1. GANAPATHI 2

Title: Understand one thing, we don't say, "Oh! Statue, please save me, Oh! Stone bless me." We say "God bless me". That is why it is not idol worship but worship through idol. Worshiping God through idols is the first step towards individual spiritual progress. Title: Ganapathi, a non controversial God Title: Ganapathi who enjoys love and respect of all is certainly a non-controversial God. Irrespective of Paramparas, he receives the first worship by all. He is always remembered and meditated as a simple, innocent and easily approachable God. He is presented to the world as divine innocence and supreme intelligence. He is Ashudosha, God easily approachable. Even though Siva is considered as Ashudosha, Ganapathi is more approachable and easy to develop a connection with him. Every person can grow spiritually by meditating on him. He is the God who came closer to all and is an easy God to any type of human being. Title: There are no restrictions or conditions to worship Ganapathi. No objections or no formalities are required to install ganapathi statue in any house or shop or any where. That is why he became popular as people's God. Title: Ganapathi, the Lord of all beginnings Title: Any work, big or small, simple or complex, short or lengthy it will have a start only after offering the first worship to Ganapathy, because he is Vijineswara, who helps to complete the work without any break or disturbance. His energy, his form and his weapons all express the same. Title: The form of Ganapathi Title: Form of Ganapathi, the weapons he carries in his hands conveys a lot of spiritual messages. If you carefully observe all these and meditate on his form, several spiritual Truths will be revealed to you. Title: Ganapathy appears in different forms. His idols are carved in different ways. His pictures are available in various forms. Ganapathi in sitting position, dancing Ganapathi, Ganapathi completely involved in writing and so on. In whatever form he is, he expresses pure and divine innocence and cosmic intelligence. He radiates ecstasy and great joy. He has some peculiar features which express specific spiritual messages to the world. Title: Big belly: Title: In some of his stotras, devotees pray to him,' Oh! Lord of great belly I surrender to you....' Ganapathy's form is dominated by his big belly. His big belly is predominantly seen in his pictures. This great belly expresses prosperity. It is also a symbol of eternal joy and unlimited growth. Please understand it is not a belly out of obesity. It continuously expresses simplicity and supreme innocence to the world. Title: His belly is the Brahmandam, the entire universe. For Shiva, his head is considered as the universe. That is why the moon will be there on his head. For Ganapathy his belly is considered as the entire Cosmos, the Brahmanda. The whole Brahmanda is his belly. Holding the universe in his belly, Ganapathi takes care of the prosperity of the entire universe and radiates eternal celebration. Title: Big Ears : Title: Big ears of Ganapathi represent his mastery in the art and science of listening. He is capable of listening to the most subtle and the most complicated sounds given at any speed without missing a single syllable or a minute sound. Due to this quality and capacity of Ganapathi, Vyasa the great Master selected Him to be the writer for his great epic the Mahabharatha. It is an impossible task for others to catch Vyasa's words without mistakes or leaving any concept. Big ears also symbolize the importance of

