the attainment of relatives and sons, are not Yoga. Attaining an extremely beautiful woman is not Yoga, nor is the attainment of a kingdom or elephants and horses.

10-11. Attaining the position of Indra is not Yoga, nor do I consider the desire for beloved perfections through Yoga or the attainment of Satyaloka as Yoga. O King! Attaining the positions of Shiva, Vishnu, the Sun, the Moon, or Kubera is not called Yoga.

12. Attaining the forms of air, fire, gods, time, water, or the lord of death, or ruling over the entire earth, is not Yoga.

13. O King! Yoga is of many kinds, but true Yoga is that by achieving which, the wise conquer the sensory objects, live in celibacy, and become detached from the world.

14—16. The wise, by their magnanimity, subdue the three worlds, purify the entire universe, their hearts are filled with compassion, and they impart knowledge to the worthy. They live as liberated beings, immersed in the lake of supreme bliss, closing their eyes, they behold the Supreme Brahman within their hearts. With their mind subdued by Yoga, meditating upon the Supreme Brahman in their consciousness, they see all beings as equal to themselves.

17-18. Sometimes hiding themselves, sometimes oppressed by others, sometimes summoned by others, and sometimes living dependent on others, with a compassionate heart, conquering anger, controlling their senses, these yogis wander the earth only to grace the worlds.

19–20. Dear King! Those who bear only the body, viewing clay, stone, and gold with equality, such great fortunate men, through which Yoga they become visible, I now tell you of that superior Yoga; listen, by hearing which one becomes free from sins and the cycle of birth and death.

21. O King! The Yoga which is the non-distinguishing consciousness in Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Sun, and myself (Ganesha), that alone I consider true Yoga.

22. I, by my divine play, take on many forms and carry out the creation, preservation, and destruction of this world.

23. O dear one! I am the great Vishnu, I am Sadashiva, I am the great Shakti, and I am the Sun.

24. I alone am the lord of humans, [Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Sun, and Ganesha—] in these five forms, I have existed since ancient times, I am the cause of the cause of the universe, those who are ignorant do not know me.

25—27. Fire, water, earth, sky, air, Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, guardians of the world, and the ten directions, the eight Vasus, sages, cows, Manus, animals, rivers, oceans, Yakshas, trees, flocks of birds, twenty-one heavens, serpents, seven forests, humans, mountains, Sadhyas, Siddhas, demons, etc., all have originated from me.

28-29. I am the witness of all, the eye of the entire world, detached from all actions, unchangeable, immeasurable, unmanifest, pervasive in the whole world, and indestructible. O King! I am the imperishable, the essence of supreme bliss, my Maya deludes the entire world and even the best of men.

30-32. That Maya always entangles these beings in the six passions such as desire, anger, etc. Through Yoga, when gradually over many births the doors of Maya are removed, then this being, awakening from the sensory objects and becoming detached from them, knows this Brahman, which cannot be cut by weapons, cannot be burned by fire, cannot be melted by water, cannot be dried by wind, and O King! which does not perish even when this body is destroyed.

33. Those foolish ones who have faith in the three Vedas and only perform actions as prescribed, they praise only the fruits of actions described in the scriptures, and do not accept anything else.

34-35. For this reason, they continually perform actions that yield the fruits of birth and death, they remain engrossed in the enjoyment of the luxuries of heaven, and the consciousness of these pleasure-seeking individuals gets destroyed. O King! They themselves create their own bondage, these fools, devoted to actions out of attachment, remain trapped in the cycle of the world.

36. One should offer all prescribed actions to me, only then can the great sprouts of the seeds of actions of these beings be destroyed.

37-38. The purification of the mind is the primary means to attain wisdom, through wisdom the sages have known the Supreme Brahman. O King! Therefore, whatever action one performs, it should be done with intellect. No one should abandon their duty and their own dharma.

39-40. If anyone abandons action, they will not achieve success. The first right to knowledge also comes from action. By performing actions with a pure heart, one attains non-distinguishing consciousness; this is what is called Yoga, through which a being becomes immortal.

41-42. O King! I tell you of another excellent Yoga, listen to it. One should view animals, friends, sons, enemies, relatives, and loved ones with equal regard, maintaining an equal vision inside and out, in joy and sorrow, anger, happiness, fear—these should all be met with equanimity.

43. Whether one encounters disease or enjoyment, victory or defeat, gain or loss of wealth, profit or loss, birth or death—in all these, it is proper to keep the mind balanced.

44-46. Knowing me to be present equally within and without in all things, the sun, moon, water, fire, Shiva, Shakti, wind, Brahmins, lakes, great rivers that wash away sins, holy places, fields, Vishnu, all deities, Yakshas, serpents, Gandharvas, humans, and birds—whosoever sees me in all these with an equal eye, that one is known as the knower of Yoga.

