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Part 1: The Origin and Spiritual Significance of Lord Gaṇeśa Oṁ Śrī Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ Bhakratuṇḍa Mahākāya Sūrya Koṭi Sama Prabha Nirvighinam Kurume Deva Sarvakārye Suśarvada Oṁ Śrī Sarasvatī Namaḥ Sarasvatī Namastu Bhyam Bharade Kāmarūpiṇī Vidyārambha Kareṣyāmi Siddhir Bhavatu Me Sadā. Oṁ Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Guru Brahmā, Guru Viṣṇu, Guru Devo Maheśvaraḥ. Guru Sākṣāt Paraṁ Brahma, Tasmai Śrī Guruve Namaḥ. Oṁ Asato mā Sadgamaya, Tamaso mā Jyotirgamaya, Mṛtyor mā Amṛtaṁ Gamaya. Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Om Śānti, Śānti, Śānti. We are in the final chapter of the Rudra Saṁhitā of the Śiva Purāṇa. In today’s session, we will reflect on the importance of the Śiva Purāṇa from the story of Gaṇeśa Jī up to our present life. How can we draw benefit from it? This is what we discuss. Wherever you may be, do not distance yourself from the nectar-like words, the Amṛtamayī Bāṇī, of the Śiva Purāṇa. I bow to you all. I welcome all of you, whether you are here in India or elsewhere, to this session on the Śiva Purāṇa. Please accept my greetings, Ācārya Rajan Sharma. Today we will explore the origin of Gaṇeśa, how we can implement the teachings of the Śiva Purāṇa, why Gaṇeśa needed a change of head, and the mystery behind it. What is Gaṇeśa’s spiritual meaning? We will explain all of this. Before we begin, let us perform the Gaṇeśa Vandana. Today’s topic is Gaṇeśa, and we worship Gaṇeśa—the wonderful God who blesses us by removing all obstacles. He is the energy, the God we invoke first. Hari Om. Oṁ Śrī Dīp Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān Kī Jaya, Śrī Deveśvara Mahādeva Kī Jaya, Śrī Mādhavānanda Jī Kṛṣṇa Gurudeva Kī Jaya, Viśvaguru Mahāmaṇḍaleśvara, Śrī Svāmī Maheśvarānanda Sakru Deva Kī Jaya. Oṁ Gaurī Putra Vidmahe, Bighna Nāśāya Dhīmahi, Tanno Ganeśa Pracodayāt. Hari Oṁ Tat Sat. We bow our heads at the lotus feet of Lord Gaṇeśa and continue with today’s Śiva Purāṇa. Before entering today’s topic, I would like to say that Lord Gaṇeśa is perhaps the world’s most popular deity. His idols are found all over the world—not only for worship but also for decoration. Whether in Australia, America, or elsewhere, Gaṇapati Mahārāj is known to Sanātanīs and non-Sanātanīs alike. Everyone knows the story: how Gaṇapati Mahārāj was born, how he got married, why he has an elephant’s head, and its spiritual effect. Yet what is the importance of Gaṇapati Mahārāj in our present life? How can we make our lives blessed and attain the four fruits of life—dharma, artha, kāma, and mokṣa—by pleasing Lord Gaṇapati Mahārāj? This story unfolds in the Śiva Purāṇa. Nārada Muni asks Brahmājī, and Brahmā explains. It comes from the Rudra Saṁhitā, chapters 9 through 20—an amazing story. Jai Boli Ganapati Maharaj Kī! In this Śiva Purāṇa, I am going to explain about Gaṇeśa today. Everyone knows Gaṇeśa—even non-Sanātanīs, even those not connected to Hinduism. Wherever I go in the world, I find Gaṇeśa’s pictures, statues, and idols. Not only for worship, but even as decoration. In Western gardens, at entrances, Gaṇeśa is present. So Gaṇeśa has gained great value. All of human society is widely accepting. That is an amazing picture. Mahāprabhujī Karatā Mahāprabhujī Karatā Mahāprabhujī Karatā... Spirituality is about remaining happy. First of all, do you know Gaṇeśa’s full form? Have you heard about it? No? Gaṇeśa, when you speak of God, the first letter is G. And Gaṇeśa also starts with G. So He is God. God is the never-ending spiritual happiness for you. Mahāprabhujī Karatā He Kevalam, Mahāprabhujī Karatā He Kevalam. Lord of the group, lord of the team—the team of the divine gods. And He is the president of all the gods. That is Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa is the president and team leader. That is why everywhere, before starting any prayer, Gaṇeśa is worshipped first. He is the first God to be worshipped, even when Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Maheśa are present, even though Śiva is his father and Pārvatī his mother. Still, Gaṇeśa comes first. Thus, in all Purāṇas and scriptures, the first thing is “Śrī Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ.” Gaṇeśa is worshipped first, and then you begin. How does that come about? It has been researched. When you chant that word first, that sentence, it provides a good opening, brings good energy. That is why Gaṇeśa is there. Om Śrī Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ. Gaṇeśa is such a word that before starting any work, when one is very careful, they begin with “Om Śrī Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ.” Then they receive the real energy to move forward easily. Therefore, Gaṇeśa is Gaṇa Īśvara—the lord of the gaṇas, the commander of the divine hosts. And a leader should be inspiring. The one who inspires, who moves others forward, is remembered. So everyone can progress. The leader must be an inspirer. Remember that inspirer first, before opening your eyes: Oṁ Śrī Gaṇeśāya Namaḥ. That is the first mantra. And what is the Gāyatrī mantra of Gaṇeśa? “Oṃ Gaurī Putrāya Vidyāmahe Bighnanāśāya Dhīmahi Tanno Gaṇeśaḥ Prachodayāt.” Every god and goddess has a version of the Gāyatrī mantra. Gaṇeśa is one of them. Here is the amazing story. I have researched how many Purāṇas mention Gaṇeśa. More than seven Purāṇas speak of Gaṇeśa’s origin—the Mūḍga Purāṇa, the Iskandar Purāṇa, the Śiva Purāṇa, the Matsya Purāṇa, and the Brahmavaivarta Purāṇa. Thus various Purāṇas explain the origin of Gaṇeśa, though the stories differ slightly. In the Śiva Purāṇa, the account is mostly similar, but some details are added or omitted in other Purāṇas. Since we are studying the Śiva Purāṇa, I will speak in detail about how Gaṇeśa originated as told here. Most of you already know the story. It is said that Gaṇeśa came from Pārvatī. Pārvatī is the daughter of the mountain, Himalaya. She gave birth to Gaṇeśa, though the story does not mention both parents. While Pārvatī was staying with her friends, Jayā and Vijayā—her very close friends—they advised her. Śiva has many armies, the Śiva Gaṇas, and many supporters and assistants. “But what about us?” Jayā and Vijayā said. Pārvatī replied, “Well, that is a good idea. I have been thinking about it.” So, let us create something when the right time comes. Once, while Pārvatī was bathing with her friends, Mahādeva arrived. This did not seem proper to Pārvatī. She thought, “If I had a gatekeeper, no one could enter while I am doing private things or preparing.” So she told Mahādeva, “Please go out for a while.” When Mahādeva left, she created a being from the dust of her own body. He was Sarvāṅga Sundara—beautiful from head to toe. When God desires something beautiful, it appears. A handsome person emerged and saluted her: “O Mother, thank you for bringing me into existence. Please order me. What is my duty? I am ready to obey and follow.” Pārvatī said, “You are a wonderful person. I bless you. You are very powerful. Stay at the gate. Without my permission, do not allow anyone to enter. Do only what I order. Listen to no one but me. I created you because I needed