Mudgalapurana 4.40: gajānanaprādurbhāvo nāma catvāriṃśo'dhyāyaḥ

Homage to the glorious Gaṇeśa!

Mudgala said: / Then, after much time had passed, the Dānavas, arrogant with power / and especially filled with greed, spoke there to Lobhāsura.

The lords of Dānavas said: / 'The gods, O Lord Lobhāsura, are considered our enemies; / the gods and the foremost of asuras are declared in the Veda [to be mutually opposed]; consider this.

Those hosts of gods will never die by weapons or missiles; / they are declared immortal in the Vedas and Śāstras; there is no doubt in this.

The deities have karma as their food, O master; when karma is destroyed, / they will immediately die, O fortunate one; make an effort for that purpose!'

"Having conquered the cosmic egg, why are you resting, O great asura? / When your enemies are still alive, you have not in this way accomplished your purpose!"

"Formerly, Hiraṇyakaśipu himself, having conquered the hosts of gods, / ruled everywhere over the worlds—of this there is no doubt.

Then, O lord, the Man-Lion was produced by the gods through great effort; / after slaying the ruler of the asuras with him, the gods returned to their own domains.

Therefore, O supreme king of Daityas, act especially for your own welfare; / then, O great king, you will remain endowed with happiness for a long time."

Hearing their words, Lobhāsura, dull-witted as he was, / then commanded the Daitya chiefs to destroy sacrificial acts.

Then Gajāsura and the others departed, filled with wrath; / seizing twice-born men here and there, they destroyed sacrifices especially.

Everywhere, they destroyed and utterly broke down sacrificial trees, cows, / and sacred bathing places, in order to destroy religious rites.

Filled with wrath, they broke the temples of the deities; / seeing anyone established in their own dharma, the foremost Dānavas killed them.

Everywhere, images of Lobhāsura were established by the Dānava chiefs / to be worshipped by the people, O Dakṣa; indeed, they became the support [of worship].

Nowhere was there the cry of svāhā or svadhā, as at a dissolution of the world; / no ritual ending with the utterance of vaṣaṭ took place, and the orb of the earth was terrified.

All rites performed by people were made into rites dedicated to Lobhāsura; / then human beings were overcome with wailing, O lord.

Some brāhmaṇas went to the forest, resolved upon death, / (

Section 4, Chapter 40, page 103) and performed rites, while many twice-born men fell away [from dharma].

When much time had passed in this manner, the gods were exceedingly distressed; / all of them were intent on fasting, O Prajāpati.

Then, exerting great effort, they quickly took counsel / for the destruction of Lobhāsura, but the celestials found no way.

Then, utterly sorrowful, distraught, wondering, "What shall we do?", / the guardians of the gods remained hidden in a mountainous region.

There arrived the lord of yogins, Raibhya, who brings joy to all, / an avadhūta in nature, like Vighneśvara himself visible.

Bowing to him, Śiva and the others, reduced to mere skin and bones, / humbly asked him for the means to destroy Lobha.

Then, filled with supreme compassion, Raibhya, skilled in all purposes, / spoke to those chiefs of the gods, seeing them so utterly miserable.

Raibhya said: / "Listen, O Viṣṇu, Śambhu, and the others, and sages absorbed in the reality: / Lobhāsura is a great sinner, difficult to conquer—of this there is no doubt.

Even so, worship the King of Obstacles, endowed with devotion; / through him, O gods, he will especially be easy to conquer.

The Lord of Intellect himself will directly direct his intellect; / recite the mantra of Gajānana according to the proper rules."

Having spoken thus, the great yogin Raibhya went wherever he pleased, / and the blessed deities, Śiva and the others, were filled with joy.

Devoted to austerities, they recited the mantra of Gajānana; / endowed with meditation, they propitiated him daily according to the proper rules.

Pleased by the power of their fasting and moved by their devotion, / Gajānana appeared to the lords of the gods after a hundred years.