47-49. O King! He who withdraws his senses from the objects through knowledge and maintains an equal mind everywhere, he is the yogi in my view. The being whose mind is attached to his duty, by the will of fate, develops the intellect to discern between the self and non-self; this intellect in Yoga is named Yoga, and without this intellect, this being gives up both dharma and adharma, thus it is proper to engage the intellect in Yoga; proficiency in obligatory actions is Yoga.

50. The person who has conquered his senses and is wise, relinquishing the fruits of both dharma and adharma, becomes free from the bonds of birth and attains the unblemished supreme state.

51-52. When this being's intellect is free from the darkness of ignorance, from avidya, then gradually this being develops dispassion towards the Vedic injunctions promoting desires. When the intellect, dispassionate from the actions described in the three Vedas, fully and unwaveringly engages in the Supreme Self, then the being attains Yoga.

53. O dear one, when this wise individual relinquishes all desires of the mind and is satisfied within himself in his own self, then he is said to have a steady intellect.

54. He who has no craving for worldly pleasures, is undisturbed in sorrow, devoid of fear, anger, and attachment, is known as one with a steady intellect.

55. Just as a tortoise withdraws its limbs from all sides, it is proper for the yogi to withdraw his senses from the objects of sense.

56. For the ascetic who renounces food, the objects of senses indeed disappear, but the taste for them remains; upon attaining Brahman, even that taste is destroyed.

57-58. O King, even the scholar striving for liberation, his mind is forcibly taken by the senses. Therefore, the intelligent man should strive to control the senses. Controlling the senses, the yogi should always be devoted to me. He whose senses are under control is known as one with steady wisdom.

59. The man who contemplates the objects of sense develops attachment for them, from attachment comes desire, and from desire arises anger.

60. From anger comes delusion, from delusion comes loss of memory, from loss of memory the intellect is destroyed, and with the destruction of intellect, that being perishes.

61-62. Yet he who moves among the sense objects with senses under control, free from attachment and aversion, and keeps his mind under control, such a great soul attains contentment and peace. With the attainment of contentment, all three types of suffering are destroyed, thus the mind of such a yogi with steady wisdom remains joyful.

63-64. O King! Without a cheerful mind, intellect cannot be attained, without intellect there is no faith, without faith there is no peace, and without peace there is no happiness. Just as the wind submerges a boat in water, so does the mind, following behind the senses like uncontrollable horses wandering in the sense objects, take away one's wisdom.

65. O King! For all creatures covered by ignorance, the knowledge of the self is like night; in it, the restrained yogis who control their senses are awake, while that in which all beings are awake, the pursuit of sensory objects, is like night for the wise.

66-67. Just as all waters enter the ocean yet it does not get fulfilled, similarly, the individual intent on fulfilling all desires does not find peace. Therefore, it is proper for one to control the senses running towards sense objects in every way, then his intellect becomes steady.

68-69. The one who relinquishes possessiveness, ego, and all desires, and remains engrossed in constant knowledge, attains liberation through that knowledge. O King! Even in old age, one who attains this intellect imbued with knowledge of Brahman through divine destiny, he becomes liberated while living.

Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-eighth chapter of the 'Description of the Essence of Yoga' named 'Sankhya Sagar' in the Krida Khanda of the glorious Ganesha Purana.

Chapter 2

Karma yoga [The Yoga of Action]

1. Varenya said -- O Lord! You have described both the path of knowledge (Jnana Yoga) and the path of action (Karma Yoga). Please tell me which one among these two is definitively beneficial for welfare.

2-3. Shri Gajanana spoke -- O dear one! In ancient times, I have laid down two disciplines: Saankhya Yoga for those adept in the discernment between the self and non-self, and Vedha Yoga (Karma Yoga) for those engaged in action like householders. By not performing prescribed actions, no one becomes inactive or achieves inaction. O King! Merely abandoning actions does not lead to accomplishment.

4. No one can remain without performing any action even for a moment. The three qualities of nature (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) invariably make everyone perform actions.

5. He who controls his senses but mentally recalls the objects of the senses, that person with a mind lusting after sensory enjoyment, is called a hypocrite with petty behavior.

6. O King! He who controls the senses by his mind and engages in Karma Yoga with his organs of action without desire, he is the superior person.

7. Even performing actions without desire for fruits is better than not performing actions at all, because without some form of action, even the maintenance of the body would not be possible.

8-9. Those beings who do not offer the fruits of their actions to me fall into bondage. Therefore, performing actions without desire, one should constantly offer the fruits of those actions to me to destroy the bondage of action. Actions performed for my sake never cause bondage anywhere, but those actions done with desire for fruits forcibly bind the creature.

10. In ancient times, along with establishing the system of sacrifices, I created the Brahmin and other castes saying -- O humans! Flourish through sacrifice; this sacrifice, like the wish-fulfilling tree, shall grant you your desired accomplishments.

11. You satisfy the gods with food, and let the gods satisfy you (with rain, etc.). By thus mutually nurturing each other, both the gods and you humans shall attain the highest and stable position.

12. The gods, when pleased, fulfill the desired wishes. One who enjoys the gifts of the gods without worshiping them is a thief.