someone, and you shall stay outside. Whenever I call, without my permission, do nothing else.” Thus Lord Gaṇeśa came into being. When Pārvatī, Jayā, and Vijayā were present, she thought there should be someone for her. Śiva had his gaṇas, but no one was there to help her specifically. So, on the advice of Jayā and Vijayā, Queen Pārvatī brought forth a beautiful son from her own body and instructed him: “Go and sit at the door. Do not allow anyone to enter without my permission.” She gave him blessings and strength, and told him to stand guard outside. This is how Lord Gaṇeśa arose. Jai Bholī Gaṇeśa Mahārāj Kī Jai Hari Om. After that, he began to work as a safeguard, a bodyguard at the gate. He would ask Pārvatī before allowing anyone to enter. Only with her permission would he let them pass. He was a good guard. In the meantime, Śiva, with his divine vision—Divya Dṛṣṭi—could see from afar. This is one of the Kalās, the divine arts. Just as Kṛṣṇa had sixteen Kalās, Śiva also possessed such divine knowledge and perception. Śiva noticed, “Oh, there is someone new; something is going on.” Wanting to enact his divine play, līlā, he came with all the Śiva Gaṇas—just as here, many sants, mahātmās, and gurus travel with attendants. Someone carries sandals, someone a camera, someone water, someone an umbrella. With a large group, Śiva arrived. Among them was his chief minister, Nandī. They wanted to enter Pārvatī’s place. The young man—still unnamed, not yet Gaṇeśa—blocked Śivajī. “You are not allowed to enter without my mother’s permission!” Mahādeva said, “Who are you? You don’t even know me?” The boy replied, “No matter who you are, I need my mother’s permission. That is my duty.” The Śiva Gaṇas urged, “You must allow Him. He is Śiva.” But the boy refused. He contacted Pārvatī, who was unaware that Śiva was coming. She ordered, “No matter who comes, while I am bathing, stop everyone.” So he barred the Śiva Gaṇas, and a fight broke out. Blessed by Pārvatī, the handsome boy defeated all the Śiva Gaṇas, and the situation became terrible. Then Śiva himself arrived. “Oh, my Gaṇas, you could not defeat this man? Who is he?” He approached and asked, “Are you sure you won’t let me enter? I am Śiva.” The boy replied, “No, whoever you are, my mother told me to block everyone until she says otherwise.” The fight resumed, and after a long struggle, Mahādeva finally cut off his head with his trident, triśūla. The boy was very powerful and brave, so it was not an easy victory. When the news reached inside, Pārvatī was devastated: “Oh my God, my son, my beautiful son! He was killed by Śiva!” She came out and began to cry. “O Śiva, what have you done? He is my son. I ordered him to block anyone; he did not know you are his father, he did not know you are Śiva. He is innocent. Why did you kill him without asking me?” She wept, and not only Pārvatī but all her friends and circle became deeply unhappy. When half the world is in sorrow, the other half cannot flourish. Pārvatī represents feminine energy. When that energy is distressed, masculine energy cannot function. So all of creation was halted. The gods became worried. A conflict arose between Śiva and Pārvatī. Somebody needed to mediate. Everyone went to Pārvatī: “O Mother Pārvatī, please forgive Mahādeva. He too was innocent; he did not know.” But she said, “No, I cannot. He was my most handsome son, my bodyguard. He should have asked me. I am so unhappy.” Everyone tried to convince her, but no one could. She said, “I need my son back. Without him, I cannot be happy.” Then Viṣṇu and other gods came and said, “O Mother, whatever you want, we will convey to Mahādeva.” Viṣṇu acted as the mediator. Pārvatī stated, “I want my son back. If you can do that, I shall be happy.” Viṣṇu went to Mahādeva and said, “Mahādeva, please do something. Without your grace, Pārvatī will not be happy. She needs her son back.” All the gods and goddesses requested him. It is well known that Mahādeva is the embodiment of blessings. Whatever he wishes, happens. He had once restored Kāmadeva to life, and similarly Dakṣa Prajāpati and others. He can bring life to the dead. So he decided to appease her. Śiva said, “Everyone, go to the north direction.” Why north? Not east, south, or west—only north. He ordered, “Bring the head of any living being you find there. We will fix it.” Thus, after a great conflict and fight, the boy (Gaṇeśa-to-be) blocked them. Because of that, the Śiva Gaṇas fell. The boy was very strong, and then Mahādeva arrived. After a long battle, Mahādeva severed the boy’s head. Following this, Pārvatī was filled with immense sorrow. Half is Prakṛti, nature, and half is Puruṣa, spirit. When Prakṛti becomes sorrowful, what can Puruṣa do? The feminine power becomes bowed down; the masculine power cannot advance. That is depicted here. Mother Pārvatī remained in grief. Later, when everyone entreated her to be pleased—otherwise there would be destruction—she laid down a condition: “If Gaṇeśa jī is brought back to life, then I shall be happy; otherwise not.” The gods went to Mahādeva. After that, what did he do? Mahādeva revived the boy for her. When Gaṇeśa jī would become alive again, Pārvatī would be happy. To make Pārvatī happy, Mahādeva said, “Go to the north direction and bring the head of any living being.” So here the situation arises. Everyone knows the story, but why did Mahādeva send them to the north? Why north for Gaṇeśa’s head? There is a scientific reason behind it. And what does Gaṇeśa symbolize? We will explain that in detail, so that we may gain more energy in our spiritual life. So, everyone went north and began searching for a beautiful head. Just then, an elephant came walking. “Oh, this is a beautiful animal with a great head,” they thought. But what to do? The order from Mahādeva was to bring any head; the boy needed a head. So they cut off the elephant’s head and brought it to Śivajī. Śiva blessed it and joined it, performing a kind of divine plastic surgery. Thus, Gaṇeśa received an elephant’s head. Slowly, the boy began to smile. His lower body was human, and his upper body was that of an elephant—an amazing sight! Even children love the story: “Such a nice idea!” Even if the full story isn’t known, children in school love Gaṇeśa because he has big ears, a long trunk, and a beautiful human body. Gaṇeśa was happy, and Pārvatī was also happy—but not fully. She had more conditions. “That is not enough,” she said. “He needs to receive blessings. He must be a king, the leader of all gods. Please bless him that, before Mahādeva, before Viṣṇu, before Brahmā, he is worshipped first. He deserves that. If you grant this, and he becomes the lord of all teams, the leader, then I shall be truly happy.” Mahādeva blessed, “Tathāstu—so be it.” From that day, Gaṇeśa became Gaṇapati, for “Gaṇa” means the team, and “Pati” means the lord. Thus he became the leader. Part 2: The Divine Symbolism of Gaṇeśa and the Path of Devotion So he became the president of the Gaṇas, and from that day, his naming took place: Gaṇapati, Gaṇeśa. That is why we say, "Jai Jai Gaṇeśa." Thus, Gaṇeśa Bhagavān began his role from that day onward, receiving many blessings from Pārvatī. She declared, "Gaṇeśa, you will be a wonderfully