Mudgalapurana 8.7: ahaṅkāraśāntirūpavarṇanaṃ nāma saptamo'dhyāyaḥ

Salutations to the venerable Gaṇeśa!

Śiva said: / Having heard the words of Śukra and bowed to him, / the valiant Ahaṅkāra, endowed with knowledge, with folded hands, said:

Ahaṃ said: / "I have been awakened by you, O master; therefore I go to Gajānana, / Brahman comprising gods and asuras, the giver of all peace."

Having spoken thus, he who knew the supreme truth, accompanied by Śukra, / withdrew his mind from Śrī and Oṅkāra and went for refuge to the Lord of Yoga.

Seeing the great noose at the edge of the city, bowing with folded hands, / he, possessing Gaṇeśa's egoity, praised that king of weapons.

Aham said: / "Obeisance to you, the noose, the king of weapons, having the nature of bondage! / Truly, obeisance to you who have the nature of liberation, O ornament on Gaṇeśa's hand!

Delusion is said to consist of māyā, causing bondage to every living creature. / If a man is endowed with the knowledge of Gaṇeśa, he becomes free from bondage.

That very weapon of that great soul is called the embodiment of bondage. / Indeed, you alone are the great form of the noose that brings about both bondage and liberation.

For those who have taken refuge in you, there is no fear born of bondage. / O weapon, protect me, who have respectfully come to you for refuge!

Obeisance to you, O lord of splendours, who destroy the wicked! / Obeisance to the noose, the supreme weapon, the Brahman among weapons!"

Having thus praised the great noose, he bowed with palms joined. / And the noose, having abandoned Ahaṅkāra, went to Vighneśvara.

Whoever recites this hymn of praise, his bondage is destroyed— / which consists of the noose of māyā—and he directly attains the path to Gaṇeśa.

Seeing that the noose had gone, Ahaṅkāra, accompanied by his guru, / went to Dhūmravarṇa and, upon seeing him, bowed down.

Rising again, he worshipped Vighneśa with devotion. / Having bowed down again to the Lord of All, he praised him with palms joined.

Aham said: / "Obeisance, obeisance to you, Dhūmravarṇa, Gaṇeśa, the supreme self, / the unmanifest, the primal seed, the supreme Lord!

Obeisance to you, the god Lambodara, the master of Daityas! / Obeisance, obeisance to Heramba, the protector of the great lords!

Obeisance to action, to the embodiment of action, to the promoter of diverse actions! / Obeisance to knowledge, to you the giver of knowledge, to the knowledge of knowledge!

Obeisance to the moving, to the embodiment of the moving, to you who abide in animate beings! / To the immovable, always having that form, to the bearer of that form!

Obeisance, obeisance to you who are free from both the immovable and the moving! / To yoga, to the lord of yoga, to the yogin, to the bestower of yoga!

Obeisance to the bestower of yoga upon yogas; obeisance to Cintāmaṇi! / To the peaceful one, who is to be attained by those of peaceful mind, whose form is peace!

To you the master of Brahmans, to Brahman, O giver of perfection and intellect! / Obeisance to the lord of perfection, the lord of intellect, to the union of both!

To him who sits upon a mouse, the bearer of the mouse-banner, / the four-armed one, the lord of Svānanda—obeisance, obeisance to you!

How can I praise you, O Gaṇādhīśa, whose nature is Dhūmravarṇa, / the unmanifest one constantly spoken of in Vedic discourses, O Lord?

Attempting to explain your true nature, the Vedas became smoky [in obscurity]; / though maintaining yoga and peace, they were truly unable to explain it.

Therefore those who discuss the Vedas call you Dhūmravarṇa. / I behold that very Dhūmravarṇa, who is difficult for yogins to attain.

Blessed am I along with my lineage, O Lord, from seeing the pair of your feet!" / Having spoken thus, that great asura danced, filled with devotion.

Seeing him immersed in the essence of devotion, the god Gajānana / (

Section 8, Chapter 7, Page 17) spoke to that fortunate one and embraced him with love.

Dhūmravarṇa said: / "Choose boons, O fortunate one; pleased by your hymn of praise, I shall grant them. / O Ahaṅkāra, there is no doubt: you shall have no fear.

This hymn of praise composed by you will grant all perfections / and will bestow devotion to me—there is no doubt.

Whoever listens to or recites this will have no fear born of egoism, / O lord of Daityas; it will bestow worldly enjoyment and liberation.

Whatever he desires, that I shall grant through the recitation of this hymn of praise. / He shall also become dear to me, forever free from delusion."

Having thus heard Gaṇeśa's words, that great asura Aham / prostrated before the great-souled Dhūmravarṇa and spoke to him.

Aham said: / "If you grant me a boon, O Dhūmravarṇa, O Gajānana, / then grant supreme devotion to your lotus feet, O all-pervading Lord!

Make me a Gāṇapatya, devoted to Gaṇeśa, / dear to the Gāṇapatyas, O father, ever feeling genuine devotion.

Give me an abode and also a supreme livelihood that brings welfare. / Residing there, I will be your servant, O Gajānana.

I shall never ask for anything else, O Lord, bewitched by the delusion of Śrī-Oṅkāra. / I shall especially worship you, accompanied by perfection and intellect.

Greatly enlightened by my guru, devoted to his words, / I shall worship your form consisting of yoga and peace, O Mahodara."

Dhūmravarṇa said: / "May your devotion to me be firm; devoted to servitorship to me, / having become dear to the Gāṇapatyas, you will live your life—there is no doubt.

Where, O great Daitya, worship of me is not performed at the beginning, / there your place shall be in those actions; enjoy the great fruit of their actions.

Where there is no remembrance of me at the beginning of a task, remain firmly there; / cause their downfall incessantly through your asuric nature.

Go to your own city, O lord of Daityas, and always protect my devotees; / continually make them, with reverence, endowed with my pride.

Where there is remembrance of me at the beginning and worship in all rituals, / there abide with a virtuous nature, as their pride [in me].

Endowed with devotion to Gaṇeśa, you will bear my pride; / there is no doubt about it. Go, go by my command!"

Śrī Śiva said: / Having spoken thus to that Aham, the Gaṇādhīśa ceased speaking. / Having bowed to him, Ahaṅkāra went joyfully to his own city.

Learning that he had become such, the lords of Daityas were filled with sorrow; / having abandoned [the city], they all went to the netherworld, agitated by fear.

Filled with joy, he worshipped that Gaṇanāyaka, / meditating with single-minded focus on the supreme bearer of the smoky colour.

Just as Vighneśa had spoken, so he acted with devout feeling, / and the asura Ahaṅkāra took on a peaceful form.

"Om Tat Sat." Thus ends the seventh chapter, titled "The Description of the Pacification of Ahaṅkāra," in the Dhūmravarṇa narrative of the eighth section in the glorious, venerable, ultimate Purāṇic Upaniṣad, the Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa.

Section 8, Chapter 8, Page 18)