Title: capable of taking that information with lightning speed. Long nose of Ganapathy will be a great help in this context. This is the reason to choose Ganapathi to write the greatest, the longest and the most interesting epic on the planet earth Mahabharatha. Ekadantha, the spontaneous and dedicative energy of Ganapathy gave such a great gift to the world, the Mahabharatha, the most admired and loved book on the earth. Title: There is a very beautiful and sanctified area on the earth. It is the interior part of the Himalayas, around 10 km to Badrinath. Now it is popular as Vyasa Guha, where Vyasa and Ganapathi sat and completed the mighty task of writing the great epic presenting the contemporary social, political, economic and above all human values great ideas for a complete and contented life, in the form of Mahabharatha which ultimately lead man towards the state of enlightenment. The Guha(cave) looks as if the Thala Pathras (Palm leaves) piled, and its fossil became like a Guha with piles of rocks. It looks like a pile of Thalapathras. Title: While writing Mahabharatha, suddenly the pen in the hand of Ganapathy was broken. Without waiting for a moment very spontaneously he broke his tusk and continued that work. Decision making and its execution happened without a slightest break and without causing any disturbance to Vyasa. That is the reason we do pooja to him chanting his name as Ekadantaya Namaḥa (Single tusk bearer, I salute you) to remember his sacrifice and spontaneity with appreciation and devotion. Meaning of this pooja is to imbibe such nature and become successful persons in our career and life. Title: Ganapathy, the Super Conscious State ; Title: Do not think that Ganapathi is a form just created or a concept or a picture. No, it is not that. He is beyond all these. He lived physically and existentially like all of us and much better. He is Sarva Mangala, Sarva Kalyana, Sarvothaam Being. He is an expression of all auspiciousness, all the beautiful and superior qualities. Title: Ganapathi Dhyanam, Meditation on Ganapathi’s Energy: Title: Ganapathi Dhyana is meditating on Ganapathy, the energy of the Supreme Conscious state. It is meditating on His great qualities. It is meditating on all auspicious qualities and supreme values expressed in His form and energy. Title: Take a few minutes to look deeply into the form of Ganapathi, to meditate on it. Form is created to inspire us and to help us to imbibe the supreme qualities and divine message expressed through the form of the deity. Title: Look at the form of Ganapathi and establish it at your root chakra, the Mooladhara Chakra. Let your Mooladhara Chakra be bright with His form. Internalize His form completely. Meditate on him, on His form with Ankusha the technique of uncluching; Pasha the emotional balance; Sweet the fruit of life; and Tusk the spontaneity and dedication. Meditate on the form that is radiating joy, ecstasy and innocence at its supreme state. Title: Ganapathi Astothara Sathanamavali, 108 names of Ganapathi Title: This is chanting 108 names of Ganapathi. While chanting names of Ganapathi you can close your eyes and listen with deep connection with Him or you can open your eyes, looking at the form of Ganapathi and chant. It does not matter whether you open your eyes and chant or close your eyes and listen to the names of Ganapathi. What is important is how deeply you are connected to Him and to His Energy. A strong connection with His form is required to chant 108 names. Title: There are people who chant 108 or 1108 names of Gods and Goddesses every day. It is good, if they are connected to the name which they are chanting. But they chant at higher speed completely forgetting the name or the form of whose names they are Title: chanting. Subtitle: After two or three minutes they check the pages they have to complete. They look at them desperately. If they hold Japamala, they roll it at higher speed. Lips chant name with the same speed, Mala rolls and the mind will be wandering somewhere. During chanting all the pending work comes to the mind. Mind will be busy in preparing agenda of the work to be done after pooja. They prepare the list of orders to be dictated to others during the Japa. As soon as they drop mala they start giving instructions, "go there to bring that, why you didn't finish this work, go to the grocery shop get these ...and it goes on and on. This means that while chanting mantras or names they are completely involved in planning program of what they have to do after Japa. Title: NO. Subtitle: It should not be like that. This is not correct. While chanting names or manthra you and your being should be filled with that name and that form. After completing the chanting of names your whole being will be filled with the joy of that name and form. Your body and mind are filled with ecstasy. You radiate the joy of filling yourself with that form. Title: Now Subtitle: you do the chanting with total involvement. Your inner space should be filled with the form of Ganapathi. Form is created to inspire. The inspiration is a great push to your spiritual progress. Ganapathy's form teaches you the most essential skills for your success in the outer world and also inner world. Title: You Subtitle: need to have deep devotion. A deep devotion and its quality liberate you. Feel connected to Him. Your heart and your being need to be filled with Him. Your devotion and surrender should lead to the experience of Him. Your being should be completely immersed in Him. Do not get disturbed during chanting of 108 names of Ganapathy. Title: Meditate Subtitle: on the energy of Ganapathy, the symbol of cosmic energy. Meditate on the form which holds Ankusha, signifying the importance of unclutching, holding Pasha to show the greatness of balancing of emotions;on the other hand the tusk which remains us continuously the spontaneity and dedication and the sweet says how the life becomes a sweet if these three are in your control. Meditate on that form which is the personification of ecstasy and divine innocence. Surrender to that form and meditate. Surrender yourself to Him completely. Title: Let Subtitle: your whole being be filled with His form. Let your life be filled with His presence Let Ganapathi begin all your actions Let Him be the Lord of all your beginnings Let the Cosmic Spontaneity added to your life Let you have spontaneous visualization in your life Let the spontaneous Cosmic Energy make your life Blissful Let Ananda Ganapathy add Ananda, the Eternal Bliss to your life Title: Take Subtitle: time to establish His form in your inner space Feel connected to His energy Feel deep connection with Ganapathi Hold Ganapathi, the dhyana Ganapathi in your inner space. Title: 108 Subtitle: names of Ganapathi Title: Om Subtitle: Ananda Ganapatiye Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Vinayakaya Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Gowripriyaaya Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Vighna rajaya Namah Title: Om Subtitle: Ganeswaraya Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Skandagrajaya Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Avyaya Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Budhaya Namaha Title: Om Subtitle: Dkshaya Namaha

