- अथ (atha)now
- गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत् (gaṇeśapūrvatāpinyupaniṣat)the Ganesha Purva Tapini Upanishad
anvaya अथ गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्
chandas Prose, the title
तापिनी Tapini — A class of late Upanishads, each built around one deity's mantra. Purva, the first, is the half that sets out the mantra; this one is Ganesha's.
note The Upanishad teaches one mantra, the Ganesha Anushtubh, in three parts: how it was first seen, how its six feet map onto the worlds and the Vedas, and how it is set out in a diagram for worship.
योगिनो यत्पदं यान्ति तं गौरीनन्दनं भजे ॥
- गणेशम् (gaṇeśam)Ganesha
- प्रमथाधीशम् (pramathādhīśam)lord of the pramathas
- निर्गुणम् (nirguṇam)without qualities
- सगुणम् (saguṇam)with qualities
- विभुम् (vibhum)present everywhere
- योगिनः (yoginaḥ)the yogis
- यत्पदम् (yatpadam)whose place
- यान्ति (yānti)reach
- तम् (tam)that
- गौरीनन्दनम् (gaurīnandanam)son of Gauri
- भजे (bhaje)I worship
anvaya प्रमथाधीशम् निर्गुणम् सगुणम् विभुम् गणेशम् योगिनः यत्पदम् यान्ति तम् गौरीनन्दनम् भजे
chandas Anuṣṭubh (śloka), 8 syllables in each of 4 pādas
प्रमथ the pramathas — Shiva's rough host of followers, over whom his son is set as lord.
ब्रह्मा देवानाम् Brahma among the gods — The opening takes a Rigveda verse that names the best of each kind, the seer among sages and the buffalo among beasts, and gives each title to Ganesha.
अथर्वपुत्र son of Atharvan — Atharvan is the seer of the Atharva Veda, and this Upanishad belongs to that Veda. Calling Ganesha his son claims the whole Veda for him.
note The first section. It opens, as Atharva Veda texts do, by praising Brahman under many names before the story begins.
अन्नाद an eater of food — The question the whole Upanishad sets out to answer: how the creatures, once made, are to be fed and kept alive. The answer turns out to be a mantra.
यतो वा इमानि भूतानि from which these beings are born — The words are taken from the Taittiriya Upanishad's definition of Brahman, and the list of breath, mind and the elements from the Mundaka. The text is saying that what those Upanishads meant by Brahman has an elephant's face.
note Prajapati looks inward for the answer and finds Ganesha there.
तुरीय the fourth — The state beyond waking, dream and deep sleep. It is named here next to food and cattle, so the praise runs from the plainest good to the highest.
अन्नपति the lord of food — The praise is shaped to the question asked: the creatures want food, and he is the lord of it.
मन्त्रराज the king of mantras — The Ganesha Anushtubh mantra, whose six pieces the next sections name one by one. The Upanishad's answer to the question of food is this mantra.
अनुष्टुभ् Anushtubh — The metre of four lines of eight syllables, in which most of the epics and hymns are written. The text says the world itself is built in it.
महाहस्ती great-handed one — A line from the Rigveda addressed to Indra. Hastin means one with a hand, and also an elephant, and the Upanishad quotes it for that second sense.
note Bhrigu's son is Shukra. It is he, in the story, who first sees the mantra and hands it on.
अथ तस्य षडङ्गानि प्रादुर्बभूवुः । स होवाच जपध्वमानुष्टुभं मन्त्रराज षट्पदं सषडक्षरम् । इति यो जपति स भूतिमान् भवतीति यूयमन्नाद्या भवेयुरिति । तदेतन्निदर्शनम् ; गणानां त्वा गणनाथं सुरेन्द्रं कविं कवीनामतिमेधविग्रहम् । ज्येष्ठराजं वृषभं केतुमेकं सा नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद शाश्वत् ॥ ५ ॥
गणानां त्वा Ganapati of the hosts — The Rigveda hymn to Brahmanaspati that is chanted at the start of every Ganesha worship. The Upanishad quotes it as its proof text.
अनाथनाथ the master of those who have none — Anatha is one with nobody to look after him. The god names himself their master.
षट्पद six-footed — The mantra has six pieces: rayasposhasya data, nidhidata, annado matah, rakshohanah, balagahanah, and vakratundaya hum. Each is set against one world, from the earth to Brahman.