Beholding Gajānana, the leaders of the gods were filled with joy; / all the gods and the hosts of sages worshipped him with affection.

Joining their hands with devotion, they praised Gajānana; / rising once again, they all bowed down to Gajānana.

The gods and sages said: / "Salutations to you, O Gajānana, who are the seed of all things, / seedless himself, Gaṇeśa, salutations to the Lord of Obstacles!

Salutations, salutations to the infinite one, Ekadanta, Heramba! / O Lord of all, four-armed one, salutations to you who are worthy of all worship!

To the giver of all perfections, who comprise gods and asuras, / to the activator of siddhi and buddhi, O Lord of siddhi and buddhi, salutations!

To the one without attributes, the lord of attributes, whose form is the attributes, possessing attributes, / composed of māyā, the impeller of māyā, the Supreme Self!

To the origin of all, O Mahodara, who are devoted to supreme prowess, / dweller in Svānanda, salutations to you, the bestower of Svānanda!

To the embodiment of yoga, the master of yogas, the giver of peace, / to Brahmaṇaspati, salutations to you, the Brahman of Brahmans!

Salutations, salutations to the support of all, who himself has no support! / To the beginning, middle, and end, who is devoid of beginning, middle, and end, salutations to you!

Holding an axe and a goad in your hands, three-eyed one, O Mahodara, / salutations to the one who rides a mouse, salutations to the mouse-bannered one!

Salutations, salutations to you, the complete abode, the vessel ever bestowing happiness and bliss, / the good creator of the world, the destroyer of everything, devoid of qualities, the ruler of the gaṇas!

To the bodiless in form, the supreme experiencer, devoid of empirical knowledge, well-praised by Sāṅkhya, / ever dwelling beyond in one's own intellect, whose form is the elephant-self, salutations, salutations to you!

That Brahman which is devoid of empirical consciousness is itself expressed by the elephant; / by the sign of the elephant, the lords of yogins perceive you as Gajānana.

Section 4, Chapter 40, page 104) Just as human beings and others are recognized by the sign of their face, / so too are you known by yogins through the mark of the bodiless.

That bodiless nature which is the form of an elephant is spoken of as your face; / it brings about the attainment of Gaṇeśa—O Gajānana, salutations to you!

How can we praise you, O Gaṇādhīśa, before whom the Vedas and the like, / as well as yogins, have attained silence? We have taken refuge in you!"

Having thus praised Vighneśvara, they bowed down to him again and again; / knowing the hearts of all, Gaṇādhīśa spoke to them, bringing them joy.

Gajānana said: / "O gods, lords, and sages, this hymn of praise composed by you / will eternally bring about the complete attainment of all perfections.

Bound by devotion, I will surely give whatever one desires; / by reading and hearing this, I am especially pleased.

I am the giver of boons; choose, and I will grant your desired boon! / I have reached satisfaction through your austerities, devotion, and hymn of praise."

Hearing Gajānana's words, the gods and divine sages were overjoyed; / bowing down, they spoke these words that grant all happiness.

The gods and sages said: / "O Lord, the three worlds have been terrified by Lobhāsura, / and we have been reduced to fasting because of the cessation of sacrificial rites."

Therefore, slay the lord of Daityas, who cannot be conquered by anyone, O Gajānana! / Bestow [upon us] your firm devotion, particularly free from greed.

Hearing their words, Gajānana said to them: / "Do not be afraid, O wise ones! I shall slay the great asura.

My devotion, free from greed, shall indeed be yours. / Now I shall conquer that lord of Dānavas; there is no doubt."

Having spoken thus to the sages and gods, the glorious Gajānana / remained right there to accomplish the task of all.

"Om tat sat." Thus ends the fortieth chapter, named "The Manifestation of Gajānana," in the story of Gajānana, in the fourth section of the glorious and auspicious Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa, an Upaniṣad of the Purāṇas.