Title: Sutras are books that deal with techniques to reach the ultimate and experience the Bliss the ultimate state. Title: Stotras are another type of spiritual literature which expresses joy. Title: What is Stotra? Title: The person who had experienced the Truth, who had the glimpse of divine love, expresses his joy in the form of stotra. Stotra means expressing our devotion to God; to our Master. Expressing our deep love towards God is Sthotra. Title: Stotra is complete surrender to God. It is literature from the heart. It gives an emotional feeling. They are from the level of emotion, feeling and heart. When we have deep feeling we just express it. It just flows in the form of song, dance, poetry or simple expression of words of praise. Our whole being will be immersed and flowing with it, that is Stotra . Title: Goal of Stotra is God. They help us to surrender to God. The glory of the divine is expounded by Stotra . When we stand in front of God, in front of the deity we pour our heart out. All the songs of the great devotees such as Alvars, Nayanars, Meera, Chaithanya Mahaprabhu, Ramadas etc are stotra . While understanding stotras we should understand the spirit of stotra , which is the deep love and devotion of Bhaktas. Intellectuals and people with logic cannot understand stotras. They are beyond logic, language rules, grammar etc. Title: Questions and answers Title: Paramahamsa Nithyananda gives wonderful answers to ordinary questions and uncommon answers to very common questions. Some of such question answers are given below. Title: Dear Swamiji, I don't feel like chanting these Sthotras. Should I do it mechanically? Title: YES, DO IT. For one or two days you may feel it is a mechanical exercise. But I tell you that the moment you start enjoying the meaning, the moment you start understanding, it will become your feeling. Then you internalize it and it becomes your being. It becomes your feeling. It can be possible for those who work at their emotional level, because stotras are the literature of the heart and they have the capacity to melt you and merge you with the Divine. So start at least in a mechanical way and soon you become one with it. Title: Respected Swamiji, is it necessary to chant stotras only in Sanskrit? When I cannot understand what shall I do? Title: No need. stotras is an expression of your feeling, your emotions. But if you chant stotras in Sanskrit you derive another benefit, a byproduct of stotra because it is Sanskrit. Title: Sanskrit is not simply a language with linguistic importance. It has phonetic importance. This language is created to transmit a kind of vibration. That is why we are encouraged to chant Sanskrit mantras even if we do not understand its meaning. If you understand, it is good. You can feel connected. If you don't understand also, those vibrations work on you. They have a tremendous effect on your system. They transmit vibrations. Those vibrations penetrate into your being and start working, even if you don't understand it. Title: These sounds purify your body. The energy of sound, the energy of vibrations purifies your body. You never become tired even after chanting Sanskrit slokas or mantras for a long time because it adds energy to your system. This is not so with any other language. More you chant, your Shabdhathatva (vocal system) becomes more strengthened. It automatically recharges you with energy. It is like this; recharging the

Title: Some popular stotras of Ganapathi Title:

1. शुक्लाम्बरधरं विष्णुं शशिवर्णं चतुर्भुजम् । प्रसन्नवदनं ध्यायेत् सर्वविघ्नोपशान्तये ॥ Subtitle: śuklāmbaradharam viṣṇum śaśivarṇam caturbhujam . prasannavadanaṃ dhyāyet sarvavighnopaśāntaye Title:
2. अगजानन पद्मार्कं गजाननम् अहर्निशम् । अनेकदन्तं भक्तानाम् एकदन्तं उपास्महे Subtitle: agajāna padmārkaṃ gajānanam aharniśam anēka dam tam bhaktānām ēkadantam upāsmahē Title:
3. वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ । निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥ Subtitle: vakratuṇḍa mahākāya sūryakoṭi samaprabha nirvighnaṃ kuru me deva sarvakāryeṣu sarvadā Title:
4. Dhyayedgagananam devam thaptha kanchana sannibham Chathurbhujam mahakayam sarvabharana bhushetham Title:
5. एकदन्ताय विद्धमहे, वक्रतुण्डाय धीमहि, तन्नो दन्ति प्रचोदयात्॥ Subtitle: ekadantāya viddhamahe, vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi, tanno danti pracoodayāt. Title:
6. गणानां त्वा गणपतिं हवामहे कविं कवीनामुपमश्रवस्तमम् । ज्येष्ठराजं ब्रह्मणां ब्रह्मणस्पत आ नः शृण्वन्नूतिभिः सीद सादनम् ॥ Subtitle: gaṇānāṃ tvā gaṇapatim havāmahe kavim kavīnāmupamaśravastamam | jyeṣṭharājaṃ brahmaṇāṃ brahmaṇaspata ā naḥ śṛṇvannūtibhịḥ sīda sādanam ‖ Title: ā naḥ śṛṇvannūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam || Title:
7. ॐ हंसहंसाय विद्महे परमहंसाय धीमहि । तन्नो हंसः प्रचोदयात् ॥ Title: om haṁsa-hamsāya vidmahe paramahaṁsāya dhīmahi tan no hamsaḥ pracodayāt Title:
8. ध्ययेद्गजाननं देवमथ्पथ् कञ्चने सन्निभम् छथ्युभुजं महाकयम सर्वभरणम भुशिथम् Title: dhyayedgajanananam devamthapatha kancane sannibham chathurbhujam mahakayam sarvabharanam bhuśitham Title:
9. ॐ श्री आनन्द गनपथये नमह Title: Om śri ānanda anapathaye ṇamaha Title: Be Blissful Subtitle: Nithyanandam