13-14. Those who eat the remnants of the sacrifice done for the worship of gods are freed from all sins, while those who prepare food only for themselves essentially eat sin. Creatures are born from food, food comes from rain, rain comes from sacrifice, and sacrifice arises from prescribed duties.

15. Action arises from Brahman, and Brahman originates from me — therefore, O King! Know that I am situated in this sacrifice and in the universe.

16. The wise should strive to cross this cycle of birth and death, O King! The lowly creature finds happiness in the play of the senses within this cycle.

17. He who finds delight in his inner self is the one who rejoices in the self and is beloved to all; for the one satisfied with the self, there remains no desire.

18. Such a being, whether performing actions or not, does not incur good or evil fruits, and in all creatures, there's nothing left for him to accomplish.

19. O King! Therefore, it is proper for beings to perform actions without attachment; the attached one falls into misfortune, while the unattached attains me.

20. In ancient times, many royal sages and divine sages have achieved the highest accomplishment by performing actions. One should perform actions without attachment for the welfare of the world.

21-23The actions done by great men are followed by others; what they consider as proof, others also take as proof. O King! There is nothing in heaven or elsewhere that I desire to achieve through action, yet I engage in actions. And, O wise one! If I were to act lazily or capriciously and not perform actions, all castes would abandon their duties and merely follow my example.

24. Then by acting so, all castes would become corrupt and would perish. Thus, I would be the cause of the world's destruction and responsible for the mixing of castes.

25-26. Just as those with desires act out of ignorance, so should the wise act without attachment for the welfare of the world. They should abandon the divisive consciousness of those who act from ignorance and, being united with yoga, offer all actions to me.

27-28. O King! The person entangled in constant action, dominated by ignorance and the qualities of nature, foolishly considers himself as the doer due to ego. But he who knows the division of qualities like sattva, etc., and their actions, understanding that the senses engage with their subjects, does not get attached to actions.

29-30. Those bewildered by the three qualities — sattva, rajas, tamas — perform actions desiring fruits; the omniscient should not disturb these self-deceivers but should not be attached himself. Thus, it is fitting for the wise to offer all daily and occasional rites to me, thereby relinquishing the sense of 'I' and 'mine', leading to the highest state.

31-32. Those devoted men who practice this virtuous path as I've described, free from envy, are liberated from all actions. Those who, due to the destruction of their mind through ignorance, do not follow this path, know them to be envious, foolish, and of ruined intellect, my enemies.

33. When even the knowledgeable acts according to his nature and follows it, then any kind of control in this matter is futile.

34. The objects of the organs of action and sense organs give rise to desire and anger. One should not come under their sway, for these are indeed the enemies of beings.

35. Even if devoid of virtues, one's own duty is better; following another's duty, even if well-endowed with virtues, is not good. To die in one's own duty leads to welfare in the afterlife, but another's duty, though superior, brings fear.

36. Varenya said -- O Ganesha! What drives a creature to commit sin? Even when there's no desire, by what force is he compelled to engage in sinful acts?

37-38. Shri Ganesha said -- These great sinners, desire and anger, born from the qualities of Rajas and Tamas, dominate people. Know these two as the great enemies. Just as illusion covers the world, as vapor covers water, and as the monsoon cloud covers the sun, so have desire and anger covered everything.

39. This desire, which is mightily strong, always hateful, and can never be fully satisfied, has covered even the intellect of the wise.

40-41. This desire resides in the intellect, mind, and senses, covering knowledge with them, and it deludes even the knowledgeable. Therefore, one should first control the senses along with the mind, and then conquer this mind-born sinner, desire, which destroys knowledge and realization.

42. The senses are superior to the gross body, beyond the senses is the mind, beyond the mind is the intellect, and beyond the intellect is the soul.

43. Thus, knowing the soul to be beyond the intellect, and stabilizing the mind with intellect, one should slay the enemy in the form of desire and attain the supreme state.

Thus ends the one hundred and thirty-ninth chapter named "Karma Yoga" in the Krida Khanda of the glorious Ganesha Purana.

Chapter 3

Jnana Yoga [Yoga of Knowledge]

1. Shri Ganesha spoke -- In ancient times, at the time of creation, I, Ganesha, with three forms (Brahma-Vishnu-Rudra), after creating the universe of three qualities, instructed this supreme yoga to Vishnu, the sustainer of the world.

2. Vishnu relayed this yoga to the Sun. The Sun told it to his son Vaivasvata Manu. From him, this yoga was obtained through tradition by the great sages.

3-4. O King! In the Kali Yuga, after much time had passed, this yoga was lost. It was deemed unworthy of faith and reverence by the people of that age. Now, you have heard from my mouth this ancient yoga, which is most secretive, highly beneficial, and the essence of all Vedas.

5. King Varenya said -- O Elephant-faced one! You have just been born from the womb; how and when did you describe this supreme yoga to Vishnu?