वक्रतुण्डाय हुम् vakratundaya hum — The last and shortest piece, the six-syllable mantra that is recited on its own in several other hymns.
note Each foot of the mantra is a rung: whoever knows it rules the world that foot stands for, from the earth up to Brahman.
- ऋग्यजुःसामाथर्वाः (ṛgyajuḥsāmātharvāḥ)the Rig, Yajus, Saman and Atharva
- चत्वारः (catvāraḥ)four
- पादाः (pādāḥ)feet
- भवन्ति (bhavanti)are
- रायस्पोषस्य दाता च (rāyaspoṣasya dātā ca)rayasposhasya data ca, the giver of the growth of wealth
- इति (iti)so
- प्रथमः (prathamaḥ)the first
- पादः (pādaḥ)foot
- भवति (bhavati)is
- ऋक् (ṛk)the Rig
- वै (vai)indeed
- निधिदाताऽन्नदो मतः (nidhidātā'nnado mataḥ)nidhidata annado matah, the giver of treasure, held to be the giver of food
- द्वितीयः (dvitīyaḥ)the second
- यजुः (yajuḥ)the Yajus
- रक्षोहणो वो बलगहनः (rakṣohaṇo vo balagahanaḥ)rakshohano vo balagahana, the slayer of rakshasas, deep in strength
- तृतीयः (tṛtīyaḥ)the third
- साम (sāma)the Saman
- वक्रतुण्डाय हुम् (vakratuṇḍāya hum)vakratundaya hum
- चतुर्थः (caturthaḥ)the fourth
- अथर्वः (atharvaḥ)the Atharva
anvaya ऋग्यजुःसामाथर्वाः चत्वारः पादाः भवन्ति रायस्पोषस्य दाता च इति प्रथमः पादः भवति ऋक् वै [प्रथमः] [पादः] निधिदाताऽन्नदो मतः [इति] द्वितीयः [पादः] यजुः [वै] [द्वितीयः] [पादः] रक्षोहणो वो बलगहनः [इति] तृतीयः [पादः] साम [वै] [तृतीयः] [पादः] वक्रतुण्डाय हुम् [इति] चतुर्थः [पादः] अथर्वः [चतुर्थः] [पादः] [अथर्वः] [चतुर्थः] [पादः] [इति]
chandas Prose
note Here the same mantra is counted in four quarters instead of six, one to each Veda. The last line is said twice, which is how an Upanishad marks the end of a section.
- इति (iti)here ends
- गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्सु (gaṇeśapūrvatāpinyupaniṣatsu)of the Ganesha Purva Tapini Upanishads
- प्रथमा (prathamā)the first
- उपनिषत् (upaniṣat)Upanishad
anvaya इति गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्सु प्रथमा उपनिषत्
chandas Prose, the colophon
- द्वितीया (dvitīyā)the second
- उपनिषत् (upaniṣat)Upanishad
anvaya द्वितीया उपनिषत्
chandas Prose, a heading
विराट् स्वराट् सम्राट् the Virat, the Svarat and the Samrat — Three old titles of sovereignty: the one who shines out, the one who rules himself, and the one who rules all. Here they name the whole world as the first foot.
note A second mapping of the six feet, this time onto fire, sun, moon, Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva. The rule about who may receive it is the usual restriction on a secret mantra.
उन्नतप्रपदाङ्गुष्ठं गूढगुल्फं सपार्ष्णिकम् । पीनजङ्घं गूढजानुं स्थूलोरुं प्रोन्नमत्कटिम् ॥
निम्ननाभिं कंबुकण्ठं लंबोष्ठं लंबनासिकम् । सिद्धिबुद्ध्युभयाश्लिष्टं प्रसन्नवदनांबुजम् ॥
इति संसर्गः ॥ २ ॥
षडङ्ग the six limbs — The six placings on heart, head, crown, body, eyes and hands, each with its own closing syllable. The six pieces of the mantra are laid on them one to one.
ह्रस्व दीर्घ प्लुत short, long or drawn out — The three lengths a vowel can be given in recitation. The Upanishad lets each length bring a different gift.
वैनायकी माया the Maya of Vinayaka — The power that makes, keeps and ends the world is named here as his own, the same role the goddess plays in Shakta texts.
note The verse beginning स ईं पाहि is obscure in this printing and the rendering of it is tentative.
