Ganpati Atharvashirsha — Word-by-Word Meaning

Peace Invocation: Om. O gods, may we hear with our ears what is auspicious; may we see with our eyes what is auspicious, O worshipful ones. With steady limbs and bodies, offering praise, may we enjoy the full span of life allotted by the gods. May Indra of ancient fame grant us well-being; may the all-knowing Pushan be gracious to us; may Tarkshya (Garuda), the swift, protect us; may Brihaspati bestow well-being upon us. Om, peace, peace, peace. The Upanishad: Om, salutations to you, Ganapati. You yourself are the visible Reality (Tattva). You alone are the Creator; you alone are the Sustainer; you alone are the Destroyer. You are truly all this — you are Brahman itself. You are the eternal Self (Atman) made manifest. I speak the divine order (Rta); I speak the Truth. Protect me; protect the speaker; protect the listener; protect the giver; protect the sustainer; protect the student who recites. Protect me from behind, from the front, from the north and the south, from above and from below. Guard me, guard me on every side, everywhere. You are the essence of speech and the essence of consciousness. You are bliss itself and Brahman itself. You are Existence-Consciousness-Bliss, the one without a second. You are the directly perceptible Brahman. You are pure knowledge and pure discernment. All this universe is born from you; all this universe is sustained by you; all this universe dissolves back into you; all this universe returns to you. You are earth, water, fire, air and ether — the five elements. You are the four levels of speech (para, pashyanti, madhyama and vaikhari). You are beyond the three gunas; beyond the three states (waking, dream, deep sleep); beyond the three bodies; beyond the three times (past, present, future). You dwell eternally in the Muladhara chakra. You are the embodiment of the three powers (will, knowledge, action). The yogis ever meditate upon you. You are Brahma, Vishnu, Rudra, Indra, Agni, Vayu, Surya and Chandra; you are Brahman, the three worlds (Bhuh, Bhuvah, Svah) and Om. The Ganesha Mantra: First utter the letter 'ga' (the first of 'gana'), then the first vowel 'a'; add the anusvara (the nasal 'm') above, adorned by the crescent and crowned by the syllable Om (tara). This is the very form of your mantra: 'ga' is the first part, 'a' the middle, the anusvara the last, the dot (bindu) the higher form, and the resonance (nada) the joining. This is the sacred science of Ganesha. Its seer is the sage Ganaka, its metre is Nichrid-Gayatri, its deity is Ganapati: Om Gam Ganapataye Namah. The Ganesha Gayatri: May we know the One-Tusked One; may we meditate upon the Curved-Trunk One. May that Tusked Lord (Ganesha) inspire and impel us. The Form of Ganesha: One-tusked and four-handed, bearing the noose and the goad, holding in his hands a tusk and the boon-giving gesture, with a mouse for his banner; red in colour, pot-bellied, with winnowing-fan ears, clad in red, his body anointed with red sandal and worshipped with red flowers; the compassionate Lord, the cause of the universe, the imperishable, who appeared at the beginning of creation, beyond Nature (Prakriti) and Spirit (Purusha) — whoever meditates thus upon him daily is the foremost among yogis. The Eight Names: Salutations to the Lord of the multitudes (Vratapati); salutations to the Lord of the ganas (Ganapati); salutations to the Lord of the Pramatha hosts. Salutations to the pot-bellied (Lambodara), the one-tusked (Ekadanta); to the destroyer of obstacles (Vighnanashin), the son of Shiva (Shivasuta); to the gracious boon-giving form (Varadamurti) — salutations again and again. The Fruits of Recitation: Whoever studies this Atharvashirsha becomes fit to attain Brahman. He thrives in happiness on every side; he is troubled by no obstacle; he is freed from the five great sins. One who recites it in the evening destroys the sin committed by day; one who recites it in the morning destroys the sin committed by night; reciting it morning and evening, one becomes free of sin. Reciting it everywhere, one becomes free of obstacles, and attains dharma, wealth, fulfilment of desire and liberation (the four aims of life). This Atharvashirsha is not to be given to one who is not a worthy student; whoever gives it out of delusion becomes a sinner. By a thousand recitations, whatever desire one holds in mind, that desire is accomplished. One who consecrates (abhisheka of) Ganapati with this becomes eloquent; one who recites it fasting on the fourth lunar day (Chaturthi) becomes learned and renowned — so declares the Atharvana text. One who knows this knows the truth veiled even from Brahma and the gods, and is never afraid, ever again. Whoever worships with blades of durva grass becomes like Kubera (lord of wealth); whoever worships with parched grain becomes renowned and wise; whoever worships with a thousand modakas obtains the fruit desired; whoever worships with ghee and sacred fuel-sticks obtains everything — yes, obtains everything. Having a worthy eight brahmins learn it, one becomes radiant as the sun. Reciting it during a solar eclipse, on the bank of a great river, or before the image of Ganesha, one becomes accomplished in the mantra; he is freed from great obstacles, great faults and great sins, and becomes all-knowing — he becomes all-knowing. Whoever knows this — thus the Upanishad. Closing Peace Invocation: Om. May He protect us both (teacher and student); may He nourish us both; may we work together with vigour; may our study be brilliant and effective; may we never quarrel. Om, may we hear what is auspicious. Om, peace, peace, peace. Thus concludes the Sri Ganapati Atharvashirsha.