6-7. Ganesha said -- [O King!] Many of your and my births have passed; I remember all of them, but you do not. O mighty-armed one! From me, Vishnu and other deities have originated, and at the time of dissolution, they merge back into me, cycle after cycle.

8. I am Vishnu and Brahma, I am the great Rudra, I am all that is stationary and moving, the entire universe.

9. I am unborn, indestructible, the eternal lord of all beings, and residing in the three-qualitied Maya, I take on various incarnations.

10-11. Whenever there is an increase in unrighteousness and a decline in righteousness, I incarnate to protect the good, destroy the wicked. I destroy the cluster of adharma, establish dharma, and joyfully perform various divine plays, slaying the wicked and the demons who harm dharma.

12-13. Taking many forms, I protect the varnas, ashramas, sages, and saints. Thus, he who knows my divine glory, my actions, valor, and forms in each age, and abandons the sense of 'I' and 'mine', he becomes liberated.

14. Many have attained me, purified by insight and penance, being desireless, fearless, free from anger, dependent on me, and worshipping only me.

15-16. Excellent people serve me with whatever sentiment, and I, the imperishable Supreme Self, surely grant them the corresponding reward. O King! They behave in a way that others might follow, treating both themselves and others in accordance with my path.

17-18. People in this world worship gods desiring the fruits of their actions, and according to their actions, they quickly achieve success. O sinless one! In the mortal world, I have created the four varnas from the qualities of sattva, rajas, tamas, and from the portions of actions.

19-20. Although I am the creator of these, the wise know me as non-doer. They consider me as beginningless, the lord, eternal, and detached from the qualities of actions. He who knows me as desireless does not get bound by karma. Knowing this, ancient sages performed actions.

21. Understanding that desire, which is the root and firm cause of the worldly cycle, and the very bondage of ignorance, once known, a being becomes free from all bonds.

22. What is action and what is inaction, I shall now tell you. Even the intelligent seers, obtaining confusion in knowing this, have remained silent.

23. O dear one, those desiring liberation must know the essence of action, inaction, and forbidden action, for all three are indeed forms of karma. Understanding their ways is greatly difficult.

24. He who perceives inaction in action and action in inaction, he alone, even while performing all actions in this world, becomes liberated.

25. He who has burnt his power of action in the fire of the knowledge of truth, and having abandoned the seed of karma through resolve, engages in the performance of actions, such wise individuals are called "pundits" by the learned.

26. Those who, having abandoned the desire for fruits, remain ever content even without means, even if they engage in actions, they do nothing.

27-28. Those who are without desire, have conquered the self, and have relinquished all possessions, even if they perform actions while living at home, no sin touches them. They, devoid of duality and envy, see success and failure equally and remain satisfied with whatever comes their way, such beings, while performing actions, do not get entangled.

29-30. All actions of a person freed from all subjects and endowed with knowledge and realization are sacrifices. All his activities dissolve. The fire, the oblation, the one offering, and the offering that is presented to me, all are myself. Understanding this, he attains Brahman; for he resides in Brahman.

31. Some yogis consider the sacrifice to gods as sacrifice, others consider offering into the fire of Brahman as sacrifice.

O King, some yogis offer the senses like hearing into the fire of control, others offer the objects of senses like sound into the fire of senses.

32. Some others offer all senses, actions, and the breath into the blazing fire of dispassion kindled by knowledge.

33. Some perform sacrifice with material possessions, some with austerity, some with study, some great souls with severe vows, and some with knowledge. Those who offer the prana (life breath) into apana with inhalation, and apana into prana with exhalation, and by practicing retention halt the movement of prana and apana, they are absorbed in pranayama.

34-35. Others, with regulated diet, offer the five pranas into each other in sacrifice; thus, various types of yogis, through different forms of sacrifice, destroy sins by sacrifice. Others always consume the ambrosial remnants of sacrifice and attain the eternal Brahman. For those who do not perform sacrifices, even this world is not attainable, how then can they achieve the next?

36-37. Others, by regulating their diet, offer the five pranas into each other, thus through various types of sacrifices, these wandering yogis destroy sins by means of sacrifice. Yet others, consuming the ambrosial remnants of sacrifice daily, attain the eternal Brahman. For those who do not perform sacrifices, even this world is not attainable, how then can the next world be?

38-39. O King! In the Vedas, sacrifices of three kinds (physical, verbal, mental) have been expounded; understanding them fully, you will be freed from all bonds. O King! Of all sacrifices, the sacrifice of knowledge is supreme. For those seeking liberation, all actions dissolve in the sacrifice of knowledge.

40-41. O best of men! Obtain that knowledge sacrifice through service to the virtuous, through prostration, and through inquiry. The knowers of truth, the wise, will instruct you in this knowledge. He who associates with various types but does not once associate with a sage, he gets bound in the world.

42. From the company of the good, one gains virtues, destroys calamities, and obtains welfare in this world and the next.