wise being." Mahādeva also blessed him, saying, "O Gaṇeśa, you are the blessed one, and I bless you. You are the leader, and without your worship, no prayer or ritual will bear fruit. If anyone begins any worship without first invoking you, it will not be fruitful. This boon I grant you." Therefore, from that time, every worship or rite begins with Gaṇeśa or Gaṇapati, regardless of which Devatā you are praying to. Even in the Pañcadevatā, the five principal deities, this order is described in various scriptures and has been researched extensively. Whenever anyone offers prayers or worship, Gaṇeśa comes first. This is why, even today, when you start a business or a project, people ask, "Did you do Śrī Gaṇeśa?" That is, "Śrī Gaṇeśa āyānam, kar liyā kī nahī̃? Aisā bolte haĩ." Meaning, have you completed the auspicious beginning? Now, regarding this, the Śivapurāṇa contains extensive research on why Gaṇapati Mahārāj received an elephant’s head, and why the search had to be in the Uttar Diśā, the northern direction, by the order of Śrī Mahādeva. It is said that when the head of Gaṇapati Mahārāj was cut, it was Pārvatī Jī’s request that he should always remain the foremost among the Gaṇas. Additionally, his pūjā was to be the first in every instance. An elephant’s head was placed onto the severed body. The original head had been lost, but an elephant was found in the Uttar Diśā, and the Śivagaṇas retrieved its head. After the head was attached, and according to Pārvatījī’s request, he became the leader of the Gaṇas. We have done considerable research, and numerous stories surround this event. What is the meaning behind the rat? How can such a huge Gaṇeśa sit on a rat? The rat would be crushed, but it is symbolic. This is why we must not interpret the stories of the Śāstras literally; knowing the story alone does not make one a scholar. Śaṅkarācārya Jī states in the Vivekacūḍāmaṇi, "śabda jālaṁ mahāraṇyaṁ, cittra bhramaṇa kārakaṁ." And what does this mean? "Śabda jāl se to kyā hotā hai? Cittra ghūmte rahte haĩ, aur satya ke nazdīk jānā nahīṁ detā hai." The web of words merely makes the mind wander and prevents one from approaching the truth. Therefore, what is conveyed here is the truth that our mind is very fickle, much like a mouse. The one who controls the mouse—that is, the one who controls the fickle mind—is Gaṇeśa, whose vehicle is the mouse. Why a mouse? Why not a Mercedes, a limousine, or a BMW? He has a great belly and a long trunk; how could he possibly ride a rat? If Gaṇeśa sat on a rat, it would be squashed like a baked sandwich. This is why the story is symbolic. Our mind is like a mouse—restless, constantly darting here and there. The mouse never rests; it scurries day and night. Similarly, our mind is highly active: "cañcalahi manaḥ." In the Bhagavad Gītā, Arjuna also said, "cañcalahi manaḥ," the mind is flickering and unstable. Who can control that instability? The yogī, the devotee of Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa is the entity who can control the mind. If you control the mind, you gain power; without control, you have none. This is purely symbolic. That is why we must grasp the deeper meaning of every indication. Gaṇeśa sits upon a mouse—meaning he conquers all instability, anxiety, fear, and stress of the mind. Whatever negativity arises, Gaṇapati, the wise one, subdues it. A wise person focuses. In philosophy, it is said that a wise individual continuously creates fresh philosophy for the new generation, bringing forth new ideas. The moderate person follows sound philosophy, while the inferior merely backbites, talking about others without contributing anything new. Such a person always gossips because they lack original ideas or a great mind. Gaṇeśa controls all such minds; he is a wonderful being. To illustrate: if you fill a balloon with water and make many holes, the water squirts out in all directions without any real force. But if you make only one hole, the water streams out powerfully. Similarly, if you go outside with a magnifying glass and try to ignite something with scattered, unfocused light, even after an hour nothing will happen. Yet when you concentrate that light intensely, fire appears in an instant. The mind works in the same way. If you focus on something, you achieve it. In a hospital, when a doctor takes your blood and tells you to take a deep breath, what is the connection between breathing and blood? There is none. Yet the doctor wants to distract you; if you focus on the needle, you will feel more pain. By deep breathing, your mind shifts to the breath, and the pain lessens. Likewise, when you focus on something in life, you forget everything else and pain vanishes. If your mind is a monkey-mind, constantly recalling your house, mortgage, bills, career, job, and health—that is the symptom of a restless mind. Gaṇeśa symbolically represents the defeater of such a mind, the focused mind. That is why Gaṇeśa is wise. Not only Gaṇeśa, but there is a deeper mystery in Sanātana Dharma regarding the vehicles of all gods and goddesses. You know that every deity has a vehicle, usually an animal. Look at Śiva, the great lord we mention in the Śivapurāṇa: his vehicle is a bull. Why doesn’t he have a Puṣpaka Vimāna or any other magnificent conveyance? He can create anything. Why does he ride a simple, ordinary bull? Durgā rides a tiger—why no other animal? Viṣṇu’s vehicle is Garuḍa, the king of birds. The message is that every human being possesses two qualities: animal quality and divine quality. Unless you transcend the animal quality, you cannot become divine. All gods and goddesses have overcome their animal tendencies. No matter the circumstances, they do not react like animals; that is why those tendencies were conquered. Durgā, for instance, is a woman. It is often said that a woman can be the most powerful, most dangerous, and yet the most supportive. The arrogance or violence of femininity, she shed, and thus became Durgā. She is never swayed by such lower impulses; she always maintains her equilibrium, riding above those senses and emotions—hence she is Durgā. Similarly, Mahādeva. The moment an opportunity arises, a human often reverts to animalistic behavior. You see it in the news: theft, robbery, cheating, rape, abuse—so many things occur, even among so-called intellectuals. They cannot give up animal qualities when the chance presents itself. But Śiva remains free from that. Whatever the opportunity, he remains steadfast. If you found a bag containing a million dollars, left unattended outside, you might not care if you possess a higher nature. But with an animalistic mentality, you might grab hammers and tools to seize it. Those who defeat the animal quality follow the divine quality. That is why, throughout Sanātana Dharma, all gods and goddesses have their distinctive vehicles. We need to understand it in this manner. Thus, Gaṇeśa also has a rat as his vehicle. This is how we should perceive it. The meaning is that they have risen above the citta, the conditioned mind. You may see great people in the world, yet news of violence and theft from prominent individuals still emerges. But true humanity—the most dangerous animal, yet the one that can transcend