Mudgalapurana 3.46: brahmayajñavarṇanaṃ nāma ṣaṭcatvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Homage to the holy Gaṇeśa.

Yudhiṣṭhira said:
'O Kṛṣṇa, O Kṛṣṇa of great fortune, tell of the Daitya's conduct. / How did Pūrṇānanda slay the Daitya? It is a great wonder!

He has no fear from anything moving or unmoving, O Lord Nārāyaṇa. / Therefore, his deeds appear truly wondrous to me.'

Mudgala said:
Hearing the words of Yudhiṣṭhira, that which Kṛṣṇa answered him— / hear that very conduct of Gaṇapa, O Dakṣa.

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said:
A son, agreeable to all, was born to the Daitya Jñānāri. / On the eleventh day, the brahmins went to his house there.

The best among the lords of the Daityas named him Subodha. / Prompted by the twice-born, they joyfully gave gifts to the twice-born.

He, the Daitya's son, was endowed with wisdom, devoted to Gaṇeśa, and a king. / Even in childhood, he constantly meditated upon Vighneśa.

The child never thought of drinking milk and the like; / whenever his mother remembered and gave him milk, he drank.

Thus he, too, staying with his mother, drank her breastmilk, / and, constantly absorbed in meditation, remembered Gaṇapa in his heart.

Then five, and likewise seven months of his age passed, O mighty one; / hear what play he engaged in then, O lord.

In the dust, with his own hand, he fashioned the form of Gaṇapa; / he scattered dust upon it by way of offerings for worship.

He performed worship there regularly at the three junctures of the day, / and, absorbed in meditation, he worshipped Vighneśa after that.

Once, the leader of the Daityas, / Jñānāri, while sitting down for a meal, saw him playing in childlike fashion.

He had indeed fashioned a sculpted form of Gaṇeśa upon the ground; / the son then worshipped it with offerings of dust.

Then, exceedingly enraged and filled with astonishment, he said to his wife: / “This son of yours worships the slayer of my father!

Now, due to the lack of certainty, I do not kill your son, my dear; / becoming attentive in mind, make your son cease such actions.

Since this son makes [an image of] the killer of his ancestors, / if he is seen by me again, I will kill the son, my dear!”

Saying to him, “So be it,” she stood humble; / the illustrious, devoted wife remained devoted to her husband's word.

At the time of her husband's departure, she, self-restrained, took her son; / she fondled him there in such a way that the king would not see.

Then he, named Subodha, reaching an age beyond one year, / began to speak there in an indistinct voice:

“Salutations to Heramba, Vighneśa, to Gaṇeśa, Mahodara, / to Lambodara, Vikaṭa; salutations, salutations to Ḍhuṇḍhi!”

Filled with such devotional sentiments, he constantly remembered Gaṇapa / with single-minded devotion, devoted to righteousness and worship.

Then, taking the son out of love, O Yudhiṣṭhira, / the mother kept him far away with her female companions when her husband went out.

Exerting effort, that queen constantly protected her son. / Sometimes, commanded by her husband, “Bring the son here!”

“The son is asleep, my lord,” saying thus, the noble, faithful wife / caused the time to pass, filled with sorrow, O Yudhiṣṭhira.

In the fifth [year], Jñānāri, rejoiced, performed his investiture with the sacred thread; / there the son, remembering Gaṇeśa in his mind,

performed an excellent mental worship for fear of disrupting the ritual.

[Section 3, Chapter 46, page 100] Then, at the conclusion of the ritual, he bowed down to all, O king.

Then Subodhaka was placed in the teacher's house by the king; / there all the sons of the Daityas of various forms were present.

The illustrious pupils of Śukra constantly and with great effort / taught all of them that demonic science which deludes the gods.

There this prince, though highly honoured by the teachers, / remained longing for devotion, constantly remembering the King of Obstacles.

When honoured by the teachers in order to teach him the demonic science, / the prince, having bowed to them, stood firm.

Hearing what was spoken by the teachers, his mind astonished, / the greatly wise Subodha spoke to them who were attached to sensory objects:

Subodha said: / “Brāhmaṇas devoted to Brahman and constantly intent on yoga, / especially Gāṇapatyas, worship the Leader of the Ganas.

Wise regarding the nature of Gaṇeśa, which is free from distinctions and non-distinctions, / having abandoned the demonic science that causes delusion, they are worthy of reverence.

You are endowed with knowledge; why do you tell me, O best of Brahmins, / to abandon Gaṇeśa, the object of worship for all, in favour of the highest source of delusion?

When Brāhmaṇas are devoted to their own dharma, then their word / is to be accepted, there is no doubt; otherwise, it is never anything but deluding.