43-45. O King! All else is easily attainable, but the company of the good is very rare. It is necessary to know that by which one does not return to the bondage of the world. From good company, when knowledge is attained, the seeker sees all beings in himself. Through this yoga of knowledge, even the most sinful creature gets liberated. Just as fierce fire turns everything to ashes in a moment, similarly, in the fire of knowledge, both sinful and virtuous actions are instantly destroyed.

46. O King! There is nothing as purifying as knowledge; the great souls who have achieved yoga realize this knowledge through the practice of yoga in due time.

47. Only a devoted person, who has control over the senses and is diligent, can attain knowledge, and upon gaining knowledge, he soon attains liberation.

48-49 He who is devoid of devotion, lacks faith, and has a doubtful mind everywhere, does not achieve prosperity, nor gains knowledge, and his life in this world and the next is ruined. O King! Those who are engrossed in self-knowledge, who have dispelled all doubts with knowledge, and whose actions have diminished due to being established in yoga, they are not bound.

50. Therefore, with the sword of knowledge, one should forcefully cut the doubts born of ignorance in the mind, and it is right for a man to take refuge in yoga.

Thus, Chapter 140 named "Jnana Yoga" in the Krida Khanda of the glorious Ganesha Purana is complete.

Chapter 4

Vaidha-Sannyasa Yoga [The Yoga of Renunciation]

1. Varenya spoke -- O Lord! You have said that renunciation of action (performing actions without attachment until one's mind is purified) is the cause of knowledge, and then again you say that the yoga of action is also the cause of knowledge. Please tell me which of the two is beneficial.

2. Ganesha replied -- Both the yoga of action and the renunciation of action [depending on the eligibility] are means to liberation; but between the two, the yoga of action has its superiority.

3. He who always tolerates duality and sorrow, harbors no hatred, and has no desire, such a being easily gets liberated from the bondage of actions.

4. Only the ignorant and deluded consider renunciation of action and the yoga of action as separate; but the wise consider them as one.

5. The result obtained through renunciation of action is also obtained through the yoga of action. He who knows renunciation and action as one is the true knower.

6. The wise do not merely call the abandonment of action as renunciation; if the yogi performs actions without attachment, he becomes Brahman itself.

7-8. Those yogis with pure minds, who control their minds, have conquered their senses, are steadfast in yoga, and see the soul in all beings, do not get attached even while performing actions. The knower of truth, endowed with yoga, does not consider himself as the doer; rather, he believes that the actions are performed by the eleven organs including the mind.

9-11. He who dedicates all actions to Brahman does not get attached to sin or merit, just as the reflection of the sun in water is not affected by the water. Those wise in yoga, for the sake of mental purity, perform actions with body, speech, intellect, senses, and mind, giving up the desire for fruits. The one devoid of yoga performs actions with a desire for results, gets bound by the seeds of action, and thus experiences suffering.

12-14. It is appropriate for the yogi to renounce all actions mentally, and to reside comfortably in excellent cities or in caves, obtained through past actions. He neither does anything [with desire], nor causes it to be done, and knows that he neither performs any action, nor has any doership in him, nor does he create anything, nor has any connection with the seeds of action; all this happens by the power, that is, by nature itself. O King! I, the omnipresent soul, am not touched by anyone's merit or sin. Only the ignorant with deluded intellect get attached to delusion.

15-16. Those who have themselves destroyed ignorance through discrimination, their supreme knowledge shines like the sun. Those whose faith and intellect are in me, whose minds are extremely attached to me, and who are always devoted to me, such excellent ones, through superior knowledge, destroy sin and attain liberation.

17-18. Great souls who are wise, endowed with knowledge and realization, regard a Brahmin, a cow, an elephant, a dog, and an outcaste equally. Those whose minds are established in equanimity have conquered the world and heaven, because Brahman is devoid of faults and is characterized by equality, hence they abide in Brahman.

19. The great souls who neither rejoice nor grieve at obtaining the pleasant or the unpleasant, are the knowers, established in Brahman and know Brahman through equanimity.

20. Varenya said -- O Lord! What is true happiness in the three worlds, and among the divine and celestial beings? O master of knowledge, please describe this to me.

21-22. Ganesha said -- Those who delight in their own souls and are not attached elsewhere, they indeed experience bliss. That is called imperishable happiness; there is no (true) happiness in objects. Happiness derived from objects is the cause of sorrow and is subject to birth and destruction; the knowers of truth do not get attached to it.

23. He who controls the impulses of desire, anger, etc., even when they arise, and strives to conquer them while being unattached to the body, enjoys happiness for a long time.

24. He whose heart has devotion, the light of knowledge, happiness, and dispassion, and who works for the welfare of all beings, surely attains the imperishable Brahman.

25. Ah! Those who have conquered the six enemies like desire and anger, who practice tranquility and self-restraint, such knowers of the self see Brahman everywhere.

