The Ganapati Atharvashirsha (Ganapati Upanishad)

The Shrī Gaṇapatyatharvaśīrṣa begins with the peace invocation: Om. O gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious; O worshipful ones, may we see with our eyes what is auspicious.

With steady limbs and bodies, offering our praise, may we enjoy the life that is pleasing to the gods.

Om. May Indra of ancient renown grant us well-being; may all-knowing Pūṣan grant us well-being.

May Tārkṣya of unimpaired wheel grant us well-being; may Bṛhaspati grant us well-being.

Om. May That protect me; may That protect the speaker. Protect me; protect the speaker. Om. Peace, peace, peace.

The Upaniṣad: with the sacred invocation “Hari Om,” salutations to Thee, O Gaṇapati.

Thou indeed art the directly present Reality; Thou alone art the sole agent.

Thou alone art the sole sustainer; Thou alone art the sole destroyer.

Thou indeed art all this Brahman.

Thou art the direct, eternal Self.

The truth of Thy essential nature: I speak the cosmic order; I speak the truth.

Protect Thou me; protect the speaker; protect the listener.

Protect the giver; protect the sustainer.

Protect the teacher; protect the disciple.

Protect me from the west; protect me from the east.

Protect me from the north; protect me from the south.

Protect me from above; protect me from below.

Protect me from every direction; protect me all around.

Thou art made of speech; Thou art made of consciousness.

Thou art made of bliss; Thou art made of Brahman.

Thou art existence-consciousness-bliss, the secondless One.

Thou art the directly manifest Brahman.

Thou art made of knowledge and made of wisdom.

All this universe arises from Thee.

All this universe abides in Thee.

All this universe dissolves into Thee.

All this universe returns into Thee.

Thou art earth, water, fire, air, and space.

Thou art the four levels of speech.

Thou art beyond the three guṇas; Thou art beyond the three states of consciousness.

Thou art beyond the three bodies; Thou art beyond the three times.

Thou art eternally established in the mūlādhāra.

Thou art the embodiment of the three powers.

Yogis meditate on Thee always.

Thou art Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Rudra, Indra, Agni, Vāyu, Sūrya, and Candra; Thou art Brahman and the sacred syllables Om, Bhūḥ, Bhuvaḥ, Svaḥ.

The Gaṇeśa mantra: first pronounce the syllable “ga,” the beginning of “gaṇa,” and after it the syllable “a,” the beginning of the alphabet.

Then comes the anusvāra, adorned with the half-moon, and made rich by the sacred syllable Om.

This is the essential form of Thy mantra: “ga” is its beginning.

“a” is its middle, and the anusvāra is its end.

The bindu is its culminating form; the inner resonance is the joining.

The union of these is the saṃhitā. This indeed is the Gaṇeśa Vidyā.

Gaṇaka is the seer; Nicṛt Gāyatrī is the meter.

Gaṇapati is the deity: obeisance to Gaṇapati with the seed syllable “Om Gaṃ.”

The Gaṇeśa Gāyatrī: We know the One-Tusked Lord; we meditate on the Curved-Trunked Lord.

May that Tusked One inspire us.

The form of Gaṇeśa: the one-tusked, four-armed Lord holding the noose and the goad.

Holding in His hands the tusk and the boon-granting gesture, with the mouse as His banner.

Red, large-bellied, with ears like winnowing fans, wearing red garments.

Whose limbs are anointed with red sandalpaste and who is worshipped with red flowers.

The God compassionate to His devotees, the cause of the universe, the Imperishable.

Manifest at the beginning of creation, beyond Prakṛti and Puruṣa.

He who meditates thus constantly is a yogi, the foremost among yogis.

The eight-named Gaṇapati: salutation to the Lord of hosts; salutation to Gaṇapati; salutation to the Lord of the Pramathas; salutation to the large-bellied, one-tusked Lord.

Salutation, salutation to the destroyer of obstacles, the son of Śiva, the blessed bestower of boons.

The fruit of this teaching: whoever studies this Atharvashirsha becomes worthy of union with Brahman.

He thrives in happiness on all sides; he is not troubled by any obstacles.

He is released from the five great sins.

Reciting it in the evening destroys the sins committed during the day.

Reciting it in the morning destroys the sins committed during the night.

Practicing it both evening and morning, he becomes sinless.

Reciting it everywhere, he becomes free from obstacles.

He obtains dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa.

This Atharvashirsha should not be given to one who is not a disciple.

If out of delusion one gives it, he becomes more sinful. After a thousand repetitions, whatever desire one recites it for, he should accomplish that through it.

He who consecrates Gaṇapati with this becomes eloquent.

Reciting it on the fourth lunar day while fasting, he becomes learned; he becomes renowned.

Thus is the utterance of the Atharvan. Knowing the shielding that begins with Brahmā, one is never afraid.

He who worships with dūrvā grass shoots becomes like Vaiśravaṇa.

He who worships with parched rice becomes renowned.

He becomes intelligent.

He who worships with a thousand modakas attains the fruit he desires.

He who worships with ghee-covered fuel sticks obtains everything; he obtains everything.

Having made eight Brahmins properly recite this, he becomes radiant as the sun.

Reciting during a solar eclipse, on the bank of a great river or before an image, he becomes one whose mantra is perfected.

He is freed from great obstacles; he is freed from great faults.

He is freed from great sin.

He becomes a knower of everything; he becomes a knower of everything.

He who knows thus—this is the Upaniṣad.

Peace invocation: Om. May He protect us both; may He nourish us both.

May we together work with strength.

May our study be luminous; may we not hate each other.

Om. O gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious; O worshipful ones, may we see with our eyes what is auspicious.

With steady limbs and bodies, offering praise, may we enjoy the life that is pleasing to the gods.

Om. May Indra of ancient renown grant us well-being; may all-knowing Pūṣan grant us well-being.

May Tārkṣya of unimpaired wheel grant us well-being; may Bṛhaspati grant us well-being.

Om. Peace, peace, peace. Thus ends the Shrī Gaṇapatyatharvaśīrṣa.