Mudgalapurana 8.11: pārvatīgaṇeśacaritaṃ nāmaikādaśo'dhyāyaḥ

Obeisance to the glorious Gaṇeśa.

Śiva said: / Once, O brāhmaṇas, Nandī, seeing me residing on Kailāsa accompanied by Girijā / and worshiping Gaṇeśa, spoke:

Nandī said: / O Śiva, you have all forms, and you are proclaimed as the all in all. / You are indeed the giver of the fruits of actions to all, the sustainer of deeds.

To yogins you are the lord of yoga, the bestower of the perfections of yoga. / There is none higher than you; what Gajānana do you worship?

In the Veda, Gaṇeśa is called the son of Śiva; of this there is no doubt. / Why, O Lord, do you worship him, your own son, as if he were your master?

Your name is renowned as “Lord” because of being the lord of all, Sadāśiva. / You have no lord in the Vedas; you alone are the source of all existence.

Is it for the delusion of people, O Śaṅkara, along with Pārvatī, / that you worship the lord of gaṇas, for the sake of concealing your Śiva-nature?

Do not ever perform worship of Gaṇeśa in vain, O master! / It causes delusion among Śaivas, O god, and leads to an improper state.

Mudgala said: / Hearing Nandī's words, Sadāśiva, / his eyes blossoming with joy, spoke to him, the supreme Mahāpāśupata:

The glorious Śiva said: / You do not know the lord Gaṇeśa, Nandī, though you are devoted to me. / I am a gaṇa of his; look in the Veda, O wise one!

The gaṇas of that great soul are of the nature of multitudes and are endless. / Among the multitude of lords, I am considered a gaṇa of the lord of gaṇas.

There is only one lord Gaṇeśa; all are considered his gaṇas, / having the form of Brahman and having the form of the universe, of the lord of Brahman, O giver of honor!

Wisdom is said to be manifold, and manifold forms are remembered of it, / (

Khaṇḍa 8, Adhyāya 11, page 25) which have arisen particularly as the wisdoms that reveal knowledge.

I alone am called the lord of wisdom by the knowers of the Veda. / Having resorted to the wisdom of yoga, Gaṇeśa was manifested by me.

The supreme Brahman born of samādhi is called the son; / therefore Gaṇeśa, who was born of my samādhi, attained sonship.

Other gods, headed by Viṣṇu, are endowed with knowledge through wisdom; / they are not proclaimed lords of wisdom, they are my disciples, no doubt.

And by them, solely through the power of yoga, Gaṇeśa was manifested; / born of samādhi, he also became the son of those yogins.

In the beginning, Brahman was directly perceived by me without a guru / through the power of wisdom; therefore, I am the chief, the protector of the universe, the guru.

Therefore, in the Vedas, the lord of gaṇas is said to be the son of Śiva. / Viṣṇu and others are not remembered as the primary fathers of Gaṇeśa.

Therefore I, as a servant, worship him who is the embodiment of yoga, the lord of Brahman, praised by Brahman, / as my master, with reverence, and not at all for the sake of delusion.

Hearing the word of Śiva, Nandikeśvara was astonished / and spoke to that Mahādeva, the omniscient one, praised by all:

Nandikeśa said: / The lord Gaṇeśa is our family deity and yours, of this there is no doubt. / O all-pervading lord, tell the knowledge of him, the supreme mantra endowed with ritual procedure.

The glorious Śiva said: / The mind is said to be fivefold; that is considered the supreme intellect. / Perfection, which produces manifold delusions, consists of differentiation and lordly power in the heart.

The reflection of Gaṇeśa fell upon both of them, joined with māyā. / Abandoning the state of being a reflection, a man becomes Gaṇeśa.

Relinquishing the passionate mind, you will become praised by yogins. / Worship him through the means of yoga, according to the rule of the single-syllable [mantra].

Having spoken thus, he gave him that supreme single-syllable mantra / along with the ritual rule. He too, having bowed to him and desiring asceticism, went to the forest.

Through foodless asceticism, the two-tusked-faced one was worshiped / by Nandī, endowed with meditation, especially with samādhi.

When a full hundred years had passed, he became an eminent yogin; / and the boon-giving lord Gaṇeśa came to the precinct of his hermitage.

Seeing the lord of gaṇas arrived, he was filled with joy. / Rising up, having first bowed to him, he worshiped him with devotion.

Having bowed once more to Vighneśa, he undertook to praise him, / astonished upon seeing him holding Pārvatī on his left side.

By the grace of Gaṇeśa, most wondrous knowledge was immediately attained. / Through that, all the sport of Gaṇeśa was reverently known.