26. Having abandoned all external objects, sit in solitude, fix your gaze between the eyebrows, and perform pranayama.

27. Pranayama is said to be the regulation of the life-breath; wise sages have described it as having three kinds.

28-29. According to proportion, pranayama is of three kinds: minor, medium, and excellent. The pranayama of twelve syllables is minor, that of twenty-four syllables is medium, and that of thirty-six syllables is considered excellent.

30. Just as one subdues a lion, a tiger, or a drunken elephant and brings it under control, so should one practice with prana and apana.

31. O King! Just as these beasts torment others but do not harm those who control them, so this breath, when steadied through pranayama, destroys sins but does not burn the body.

32-33. Just as a man ascends steps gradually, so is it fitting for a yogi to gradually control prana and apana. By practicing inhalation, retention, and exhalation, this being becomes the knower of past, present, and future in this world.

34-35From twelve excellent pranayamas, excellent concentration arises. By two concentrations, yoga is achieved; therefore, the yogi should constantly practice concentration. O King! Those who practice in this way gain knowledge of the three times, and effortlessly, the three worlds come under their control.

36-37. He sees the entire universe as Brahman within his own self. Thus, both the renunciation of action and the yoga of action yield the same results. Knowing me, the Lord, who am beneficial to all beings, the giver of the fruits of action, and pervading the three worlds, one becomes liberated.

Thus ends Chapter One Hundred Forty-one named "Vaidha-Sannyasa Yoga" in the Krida Khanda of the glorious Ganesha Purana.

Chapter 5

Praise of the Practice of Yoga

1-2. Ganesha spoke -- O King! He who performs the actions prescribed in the Shruti and Smriti without desire for their fruits is superior to those yogis who renounce actions. O Mighty-armed one! In my opinion, for the attainment of yoga, actions are the cause; for the achievement of yoga's perfection, tranquility and self-restraint are the causes.

3. He who performs actions while contemplating on sense objects is an enemy to his own soul, and he who performs actions without desiring them attains perfection in yoga.

4. The soul alone is the friend and the enemy of the soul; this knowledge leads to liberation, while ignorance of this binds; there is no other.

5-6. One should maintain the same attitude towards respect and disrespect, happiness and sorrow, kin and saints, friends and foes, neutral persons, hateful ones, a clod of earth, and gold, etc. The seeker who has conquered his senses, is knowledgeable, and has mastered the self, should always practice yoga until he achieves its mastery.

7-9. One who is distressed, tired, agitated, hungry, or restless should not practice yoga. In extreme cold or heat, in places with excessive fire, wind, or water, where there's much noise, in a dilapidated place, near a cowshed, near fire, water, a well, a crematorium, river, a wall, where dry leaves rustle, under a sacred tree, in an ant-hill, or in a place haunted by spirits, a yogi devoted to meditation should not practice yoga.

10-11. Loss of memory, muteness, deafness, slowness, fever, inertia - these are all defects that arise in a yogi from ignorance regarding yoga practice. A yoga practitioner should abandon all these defective places; failing to do so surely leads to defects like memory loss.

12-13. O King! The yogi should always eat little, not remain without food, not sleep too much, nor stay too awake - by always practicing yoga in this manner, he attains perfection. He should abandon all desires and cravings, eat sparingly, be vigilant, control all senses with his intellect, and gradually withdraw from sensory objects.

14-16. Wherever the mind goes, pull it back from there and with patience bring it under control, for it is very restless. The yogi, always doing this, attains supreme peace and sees the world in himself and himself in the world. By yoga, he who attains me, I respectfully attain him, and he who does not abandon me, I do not abandon him and liberate him from the world.

17-18. He who sees all beings with the same soul in happiness and sorrow, hatred, hunger, contentment, and thirst, who knows me as the all-pervading, and who is solely attached to me, he is liberated while living and is worthy of salutations from deities like Brahma in the three worlds.

19. King Varenya spoke -- O Lord! I see both kinds of yoga as extremely difficult because the mind is very wicked and fickle, and controlling it is hard.

20-21. Ganesha said -- [O King!] He who governs this hard-to-control mind, he becomes free from this wheel of worldly existence, which spins like a potter's wheel. This firm wheel is made of objects of senses, fixed well with the nails of actions, therefore ordinary men are not capable of piercing through it.

22-23. Extreme suffering, dispassion, abandonment of the thirst for enjoyments, the grace of a guru, and the company of the holy - these are the means to conquer the mind. Through practice for the attainment of yoga, control the mind; O Varenya! Without conquering the mind, yoga practice is extremely difficult.

24. Varenya said -- O Lord! What world does the one who has fallen from yoga attain, what is his fate, and what fruit does he receive? O Omniscient one! O holder of the wheel of intellect! Dispel my doubt.

25-26. Ganesha said -- [O King!] Those who have slipped from yoga, taking a divine body, go to heaven, there they enjoy superior pleasure, then again take birth in the lineage of pure-conducted yogis. And then, due to the impressions of previous lives, they become yogis. No one who performs meritorious actions goes to hell.