सर्वेषां वा एतद्भूतानामाकाशः परायणम् । सर्वाणि ह वा इमानि भूतान्याकाशादेव जायन्ते जातानि जीवन्त्याकाशं प्रयन्त्यभिसंविशन्ति । तस्मादाकाशबीजं शिवो विद्यात् । तदेतन्निदर्शनम् ; हंसः शुचिषद्वसुरन्तरिक्षसद्धोता वेदिषदतिथिर्दुरोणसत् । नृषद्वरसदृतसद्व्योमसदब्जा गोजा ऋतजा अद्रिजा ऋतं बृहदिति ॥ ३ ॥
हंसः शुचिषत् the swan that sits in the light — A Rigveda verse also quoted in the Katha Upanishad, naming the one self in everything it lives in. Hamsa is both a swan and the breath going out and in.
प्रकृतिपुरुष nature and person — The two principles of Samkhya. Here nature is identified with Uma as Maya and person with Shiva, and Ganesha is the two together.
अधिष्ठान the seat — The yantra, the drawn diagram in which the deity and his attendants are placed for worship, ring by ring from the centre out.
ऋतुगण वसुदल the six corners, the eight petals — Numbers are named by things there are that many of: the seasons are six, so ritu means six; the Vasus are eight, so vasu means eight.
प्रसार the spreading out — The uses the mantra is put to once it is established. Like other tantric texts, the Upanishad lists the kinds of rite and the offering for each, and does not describe the rites themselves.
चतुर्थी the fourth day — The fourth day of each fortnight, which is Ganesha's day.
note The passage is given here as the text states it. It belongs to the old tantric list of the six acts, which a number of Ganesha texts name.
- इति (iti)here ends
- गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्सु (gaṇeśapūrvatāpinyupaniṣatsu)of the Ganesha Purva Tapini Upanishads
- द्वितीया (dvitīyā)the second
- उपनिषत् (upaniṣat)Upanishad
anvaya इति गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्सु द्वितीया उपनिषत्
chandas Prose, the colophon
- तृतीया (tṛtīyā)the third
- उपनिषत् (upaniṣat)Upanishad
anvaya तृतीया उपनिषत्
chandas Prose, a heading
तार माया रमा मार Tara, Maya, Rama, Mara — Code names for seed syllables: tara is Om, maya is hrim, rama is shrim and mara, the syllable of desire, is klim.
षोडशकल of sixteen parts — The Prashna Upanishad speaks of the Person as having sixteen parts, as the moon has sixteen digits. The sixteen petals stand for them.
note The third section explains how the diagram of the second is drawn, each ring standing for a set of things in the world.
- सः (saḥ)he
- ह (ha)indeed
- उवाच (uvāca)said
- भृगुपुत्रः (bhṛguputraḥ)Bhrigu's son
- एतम् (etam)this
- आनुष्टुभम् (ānuṣṭubham)Anushtubh
- मन्त्रराजम् (mantrarājam)king of mantras
- साङ्गम् (sāṅgam)with its limbs
- सप्रसृतिकम् (saprasṛtikam)with its spreading out
- समायम् (samāyam)with its Maya
- साधिष्ठानम् (sādhiṣṭhānam)with its seat
- सतन्त्रम् (satantram)with its tantra
- यः (yaḥ)whoever
- जानाति (jānāti)knows
- भूतिमान् (bhūtimān)prosperous
- भवति (bhavati)becomes
- अमृतत्वम् (amṛtatvam)the deathless
- च (ca)and
- गच्छति (gacchati)reaches
- इति (iti)so
anvaya सः भृगुपुत्रः ह उवाच यः एतम् साङ्गम् सप्रसृतिकम् समायम् साधिष्ठानम् सतन्त्रम् आनुष्टुभम् मन्त्रराजम् जानाति [सः] भूतिमान् भवति [सः] अमृतत्वम् च गच्छति [सः] [अमृतत्वम्] [च] [गच्छति] इति
chandas Prose
note The five things named are the five sections of the teaching in order. The last clause is said twice to close the Upanishad.
- इति (iti)here ends
- गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्सु (gaṇeśapūrvatāpinyupaniṣatsu)of the Ganesha Purva Tapini Upanishads
- तृतीया (tṛtīyā)the third
- उपनिषत् (upaniṣat)Upanishad
anvaya इति गणेशपूर्वतापिन्युपनिषत्सु तृतीया उपनिषत्
chandas Prose, the colophon
