Mudgalapurana 8.8: dhūmravarṇāvatārasamāptirnāma aṣṭamo'dhyāyaḥ

Obeisance to holy Gaṇeśa.

Śiva said: / "Seeing Aham, fully endowed with a peaceful form, established in pride in Gaṇeśa, / the gods and twice-born Brahmans were astonished, O twice-born ones.

Then, filled with devotion, they worshipped Dhūmravarṇa, / and having bowed to him again, they all praised him with cupped hands."

The divine sages said: / To the unborn, to the one who is worshipped first of all, whose nature is eternally supportless, O Ḍhuṇḍhi, / to the one whose form is ever unmanifest, who reaches the end of all, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Ever free from delusion, granting delusion to people, O Lord, destroyer of delusion for your own [devotees], / through states consisting of the threefold great bliss, O supreme Lord, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Homage to the giver of perfection and intellect, O Gaṇeśa, dwelling in the city named Cognisable-Only-by-Oneself, / having no master, yet the master of all lords, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Ever sporting at your own will, with attributes, yet of the nature of being without attributes, O Brahman, / having the great mouse as banner, to Heramba, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Having an elephant-shaped trunk, pot-bellied, three-eyed, shaking winnowing-basket ears, / of the nature of bees, the lords of yogins attached to [your] ichor, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Four-armed, single-tusked, adorned with manifold priceless ornaments, / O Lord of gods, worthy vessel, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

The primal [creation], equal, endowed with all modes of being, causing delusion to the delusionists, was created by you out of joy; / staying therein in the very form of its nature, O infinite one, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Then, impelled by you, by that [first creation] was also created the supreme life whose nature is the eternal Self, / consisting of non-difference; to you residing therein, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Then by that was created the own deity of divisive thinkers, staying therein with the disposition of Brahman; / to you dwelling therein in the very form of its shape, O Brahman, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

By that which is endowed with non-being was created the bodiless supreme Brahman, the primal seed consisting of the Sāṅkhya; / impelled by you, O grantor of dwelling here, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

That which has the nature of rising spontaneously was created by the bodiless one through your awakening for Vighneśvara; / to the one whose form is of that shape, residing therein, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Then by that, through your existence, was created the primal supreme 'I am He', ever of one single nature; / and likewise you yourself reside right there, O Supreme Self, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Then, impelled by you, by that very [entity] was created the prime root of the four, having the form of the great drop (mahad-bindu); / ever residing therein by spontaneous yoga, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Then having the form of sound, equal, which is deep sleep; then the supreme subtle form, then the state of the gross; / creating the body in four ways, O playful one, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Homage to the one whose form is the universe, maker of all forms, indeed distinguished by endless faces and the like; / enjoying experiences through moving and unmoving beings, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

To you as the moving and to you as the unmoving, homage to the creator of the world, the worthy vessel, to Hara, / to the light, to the sun, to the one consisting of the Goddess, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

[khaṇḍa 8, adhyāya 8, page 19] Homage to you as god, Yakṣa, Sādhya, as man, and as Devendra, whose nature is the gods; / as the lord of the quarters, having the nature of the seed of trees and the like, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Homage to the one having the form of serpents, whose nature is the Daityas, whose form resides in various distinctions such as the oceans; / you ever play with endless forms, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Even so, you are thus devoid of that shape, ever through spontaneous yoga, O yogin; / to you whose essence is your own existence, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Therefore, the assertions of the Vedas become especially smoky (dhūmra), alas, in describing your true nature; / therefore you are spoken of by the wise as 'Dhūmravarṇa', homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

The leaders of the Vedas and the lords of yogins have attained supreme peace in you, the Lord of Brahman, who are ever smoke-colored; / how can we of little understanding praise you? Homage to you, homage to Dhūmravarṇa, the Lord of all!

Śrī Śiva said: / Having thus praised the Lord Gaṇeśa, the immortal sages bowed down. / To those fortunate ones, the glorious Dhūmravarṇa spoke:

Dhūmravarṇa said: / Choose boons, O fortunate ones, divine sages, pleased by the hymn of praise I shall grant / those that reside in your heart, even the most difficult to attain.

This hymn of praise composed by you to me will certainly grant good perfection; / it will bring about the state of Brahman, O brāhmaṇas, there is no doubt.

It will bestow happiness in sons, grandsons, wife, and others; it will grant wealth and grain; / it will come to bestow longevity, health, and sovereign power.

For the one who recites or hears it, O gods, fulfilling manifold intentions, / it bestows dharma, wealth, desire, and liberation upon those who revere it.

Destruction, driving away [of enemies], and so forth, by twenty-one recitations / each day for twenty-one days, indeed come to pass.

All hostile sorcery and the like goes to destruction without a doubt / for one who constantly praises [me] with this foremost of hymns, O twice-born ones.

Whatever desire one contemplates, that very desire I will always grant, / being pleased when praised with this hymn of praise, O great gods.

Śrī Śiva said: / Hearing the words of Dhūmravarṇa, the divine sages bowed down to him; / with rejoiced minds, they sang praise to the god who brings about all perfections.

The divine sages said: / O Dhūmravarṇa, O Lord, 'I' has been made by you to hold peace forever; / by that, we have all surely been endowed with boons!

When egoism is stilled, we abide in our own authority; / the people, brāhmaṇas and others, will be endowed with their castes and stages of life.

What [else] should we choose, O Gaṇādhīśa? Grant devotion unto you, / which destroys the fear of egoism; by that alone are we satisfied, O Lord!

'So be it,' said Dhūmravarṇa to them. O lords of Gaṇas, / while the gods and sages bowed to him, he vanished.

Out of joy, they installed Dhūmravarṇa in a holy site / at the end of the quarters, and respectfully worshipped the Lord Gaṇeśa there.

Then, filled with joy, they each went to their own abode; / happy, devoted to Gaṇapa, they engaged in their respective duties.

This wondrous narrative granting all perfections has been told to you; / and it will destroy the fear of egoism for those who recite or listen to it.

Thus assuming various incarnations, the powerful Dhūmravarṇa, / moved by devotion, rendered the universe free from obstacles.

The incarnations of Dhūmravarṇa are endless; / their story can never be told by anyone at any time.

Therefore the deeds of his principal incarnation have been told in brief. / O Sanaka and others, worship the lord Gaṇeśa with feeling!

Freed from egotism by that, you will become—without doubt— / lords of yogins, venerable to yogins, and granters of peace to those whose minds are tranquil.

Om tat sat. Thus ends the eighth chapter, named “The Conclusion of the Incarnation of Dhūmravarṇa,” in the deeds of Dhūmravarṇa, in the eighth section of the glorious Maudgala Mahāpurāṇa, the final Purāṇa-Upaniṣad.