animality—is revealed through the Bhāgavata Tattva. To unveil this, our scriptures present these stories. We listen to the tales, but the nectar hidden within, the essence, must be discovered and brought forth into today’s world to establish a new lineage. That is our duty; otherwise, we simply end up telling stories. "To kathā sun liyā bhī hai, nay pushtā koī bhī." —you may have heard the story, but there is no real foundation. Now, the Śivapurāṇa also discusses how we can worship Gaṇeśa. It says Gaṇeśa can be worshipped with dūrvā. Do you know dūrvā grass? Dūrvā is a type of grass that always spreads. It is an ancient plant, extending from era to era; it never finishes. Dinosaurs came and disappeared, many flora and fauna flourished and vanished, but this plant has remained from Satya Yuga, Tretā Yuga, Dvāpara Yuga to Kali Yuga. It has a long history and spreads its branches rapidly. If you plant it in a flower pot or anywhere else, you need no water or fertilizer; it simply spreads on its own. Not only that, it has remarkable medicinal qualities. If you make a juice of dūrvā with papaya and watermelon, it enhances fertility. Those wanting to conceive, or who have difficulties having children, can take this juice. It increases sperm count and aids in conception, according to Āyurveda. So it is a very medicinal plant. Our ṛṣis wisely linked it with the deity so that people would use it generation after generation and receive the benefits. If you merely tell someone that dūrvā is a medicine, they might forget. But by connecting it to Gaṇeśa, they will bring it and offer it. And because it is prasāda, we consume it as part of the tradition. There is another story behind why Gaṇeśa is worshipped with dūrvā and why he likes it. Different Purāṇas give varying accounts, but the Śivapurāṇa only mentions offering dūrvā without explaining the reason. The Skanda Purāṇa, however, provides a narrative. As I mentioned earlier, Gaṇeśa was once invited to dinner at whose house? Do you remember? Kubera’s. Kubera wanted to show off and invited Śrī Pārvatī to a feast. During the meal, Gaṇeśa ate everything as part of his līlā. Finally, Kubera fled, utterly unable to satisfy him. Gaṇeśa continued eating and eventually went to the home of a poor person. The poor man had hardly any food, and Kubera, desperate, asked him, "Do you have anything to feed Gaṇeśa? I am in great trouble." The poor man replied, "You cannot satisfy Gaṇeśa with rice, pudding, or desserts. He will be satisfied with only one thing." Though poor, the man knew the secret. Kubera pleaded, "Please tell me that formula; I must feed Gaṇeśa." The answer was dūrvā. If you offer just a little dūrvā, Gaṇeśa will be happy. The poor man gave a bunch of dūrvā grass to Kubera, who then presented it to Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa was overjoyed. This is the origin of the tradition of offering dūrvā. So wherever you worship Gaṇeśa, offering dūrvā with a mantra is auspicious. If you do not have a mantra, you can simply offer with whatever words you know, because "bhāvahi deva vidyate"—the deity resides in your feeling. The divine God is present in your emotions. If your feelings are absent, no matter how much you chant, it is empty. You may keep repeating "Nārāyaṇa, Nārāyaṇa," but that alone is not enough. God does not need any specific language. He is Sarva Jñānī, Sarva Kālika—all-knowing and timeless. He understands any language, especially the language of the heart. He needs no verbal language; he understands intention. So what is your intention? A person always acts with intention, and God looks at that intention. Therefore, whatever language you use, do not worry. If you do not know Sanskrit, simply say in your own words, "Oh Gaṇeśa, I would like to offer this dūrvā. Please accept it." He will accept it. He will not demand to know Sanskrit. That is why feeling—bhāva—is essential. In the Rāmāyaṇa, Śabarī, an illiterate woman with no knowledge of mantras, could appease Rāma. He came to her because of her immense devotion. She even offered fruits that she had already tasted, half-eaten, but Rāma was so pleased because her devotion was pure. There is a well-known story: Two people died. One had been a prostitute throughout life, and the other had always performed worship and pūjā. When their souls went for judgment, the prostitute was sent to heaven while the devout worshipper was sent to hell. The worshipper complained, "They committed prostitution all their life and deserve hell, while I always worshipped God. I should go to heaven. How can this be? Perhaps there is a mistake." The reply came, "No mistake has been made. We checked thoroughly. Even though you were outwardly worshipping, your mind was always elsewhere—thinking of worldly things. Your mind was with those objects, not with God. So in reality, you were worshipping those things, no matter what you performed outwardly. As for them, their actions were out of compulsion, but their mind was always with God. God always sees intention, not merely what you do or say. Therefore, you are destined for hell." So, what you do is important, but your intention is paramount. God checks your intention, not your color, caste, nationality, or language. Bhagavān always tests your intentions, not your external actions. This is also why we offer dūrvā juice mixed with papaya to Gaṇeśa Bhagavān. It increases the power of growth, the power of vīrya, and the ability to produce children. In the story of Kubera, Gaṇeśa was not satisfied until the poor man gave dūrvā grass, which finally made him happy. There is always a reason behind every offering—why we give dūrvā, sindūr, akṣata, and so on. Ultimately, whatever you offer to Bhagavān, offer it with devotion. There is no need for a specific language; use any language. Bhagavān sees the mind and feelings. He does not merely look at what you do; he sees your inner state. That is why this story is so significant. There was once a sage who lived on the shore of the sea, constantly engaged in dhyāna, pūjā, and pāṭh with great fervor. On the riverbank stood a temple where people gathered, and nearby was a brothel. The sage performed his worship daily, but one day he began thinking, "What am I doing? I have no money, while the people working in the temple and the visitors have wealth and business." Day after day his mind wandered to such thoughts. Meanwhile, the people of the brothel would say, "That is a very pious and pure sādhu, always engaged in dharma." The sage’s mind was caught between his outward actions and inner desires. One does one thing, but the mind is elsewhere. One day, a sudden calamity occurred, and a great mountain collapsed... (The narrative here is incomplete in the original transcript, but the point is clear: it is the mind and intention that truly matter.) Part 3: Worship of Gaṇeśa: From Ritual to Inner Realization So after that, both the houses also fell. So what did both the people do? The people of Veśayālaya went towards heaven, and the sādhu went towards hell. Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, Siddha Pīṭha Karatā Mahāprabhujī. Karatā koī bhī cīja, hum kyā hai ki bhakti bhāva se kare, to Bhagavān prasanna ho jātā hai. Jaya Bhūleśī aura Rāmacandra kī, Gaṇapati Mahārāja kī, Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara kī. Gaṇeśa Bhagavān ko vandana kare, thoda deṅ so now chant: Gaṇeśa: Jaya Gaṇeśa, Jaya Gaṇeśa, Jaya Gaṇeśa Deva... Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa Deva Mātā Jākī Pārvatī Pitā Mahādeva Eka Danta Dayā Banta Cāra Bhujā Dhārī Māthe Sindūra Soye Mūse Kī Savārī Māthe Sindūra Soye Mūse Kī Savārī Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa Deva Mātā Jākī Pārvatī Pitā Mahādeva Mātā jākī Pārvatī, pitā Mahādeva, phūl caḍhe, pān caḍhe, aura caḍhe mevā. Phūl caḍhe, pān caḍhe, aura caḍhe mevā, laḍḍū kā bhog lāge, sant kare sevā. Laḍḍū kā bhog lāge, sant kare sevā. Jaya Gaṇeśa, Jaya Gaṇeśa, Jaya Gaṇeśa Devā, Mātā jākī Pārvatī, pitā Mahādeva. Andan ko ākha deta, koḍī ko kāya. Andan ko ākha deta, koḍī ko kāya. Bhajan ko putra deth nirdhan ko māyā, bhajan ko putra deth nirdhan ko māyā. Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa Deva, Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa Deva. Mātā jākī Pārvatī, pīṭā Mahādeva. Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa, Jai Gaṇeśa Deva. Mātā Jākī Pārvatī Pīṭha Mahādeva Bhagavān kā caritra āpne upar lekar āne ke liye kamī hai, isliye kyā hai ki caritra ko pūjo. Kabīr bolte hai, “Āṅkhe kholo, āṅkhe hone vāle andhe.” Isliye kyā hai ki āṅkh to hai, lekin andhe hai. Ham āṅkh khol lījiye citra ke liye nahīṁ, caritra ke liye pūje. Aap aina hai, na? Aina sīse ke āge khaṛā hote hai, mirror ke āge, lekin jo aina mein aapko chitra nahīṁ, charitra dikhāī detā. To aaphe śiva citra dikhāī detā hai. So that’s why you come forward for beauty, but the character is not seen in the mirror. So that’s why you change the character, not the picture. If you don’t change the picture, change the character. That is the spiritual meaning of this. He is asking, he has got a lot of questions and queries about Gaṇeśa. And Brahmā is the initiator; he knows everything. And he is telling Narada the knowledge. So, the knowledge is passed down from grandfather to father, father to son and daughter, like this, generation to generation. And here, Brahmā said, “Well, Gaṇeśa, to Apsaras Gaṇeśa, you can do that three types of prayer.” One is Pañca Pāchāṛ. Pañca Pācar means offering the prayer with five ingredients. And the second is ten ingredients, daśo pachār. And third is the ṣoḍaśopacāra, the sixteen items you can offer. According to your time, availability, and your access. If you are away and you don’t have anything, you don’t have a variety of things, that full basket of pūjā sāmagrī, if you don’t have it, don’t worry. Gaṇeśa is easy to appease with five items as well. And what are the five items? That is water. The first thing is water, which is mostly available, and God has given it. So that’s why bathing, for bathing and giving water. And Pādhyam, Candanam, Puṣpam. So that means, like, pādhyam, then you can offer with pañcāmṛta, and also the holy water or Gaṅgā water you can offer. And the flower, everywhere you have got the flowers, you can offer with the flowers. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā… Courage. A leader needs to have courage. So, if you remember Hitler, Hitler did not have a very good reputation, but he had one trick for how to lead people. He used to remember the names of his thousands of soldiers by heart, and he would call, “Oh, that Peter,” “Oh, the Jim,” “Oh, the Brad.” So he wants to take the name. So when somebody takes your name, that means somebody is paying close attention. So that’s why the attention, paying attention. So that’s why concentration is one of the wonderful qualities of a leader. And also the sindūr, the red things in the color therapy, that also gives confidence. In astrology also, if your planet Sun is weak, if your planet Mars is weak, you have got weak power, willpower. And you have got no confidence. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam, Mahāprabhudīp Karatā, Mahāprabhudīp Karatā He Kevalam, Purī Jī, Purī Jī… So, in the same way, the sindūr, the color therapy, the red therapy, gives the brave things. And the Purāṇa says the different things in Brahmā. One time he produced the red boys, and the boys were intelligent and finally connected with Gaṇeśa. The story goes like that, but here the sindūr is favorite. And it says, like the fruit, in Pañcopacāra you can offer water. You can offer Pañcāmṛta. If not Pañcāmṛta, the holy water. Mahāprabhujī kā ratā, Mahāprabhujī kā ratā, he kevalam. Every God is that which can be worshipped with fruit and food. That’s in the mantra. If you do the prayer to Gaṇeśa: Gajanam Bhut Gana Dijgam Sambutam Kapith Jambu Phalacharu Vakshanam. Kapith Jambu Phalacharu Vakshanam. Phalacharu means the fruits of four. Vakṣaṇam, so he can offer you the four fruits. That is Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa: the Dharma, the duty. Artha, the blessings of prosperity; Kama, that’s desire, the mentality and prosperity; and Moksha is the liberation, salvation. The four goals that the Sanātana Dharma, we are doing those four goals. The goddess can be offered, grand. The food indicates also that there are the four karmic rules, and similarly, why we give the flowers, so that has been researched. The Sivapura doesn’t talk, but I would like to talk about the research, whatever they are doing in spirituality. The fruits, the flowers are also one of the guru. The flower is guru. If you can take lessons, you will have many lessons from many people. Even from a dog, even from a mosquito, even from the many flies, you can take lessons from them. That can be your guru. And the flower says, like one of the vital gurus, the true guru. Because the flower is temporary. It has a very short life. And the shortest short life is its beauty. That’s why we don’t offer the stone. We choose a flower because a stone can remain forever, I mean for a longer time. But the flower that goes quickly, if you like, look at this. You gave this flower this morning, you garlanded me. Mahāprabhujī karatā he kevalam permanency of life. So that’s why the flower we’re offering every time. And the flower is also the most beautiful creation of this universe. So that’s why, a flower. So we know, what are the five pañcopacār? Vacha, pañcāmṛta, sindūra, fruits, and flowers, so we can offer. If you don’t have anything, if you go on a pilgrimage, you can worship. And Pārvatījī worshipped just with sand. If you don’t have anything, then just say “Namo Namaha.” And what will happen if you want to start something, beginnings, and you are in a bus, you are driving, you are in a train, or you are in a car. And it says, like, you don’t even need those five things. You don’t need even a mantra. You don’t need to chant if you don’t like. But you can remember, and that is saying that Manasā Parikalpya. Manasā parikalpya ahaṁ pūjā karise. That means in Sanskrit, “Manasā parikalpya ahaṁ pūjā karise.” That means, “I will worship you mentally.” Just remember, Gaṇeśa is there. You offer the holy water, you offer the ṭīkā, you offer the fruits and flowers, and you just bathe and give the incense. Just remember, that’s why it is saying that it is not necessary also, if you don’t have. So it doesn’t mean that you always do that mental prayer. But if you are, if there is lacking the prayer, no, there is no prayer stuff, you can do mental prayer. That is called Mānasā Parikalpyam. That is a mantra as well. Ahaṃ manasā parikalpyaṃ bhujaṃ karise. So it’s a mental prayer, a mānasika prayer. So you can do it. And in the tenth prayer, Daśopacāra, how can you do it in Daśopacāra? Are there certain types of ingredients you can add? Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Mahāprabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhudīp Karatā Siddhārtha Prabhu Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, Siddha Pīṭha Karatā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā He Kevalam. The structure is not important. The image is not important. Yes, it is important for those who want to go through the saguṇa first. But later on, if you are already elevated, then you can uplift. That is yogī dhāve param padam. The world runs to temples. The yogī runs to the supreme state. This means that, like other people, he has a long queue in the temple, and he stays there, and still there is a lot of sorrow and pain. But the yogī meditates there, and you will find everything inside. Yogī Dhave Paramparā, Paramparā that means the supreme God’s lotus feet. So that’s the great master’s positions that we can do. Here also the Śrī Purāṇa talks about how to worship Gaṇeśa. Obviously, there are a variety of stages of prayer that you can offer. Pañco Pāchar, Dāso Pāchar, and Sodoso Pāchar, and mānasik prayers, so that you can do these Gaṇeśa things. And also, it says that from that time, people started to worship Gaṇeśa. And Gaṇeśa is one of the protectors. And what is the scientific reason to pray to Gaṇeśa? Obviously, there is a vibrational mantra activation, so when you say “Gaṇeśa, Oṁ Gaṁ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ, Oṁ Gaṁ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ,” that’s phonetically what gives the vibration that is starting something. If there is some blocking energy, it will go away. Like if you throw a stone in the water, what will happen? If your phone is dirty also, because of the wave, that makes it clear. In the same way, you are throwing the flower in the water, and the water makes the wave, and the wave makes the clear and clarity, and you will have the clear water over there. So in that way, Oṁ Gaṁ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ, that’s a vibrational activation. The science also researches that praying to Gaṇeśa is good, and chanting the Gaṇeśa mantra first is good. And now, can you chant a couple of times, “Oṁ Gaṁ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ,” together. Oṁ Gaṁ Gadā Pataye Namaḥ Oṁ Gaṁ Gadā Pataye Namaḥ Oṁ Gaṁ Gadā Pataye Namaha… Oṃ Gaṃ Gaṇapataye Namaḥ. Feel the vibration while you chant that creates the amazing vibrational energy. That energy reflects the auspiciousness to start anything, any beginning. But the proper chanting is not Ganapata E, it’s Ya. Ya makes us phonetically bending our head. Gaṇapati Ya. Ya means you need to bend, that means, like bowing towards the statue. In the same way, every verse is designed to bow your head. Om Govinda Ya Namāha, Om Nārāyaṇa Ya Namāha, Om Śiva Ya Namāha. Ya is the design, that phonetic symbol, to bending your head towards your heart center, Anāhata Cakra. That shows that connecting with the Anāhata Cakra and Ājñā Cakra activates your throat center. So that’s the mantra, the scientific meaning of why we chant “Oṁ Gaṁ Gadā Pataimai Namaḥ.” So, for worshiping God, in Śrīpurāṇa, all kinds of remedies have been told, like Daśopacāra, Pañcopacāra, and Ṣoḍaśopacāra. In Pañcopacāra, we worship with five things, so we know, but why do we offer fruits in five things? Why do we offer flowers? Why do we offer water? What is the cause of that? If we offer it knowingly, then it is more beneficial. Isle panī se, jo panī bhī specially, aur Gaṅgā kā panī, aur vo bhī śuddha panī hai, to usse nahalena ki mūrtiyā śrīp nahī hai, ki hamāre man mastiṣk ko emotion ko door kar detā hai. So by doing this, you give fruits. Fruit means that our karma is fruit. If you do good karma, you will get good fruit. If you do bad karma, you will get bad fruit. So it is fruit. That is why this fruit is also in the Cāru Bhakṣaṇa Mantra. So what is a flower? A flower is also a guru. A flower comes in the morning and dies in the evening. It is tied. In this way, if you have a small life in flowers, then only a small life is the beauty of flowers. And while planting flowers, a person should know that maybe one day I am going to die. So that he knows, that’s why he plants flowers. In this way, you have the solution of everything, so now this is of 554. And in 1054 and 654, you will sit in the ashram of kuśa grass. So what is the meaning of kuśa? Kush is a kind of medicinal plant, the kush grass, which is more important than ether, so we keep the ether there and worship it so that our devotion does not catch the earthing power. So we make the ring of the kush grass before the worship. And sit in the kuśa āsana. The meaning of sitting in the kuśa āsana is that the earthing power does not disrupt us. We disconnect and become a complete devotee. Purījī, Purījī… So, there is an incident: when in Australia, a spiritual session was told about Khus grass, then after that, Muslims, Hindus, Sikhs, and Christians, all of them started to keep Khus in their homes. So, whoever keeps khus in their homes, then that thunder stone, which gets away from Chhattang, because it works as a radiation kishan, so by doing this, everything is told. Here in the Śivapurāṇa also, how to worship Lord Gaṇeśa, tell us the method of Ṣoḍaśopacāra, in this we will move ahead. Kusagras, and that kusagras, you need to sit, you need to make a cushion of kusagras, and you need to wear a ring in your ring finger before starting prayer, and you can put that kusagras in water before you sing that “Devaḥ śāntiḥ, Antarīkṣaṁ śāntiḥ, Pṛthvī śāntiḥ,” you need to put some kusagras in it. So, what’s the meaning there? So if there are ancestors doing it for nothing, just needlessly, is there some meaning? Definitely. It has great research in Ayurveda. According to Ayurveda, if you sit above the kuśāsana, then you will disconnect from the earthing power and your devotion continuously goes towards God. So when you sit, that is the non-conductor. So it will disconnect the earthing energy. Mahāprabhujī kī karatā, Mahāprabhujī kī karatā he kevalam, Purījī, Purījī… I can refer to a book as well, Āyurveda. If you read the Bhagavad books, that is the Purāṇas, they breed the kuśa grass and they make the tea. That’s called lemongrass tea; you might already know. And the lemongrass tea, if you put lemongrass regularly in your curry, in tea, and in other places, then you will have strong bones. So that’s why the many sages and yogīs have got strong bones, and they can meditate until late. So that’s why kuśa is important. Not only that, there was a talk in Australia, one spiritual talk, and at that time we explained about the value of the kuśa grass. From that, not only Hindus, but all Christians and all Muslims, they want to take, “Can you give us, can you provide us some Kush grass, please?” They