Whether endowed with virtues or lacking them, Brāhmaṇas are always / to be honoured by men, without doubt; they are universally agreed to be worthy of worship.

Therefore, I bow down to all Brāhmaṇas; and as for their word, / if it is beneficial, I shall accept it, never otherwise, O teachers.”

Śrī Kṛṣṇa said: / Hearing Subodha's words, those great sages were astonished; / they said to the son of the Daitya: “Hear the dharma that grants happiness!”

The teachers of the Daityas said: / “Subodha, you are a child, yet you speak of the highest yoga, / endowed with one's own dharma and the like, just like a lord of yogins in person!

You have not been taught the Vedic lore, O highly wise one; / even so, how was this knowledge obtained by you? Tell us, sir!”

Subodha said: / “Once, when my mother was pregnant, she went to her father's house; / there arrived the illustrious Śuka, skilled in all truths.

Bowing to that lord of yogins, Prahlāda, filled with joy, / having worshipped that great soul, questioned him with humility:

Prahlāda said: / ‘O son of Vyāsa, O great yogin Śuka, you are directly Śiva himself; / you are born, there is no doubt, the guru of gurus of the foremost yogins.

Only through the power of past merit has the great vision of you been attained; / therefore I question you; do speak, O ocean of compassion!

Speak in detail of that which is respected by all, which bestows yoga and peace to everyone, / and which cuts away the delusion of diverse doctrines.’

Subodha said: / Hearing Prahlāda's delightful speech, the best among the foremost yogins / spoke to that illustrious one who was devoted to yoga and peace.

Śrī Śuka said: / ‘Prahlāda, you are illustrious, wise, and a bearer of yoga; / therefore, I shall indeed speak especially of what is beneficial to you.

I shall explain in detail what is respected by all, O king, what bestows peace upon all, / and what is to be practiced among diverse doctrines.

Once, in the Naimiṣa forest, great sages assembled, / illustrious beings dwelling throughout the universe, for the purpose of a Brahmayajña,

where there is a sacred narrative consisting of yoga, O best of Dānavas.

[Section 3, Chapter 47, page 101] In the Vedas, that is declared as Brahmayajña by those who profess the Vedas:

Marīci and Kaśyapa, Kaṇva, Atri, Pulaha, Kratu, / Viśvāmitra of great splendour, Yājñavalkya, and Āruṇi;

Aṣṭāvakra and Vasiṣṭha, Bharadvāja, Parāśara, / Vyāsa, Paraśurāma, Śvetaketu, and the sage Mudgala;

Agastya, Hanumān, and the Rākṣasa Vibhīṣaṇa, / Aśvatthāman, Gṛtsamada, and the powerful Kṛpa;”

Mārkaṇḍeya, Mṛkaṇḍa, and Baka Dālbhya, O lord,
Nārada, Kapila, Raibhya, and the highly renowned Kardama,

Eka, Dvita, and Trita, as well as Devala and Asita,
Pulastya, Bhṛgu, Cyavana, and the sage Gautama,

Aṅgiras, Dīrghatamas, Utathya, and Gālava,
Dadhīci, Uśanas, Jīva, and the great sage Jamadagni,

Vaiśampāyana, Śaunaka, Śunaka, O lord,
Vāmadeva, Sumantu, Paila, and the sage Śākalaka,

Jaimini, Dhaumya, and others went there along with their disciples;
indeed, many other foremost sages went there filled with joy,

Dattātreya, Durvāsas, Nidāgha, Jaḍabharata,
Sanātana, Sananda, and Sanatkumāra came,

myself, Ribhu, Sanaka, and many others,
avadhūtas and yogins went to witness the sacrifice.

Indra, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Śaṅkara, and Sūrya,
together with their wives, the king of the gods, and other gods arrived.

Śeṣa, the serpent Vāsuki, Kambala, and Aśvatara,
and the exalted serpents headed by Takṣaka arrived there.

Gandharvas, Cāraṇas, Siddhas, and the hosts of Sādhyas,
Ādityas, Vasus, Yakṣas, and the foremost Apsarases arrived.

Devoted to ritual action, devoted to austerity, devoted to knowledge, and yogins,
all devoted to various deities arrived there, O giver of honor.

O Prahlāda, especially to witness the sacrifice of Brahman;
intent upon certainty, the people became universally respected right there.

Om Tat Sat. Thus, in the glorious final purāṇic Upaniṣad, in the glorious Mudgalapurāṇa, in the third section describing the deeds of Mahodara, the forty-sixth chapter entitled ‘Description of the Sacrifice of Brahman’.