27. O King of men, a yogic practitioner is superior to practitioners steadfast in knowledge, austere practices, and actions; and my devotee is the most superior among all of them.

Thus ends Chapter One Hundred Forty-two named "Praise of the Practice of Yoga" in the Krida Khanda of the glorious Ganesha Purana.

Chapter 6

Ganesha Introduces His True Form to King Varenya

1. Ganesha said -- [O King!] By fixing your mind on me in this manner, know that truth about me, upon knowing which, you will understand me as all-pervading and truly know me, thereby becoming liberated.

2. O King! For those who wish to shower grace upon others, I describe that truth for you, upon knowing which there is no need to seek another means for liberation.

3. First, one should know my Prakriti (Nature), which leads to knowledge; by knowing this, beings attain the prosperity of supreme knowledge.

4. Earth, Fire, Ether, Ego, Water, Mind, Intellect, Air, Sun, Moon, and Sacrificer--these are my eleven kinds of Prakriti.

5. Moreover, as the wise ones explain, my other Prakriti, which has the quality of movement, that which has obtained life and pervades the three worlds, is my second Prakriti.

6-7. From these two Prakritis, the whole animate and inanimate world arises, and I am the creator of this world's creation, preservation, and destruction. For those striving to know my essence, according to the fruits of their past actions, one of them performs some effort.

8. Among those diligent ones, someone sees me directly, sees no other apart from me, and sees the entirety of the world in me.

9-11. I exist as fragrance in earth, as radiance in fire, as light in the sun and the moon, as taste in water, as knowledge, asceticism, and strength in the wise, ascetics, and the strong. And in the three qualities (Sattva, Rajas, Tamas) that originated from me, I am present. But the sinful ones, with minds deluded by Maya, do not recognize me, the Prakriti with three qualities continues to enchant the three worlds.

12. He who knows my essence abandons all delusion and upon knowing me through several births, a person becomes liberated.

13-14. He who worships various deities, to those deities he goes. People worship me with a particular mindset, and I fulfill their intent accordingly. I am known to all, yet no one knows me fully.

15-16. Those with sight clouded by desire do not know me, the manifested form of the unmanifested. To the ignorant and sinful men, I am not revealed. O King, he who, filled with faith, remembers me at his end while relinquishing his body, he, by my grace, becomes liberated.

17-18. Remembering any deity with devotion at the time of death, O King, one attains that deity's realm by their devotion. Therefore, O King, my many forms should be remembered day and night; in that way, as water flows to the sea, I am attained in that manner.

19-20. Having attained the realms like Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Indra etc., one takes birth again in the cycle of the world, but who attains me with undivided devotion, he is not born again. O King! Who worships me with unswerving devotion, I always ensure his well-being and security.

21. O King! Men have two types of journeys – one through dark (ignorance) and bright (knowledge) paths; one leads to rebirth in the world, and the other leads to the attainment of the Supreme Brahman.

Thus, in the Krida Khanda of the Ganesha Purana, the description of "The Path of Yoga" named Chapter One Hundred Forty-Three is complete.

Chapter 7

The Chapter Describing the Essence of Yoga to King Varenya by Ganesha

1. King Varenya said -- O One with the Elephant Face! To whom do we refer as the white or black journey, what is Brahman, what is Samsara, please explain all this to me out of kindness.

2-3. Shri Ganesha spoke -- The journey through fire, light, and day is called Shukla Gati or the white journey, which occurs during Uttarayan (the northward journey of the Sun). Through the Moon, light, smoke, and night, it is called Krishna Gati or the black journey, known as Dakshinayan (the southward journey of the Sun). These two journeys are the causes of the attainment of Brahman or Samsara, according to one's actions. Know all this, including what is invisible and visible, as Brahman.

4. The five elements are considered perishable; after them is the imperishable, and beyond both is the pure, eternal Brahman.

5-6. Samsara is considered the cycle of rebirths from many lives; those who don't accept me are bound to Samsara. Those who offer me worship with materials like clarified butter and others, correctly, achieve the Supreme Brahman through their devotion.

7-8. With a bath, clothes, adornments, superior fragrances, incense, lamps, offerings, fruit, betel, donations, with devotion as one in mind, who worships me, I fulfill his desires. Thus, my devotee should worship me daily with devotion.

9-10. Or, with a steady mind, he should perform mental worship. Or, with effort, even with water, leaves, flowers, or roots, one who worships me gains the desired fruits. Among the three types of worship, mental worship is the best.

11-13 ½. If conducted without desire, it is the most superior. Whether a Brahmachari, householder, forest-dweller or monk, even any person who offers worship only to me, without engaging in other practices, still achieves accomplishment. He who worships another deity with hostility or envy towards me or others, he will suffer in hell for a thousand spans of time.

14-15. First, perform the purification of elements, then practice pranayama. After controlling the fluctuations of the mind, perform the imposition (nyasa), first internal mantra imposition and then external and the imposition of six limbs.