Then that lord Nandī reflected in his heart: / “He who bears an external form is indeed Mahādeva, of this there is no doubt.

He is proclaimed the husband of Girijā, marked with five faces and the rest, / three-eyed, having a human body, demonstrating distinct states.

That Pārvatī, possessing the form of bliss, having the form of Viṣṇu, / is said to consist of the god Śiva; within her, the Self is remembered as Śiva.

Śambhu himself has the form of an elephant, intent on the experience of oneness. / Because of abiding in Prakṛti as his half-body, Śiva shone as woman and man.

In the union of man and elephant, he attained the form of Gaṇeśa— / Śiva consisting of Brahman directly, accompanied by Girijā.”

Charming, consisting of Yogamāyā, seated upon Gaṇeśa's lap, / was Pārvatī; and Pārvatī's lord, Gaṇeśa Himself, shone forth.

He indeed arrived in order to bestow boons, without a doubt; / and He resides in Śiva's heart, while she is born of Śiva's mind.

[Section 8, Chapter 11, Page 26] Then, bowing down with joy, he bowed to Gajānana / again and again; his hair standing on end, he praised Him with joined palms:

Nandikeśa said: / 'Salutations to You, to Gaṇeśa, the bestower of peace, whose form is ever peace, the bearer of peace, / dwelling in the hearts of men, dwelling in the hearts of those shaped as elephants, to yoga, to the lord of yoga!

Salutations to You, to Heramba, who sports with Siddhi and Buddhi, / drinking Svānanda; salutations, salutations to You whose mount is the lord of thieves!

Salutations to You, the lord of Pārvatī, who has entered Śiva's heart; / salutations to You, lord of Lakṣmī, whose form resides in Viṣṇu's heart!

Salutations to You, lord of Saṃjñā, residing in the heart of the Sun; / to You, lord of the primordial power, Ādiśakti, whose form has entered the heart of Śakti!

To You, lord of Sāvitrī, who play in the heart of Brahmā; / to You, lord of Gāyatrī, dwelling in the heart of the syllable Oṃ!

Salutations to You, lord of Śacī, whose form has entered Indra's heart; / salutations to You, lord of Svāhā, Supreme Lord dwelling in Agni's heart!

To You who have human form, who spread differentiated happiness; / salutations, salutations to You, the human in all differentiated states!

Salutations to You, without attributes, whose form is shaped like an elephant, / and who reside in all non-differentiated happiness, devoid of attributes!

Salutations to You, having the form of man and elephant, whose form is yoga, / to You, the lord of yogas, whose essential nature is complete yoga!

Blessed am I, having accomplished my purpose am I, by whom Gajānana has been seen! / How shall I praise Brahman? O Lord of Brahman, salutations to You; be the giver of boons!'

Having thus praised the Lord Gaṇeśa, full of love he danced; / and that Gaṇeśa, affectionate to His devotees, spoke to Nandīśa:

The holy Gaṇeśa said: / 'Choose boons, O highly fortunate Nandi, that are desired in your mind; / pleased by your austerity and praised by this hymn of praise, I shall grant them, O honor-giver!

This hymn of praise composed by you shall bestow yoga; / it will grant worldly enjoyment to one who desires it, and liberation to one who desires liberation.

It will bring all perfections to those who constantly recite or hear it; / whatever they desire, that very thing they will certainly attain by means of it.'

Nandikeśa said: / 'If You are a giver of boons to me, grant me devotion to You; / make me a Gāṇapatya, O Master, wholly devoted to Vighneśa!

Let this be Your sacred place, O Lord, where austerity was performed by me.' / Saying 'So be it' to him, the Gaṇādhīśa vanished.

Then, together with the brahmins, Nandikeśa installed Gaṇeśa; / indeed, he performed the worship with great devotion.

He gave it the name Pārvatīgaṇapa, O great sages; / that place became one that bestows all perfections, O great sages.

Then Nandīśvara, having bowed and approached, related / the account; hearing it, [Śiva], praising him, became delighted.

With devotion, he constantly worshipped Nandīvighneśvara; / that foremost among great lords of yoga became equal to Śiva.

This deeds of Āmbika-Vighneśa have been narrated by me; / and this Gaṇeśa, whose nature is Dhūmravarṇa, is the bestower of all perfections.

Whatever person recites or hears this deed of Gaṇapa, / that person will obtain all that is desired, bestowing enjoyment and liberation.

Oṃ tat sat. Thus ends the eleventh chapter, named 'The Deed of Pārvatīgaṇeśa' in the account of Dhūmravarṇa, in the eighth section of the venerable, auspicious Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa, an Upaniṣad of the Purāṇa.

[Section 8, Chapter 12, Page 27]