16-17. After that, meditate upon the root mantra, chant the mantra heard from the Guru's mouth with a steady mind. Dedicate the japa to the deity and then praise with many hymns. In this way, my devotee attains the eternal liberation.

18. He who is devoid of worship is to be condemned, his birth is in vain. Sacrifices, herbs, mantras, fire, ghee, oblations, and offerings - all these are my forms.

19. Meditate, object of meditation, eulogy, hymn, salutation, devotion, worship, knowable by the three Vedas, sacred, grandfather of Brahma - all these are indeed me.

20-21. Omkar, purifier, witness, lord, friend, movement, dissolution, creation, nourishment, seed, refuge, in the same manner, as well as all acts, truth, falsehood, death, immortality, soul, Brahman, charity, fire sacrifice, penance, devotion, chanting, self-study - all these are me.

22-23. Whatever actions are done, dedicate all to me. Even women, wrong-doers, sinners, or Kshatriyas, Vaishyas, or Shudras who take refuge in me become liberated, then what to speak of twice-born devotees? My devotee, knowing these manifestations of mine, never perishes.

24-25. Even deities and seers do not know my origin or my manifestations. I am spread out in the universe through various manifestations. Whatever is best in this world, know them all to be my manifestations - understand thus.

Thus, in the Krida Khanda of the Ganesha Purana, the chapter named "The Description of the Path of Yoga" is concluded.

Chapter 8

Shri Ganesha Showing His Cosmic Form to King Varenya

1. King Varenya said - O Lord! From Narada's mouth, I have heard of your many manifestations; he told me that he knows some of them, but only you know all of them in truth.

2. O Elephant-Faced One! You alone truly know all those. Now, show me your captivating and expansive form.

3. Shri Ganesha spoke - In me alone, see this entire animate and inanimate world and see many kinds of divine wonders which no one has seen before.

4. By my power, I grant you the eyes of wisdom; for the all-pervasive, unborn, and imperishable me cannot be seen with physical eyes.

5. Vyasji said - Then King Varenya, having acquired divine vision, became capable of seeing the great, astonishing, supreme form of Lord Ganesha.

6-7. With countless radiant faces, trunks, and arms, anointed with fragrances, adorned with divine ornaments, garments, and garlands, with countless eyes, holding weapons as bright as tens of millions of suns, in the body of that Elephant-Faced God, the king saw the three worlds distinctly.

8-9. After seeing this supreme form of the Lord, bowing in reverence, the king (Varenya) said - O Lord! In your body, I see gods, sages, ancestors. O Lord! I see seven netherworlds, seven seas, seven islands, seven mountains, seven great sages, and many groups of things.

10. I see the earth, the sky, heaven, humans, serpents, demons, Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesha, Indra, deities, and many kinds of creatures.

11. I am seeing you, who are without beginning or end, the origin of the worlds, with endless arms and heads, glowing like blazing fire, ancient and immeasurable.

12-13. I see you, the Lord, wearing crowns and earrings, difficult to behold, joy-giving, and with a vast chest. Your form is served by deities, Vidyadharas, Yakshas, Kinnaras, sages, humans, dancing Apsaras, and singing Gandharvas.

14. The eight Vasus, the group of twelve Adityas, Siddhas, Sadhyas - they all serve you with great devotion and joy, and they are looking at you in astonishment.

15-16. They know you as the knower, the imperishable, knowledgeable in Vedas, the protector of righteousness, pervasive in the netherworlds, directions, heavens, and earth, and as the Lord. Seeing your form, the whole world and I are terrified; your mouth is frightening with many sharp teeth, and you are the master of various sciences.

17. Your mouth is as radiant as the fire of destruction, your form is intricate and touches the sky. O Ganesha! Seeing this form of yours, I am bewildered.

18. Deities, humans, serpents, and birds rest in your belly; they experience various births and in the end enter into you just as water droplets from clouds born of the sea merge back into it.

19-20. Indra, Agni, Yama, Nirti, Varuna, Vayu, Kubera, Ishana, Soma, Surya, and the whole world - all these are you alone, O Master! I bow to you, please now show me your kindness.

21-22. Please show me your gentle form that I have seen before, O Great Being. Who can fathom your play which you perform according to your will? By your grace, I have seen this magnificent form; because you, becoming pleased, granted me the eyes of wisdom.

23-24. Shri Ganesha spoke - O Mighty-Armed One! Those who do not practice yoga never get to see this form of mine; only the likes of Sanaka and others, and Narada, by my grace, witness this form. Even those who understand the essence of the four Vedas, are skilled in all scriptures, perform sacrifices, give in charity, and practice penance, they do not truly know my form.

25. I am to be known, seen, and attained through devotion; now cast away fear and confusion and behold my gentle form.

26. O King! Those devotees who are solely dedicated to me, renouncing all attachments, offering all their actions to me, and who see all beings with an equal eye, abandoning anger, they attain me.

Thus, in the Kridakhanda of the Shri Ganesha Purana, the chapter named "The Vision of the Universal Form" is completed.

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