asked me, and they are now keeping me at home. So that is not only for Hindus, not for the Sanātana. The good thing for everyone. Satsaṅg for everyone, the air for everyone, the water for everyone. So it is not distinguished by any color, caste, group, or nationality. So that’s why, if you have kuśa grass, the dry kuśa grass in your home, the thunderstorm doesn’t come. It radiates to the other side, the thunderstorm, and the thunderstorm goes away. That’s why in ancient times, the yogīs and ṛṣi-munis used to meditate under a kuśa grass roof. The roof was made of kuśa grass. So, if anyone puts the kuśa grass just above your entrance, it blocks any negativity within its radius. That is why we use kuśa grass. And also in the Vedas, not in the Śiva Purāṇa, but I read that in other Purāṇas, that kuśa is the best time to cut the kuśa grass in the Bhādra months. Bhādra, according to the lunar cycle, comes in August. In August, on the new moon day, the dark day, if you cut the kuśa grass, that kuśa is matured. At that time, there is matured power, and at that time, you just only one time… Many people go and pick up the kuśa anytime; that is not good. Only on one day, cut the kuśa grass, bring it to your home, and use it time to time. That is the process shown in Āyurveda, so it has medicinal value and spiritual value. You will be benefited in both ways, so anyone can use that one. So you can make this kuśa grass as well. Again, Swamiji, we are talking about in Australia, we can supply kuśa grass, kuśa to everyone. And that’s very popular because people need it, and it will be for jana sevā, the welfare of the people. And also, it is good for everyone. So kuśa grass is wonderful. And similarly, here, we offer pañcāmṛt. Panchāmṛta, here also Śrī Purāṇa talks to worship the process of Gaṇeśa. Panchāmṛta, you might already know the meaning also. Panchāmṛta, in Panchāmṛta, how many things are there? Five, so what are they? Yes, yes, wonderful. That’s ghee, and yogurt, and milk, and honey, and sugar are good, the special jaggery, the sugar. Mahāprabhū Dīp Karatā, Mahāprabhū Dīp Karatā, Mahāprabhū Dīp Purījī, Purījī… Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, Siddha Karatā Prabhu Dīp Karatā He Kevalam. Three times ācamana is that you sip water three times before having meals with the mantra, whatever you say prayer: O Govindāya Namaḥ, Mādhāvāya Namaḥ, Keśavāya Namaḥ. Three times sipping is like that your enzymes, saliva is ready. To swallow any foods and prasāda also, before eating any prasāda, fruits, or halvā or anything also, you need to sweep pañcāmṛta. The pañcāmṛta makes the ways clear. Now the king is coming, okay? Make your street clean. The way will be clear, and you can eat anything. Mahāprabhujīp Karatā Mahāprabhujīp Karatā He Kevalam So according to that, now we don’t give false propaganda. Why do we light the Agar Bhaṭṭī? We change it here. So why do we light the Agar Bhaṭṭī in front of Bhagavān? Because when you go to the pūjā, there are a lot of insects in the air. When insects and insects make it difficult for you to breathe, that is why when you light the agar bhaṭṭī with fire, the smoke of it purifies the āyurveda. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā… To inaugurate anything, first, they need to burn some grass, some specific grass, sprinkle water, and purify the place. In the same way, before starting prayer, the environment might be polluted; the environment is not appealing, and that might affect your mind as well. That’s why incense, when you burn incense, that creates the smoke, and that beautiful, smelly smoke makes the environment cleansing. Purījī, Purījī… In that healing, when you do that spiritual healing also, the singing bowl and some smokes, that happens. And there was research, and in the research, it was found that a man can be healed, that if he has a sickness—I forget the name now—that sickness can be easily cured with the smoke. If somebody lies down, and just in the middle, at the bottom, you increase the smoke, so smoke can heal. So smoke makes cleansing, and water is also emotion. And water also cleanses our emotion and makes purification. Part 4: The Jewelry of Wisdom: On Charity, Truth, and the Birth of Gaṇeśa Nectars, five nectars, all the gorges they sweep the drink, the nectar. When they churned the ocean—the samudra—Viṣṇu disguised himself and distributed the amṛta. And if you want to obtain that amṛta, that true wisdom, that is why we offer the pañcāmṛt: flower offering, incense offering, and also there is dakṣiṇā. So dakṣiṇā means money, rupees. Why do we give dakṣiṇā to Bhagavān? Because dakṣiṇā means donation. What happens with donation? Your bad karma gets removed. That is why it is said in the scriptures: "Hastasya Bhūṣaṇaṁ Dhanam, Satya Kaṇṭhasya Bhūṣaṇaṁ, Śrotasya Bhūṣaṇaṁ Śāstram, Bhūṣanai Kim Prayojanam." Hath ko svāhā, dhan karna kaṇṭhastha bhūṣaṇam. Śāstraṁ satya, kaṇṭhastha bhūṣaṇam satya bolo, sac bolo. You have a necklace for the throat, but by wearing a necklace, by wearing big, big garlands, that is not an ornament for you. That is to show to the people. Therefore, that which is hidden behind showing to the people, for giving a lesson to the people, there is a veil behind it. To Bhagavān ke padavī se dūr ho jātā hai, to uske liye adhyātmik yātrā saphala nahīṁ hotī hai. Śrotasya bhūṣaṇaṁ śāstraṁ, kāna meṁ gehunā lagāne se, āpko piercing cards ke top ring lagāne se kāna kī śobhā nahīṁ hotī hai. Kāna kī śobhā ke liye to... You should listen to the scriptures. To listen to the scriptures, you travel far and wide. I consider you all to be a gathering of great scholars. You are more attracted to external things than to the scriptures. Therefore, your ears have not been adorned. By doing so, the ornament of the listener is the scripture, the scripture... Pratyakāntastha bhūṣaṇaṁ bhūṣaṇāya, kiṁ ko prayojanam? Bāhar ke jo bhī gehna hai, uskā ke prayojan hai? Ye to dekhāvā hai, marne ke bādh pe kuchh nahīṁ hai. Sone kā bhī haṭhkadī hotā hai, lohe kā bhī haṭhkadī hotā hai. Heart’s peace is there. What will happen from peace? Nothing will happen. That is why, what is it? Bhagavān gets merit from charity. In the Mahābhārata, what did Karṇa also used to do? Whenever sin would occur from his radiance, whenever a bad deed would happen, then he would go and perform charitable merit. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā. Mahāprabhudīp Karatā. So, how will you attain Bhagavān? This is an invaluable life. The mind and the brain are running after wealth. You need wealth too, but wealth alone is not the source of everything. You worship Viṣṇu, and Bhagavān and Lakṣmī will automatically come to your feet. If you run ahead to attain Bhagavān, "Dharma rakṣati rakṣitaḥ," or if you run ahead for dharma, then wealth will automatically come. Brother, dharma will protect you, but if you run behind the form, dharma will not come. So what is dharma? It does not come behind the form. When there is dharma, the form automatically comes. But we are not behind any dharma, we are behind the form. That is why the world is suffering... Hai, dhan to kya hai? Ākāśa mein idhar udhar dhund raha hai, chal raha hai. To aap dekh lijiye ki ek sāthī bursa kā buḍhe ādmī Prabhupāda to thodaise bhi ek lati ke iśāra mein sansār chale gaye the. Ās sansār bhar mein dekh lijiye. ISKCON temple kā itnā ho gayā, Vivekānanda khālī hāth gaye the, sansār bhar mein dharm jagā ke āgaye, to āp dekh lījiye yoga in daily life kā bhī har jagā mein āśram hai, to iskā matlab kyā hai ki āp dhan ke pīche paḍe, dharm ke pīche jāo, dhan to automatically ā jātā hai. Live for dharma, not for wealth. Living a balanced life is important. Life teaches us that offering dakṣiṇā to God is significant. The importance of dakṣiṇā is great, as is the greatness of giving. It shows, like in the Śiva Purāṇa, how we can offer dakṣiṇā and what the value of dakṣiṇā is. Yes, so that is the donation, and that is why we have to offer the money. Is God greedy? We are worshipping, we are saying that Lakṣmī is the owner of property and prosperity, but you are giving ten cents. So, will she take that ten cents? She is already rich. So why do we have to offer? That’s not for God, that’s for you. That will help your generosity. That will help to give, to have a giving nature. If you give, you will be given. So if you take, then there will be a snatch. So that’s why giving is receiving. The best happiness comes from giving. So that’s why in the Mahābhārata, if you read the Mahābhārata story, there is a wonderful character, Karṇa. And Karṇa, if he had any mistakes, if he had made some mistake, he would go to find out the poor people or the knowledgeable persons. He used to donate to finish off the karma. So it’s a process of cleansing karmas. It gives the giving nature also. In your family also, if you teach your kids that, "Oh, give to poor people or support the poor people," then you will have that culture developed. You can develop the culture. And that’s why later on, the society will be happy. And that helps to share the influence structure. In the world, there is a fight because of the influence structure. Because in this issue, the research shows that one third of the world, 30 percent, 70 percent of prosperity is in America and Europe, and whatever ice cream they eat, they can be, the medicine, they can be in twice the medicine expenditure that comes for India, Nepal, or... Asia, whatever they spend on ice cream. So whatever they spend for the beauty parlor can be used to support security and water supply in Asia. So the thousands of that, the expenditure is going for nothing. And then, even in Australia, yearly, millions and trillions of dollars worth of food goes to the ocean because of its expiration date. So if you share this in time, the people can share it in Canada. In other places, people are starving without food. But we are throwing into the oceans millions, billions of dollars worth of food because of its expiration date. We don’t eat that; we don’t even drink milk. If that milk is only dated until Sunday evening, we will throw it out on Sunday. Why? Because $2 comes in milk, so why should we have to bother? So, look at this there. And here, the milk, if they find it, oh my God, they will keep it. In Nepal, the government distributed rice during the earthquake. The government disposed of the rice because its shelf life had expired. That’s a debt expired. In Nepal, debt expired means like more than six months or seven months. But when the government put it in the disposal bin, everyone went, jumped in there, and took that rice. In a minute, the rice is finished, so that was hunger there. So the problem here in society is the equal distribution of infrastructure. Mahāprabhujī kā ratā, Mahāprabhujī kā ratā, he kevalam Purījī. In Jyotiṣa also, it says like if you have bad karma or a bad effect of influence, feed at least 108 people, poor people. And if many people bless you, then the blessings, the vibe will help you. So, increasing the nature of donation is this one. And it is saying that in Sanskrit. That means, like, the jewelry of the hand is giving, not the bangles, not the expensive golden chain. So if you donate, that’s your jewelry. And for your neck, the speaking truth, sticking with truth, is your jewelry, not the necklace. And here, not the ring, that is listening to the knowledge, the wisdom is yours. That is the—you are now wearing the jewelry, that of the wisdom, that is yours. So the material, worldly jewelry just creates the ego and so on, and that snatches the money. So accumulating money, it is also saying that that’s a kind of sin. So that’s why you need to be disciplined. That’s why many saints, many gurus, they do, they spend for the welfare, for society’s welfare. And that nature is giving natures, and it is saying here. And there was a guy who always wants to take, but he doesn’t want to give. And in the name of E, he listened that, "Oh, give me," he just wanted to twist his head. And he, if somebody takes this, he will wake up, even though he was deeply sleeping. So that was his habit. And one day he fell into a well, a deep pond. And people went there. Oh, he was struggling inside the pond. And we need to take him out. And many people said, "Well, okay, I’ll give you... give your hand, please give your hand. We’ll want to take you." And he just listened to the word "give," and he never gave his hand. And he was struggling, struggling. He didn’t have the habit of giving. So he was struggling there. Everyone is asking, "Oh, give your hand." But he was not giving, and there was one wise man. And he told, "Well, take this, my hand. Okay, take, take my hand." And he held a hand, and he came out. So, for rescue, that means, if you want to be rescued, then give. So, giving—if you give, you will be given. So, that’s the moral thing. That’s why we offer Dakṣiṇā, not for God. God is already rich. You don’t need your, he’s not greedy for your 10 cents, 5 dollars, 2 euros, or 1 euro. And for two rupees, there is no shortage for Bhagavān. Mahāprabhujī dip karatā, Mahāprabhujī dip karatā, karnā bhī kyā hai? Garīb ko dedo, jiskā jyādā zarūrī hai, jisko jyādā zarūrī hai, uske hī dedo. Ek ādmī thā, sāre denā nahī̃ jāntā thā, lenā jāntā thā. Ek din ko kūẽ mẽ gir gayā. Aur sab lok bolne lage, "Arre bhai, haat dedo, hum kue se utaaringe," lekin usne kabhi dena nai jana hai, haat deta hi nai hai. O swim karta rata hai kue me, lekin dusra buddhiman aadmi tha. O aagaya, usne bola, "Arre bhai, mere haat lelo aap." Then he held his hand and came out of the well. So it is necessary to give, even for salvation. That is why in our dharma and śāstra we have made the rites of ten donations. In ten donations, there is land donation, gold donation; all are donations. So what is it? That by doing that donation, you get rid of bad karma. And who has to be donated? The Satpuruṣa has to be done. Either he has to go to the world of knowledge and donate it to the world. Either donate it to the poor; don’t donate to the rich. The rich will misuse. He will drink alcohol. He will do this, he will do that. So that’s why you utilize your dhan for good things. And the second thing is that now it has been investigated that in the importance of dhan, whatever you earn in your life, you keep it for tomorrow. What will happen tomorrow? Tomorrow you will fall ill, this will happen, that will happen. But whatever you earn in life, what happens to it? It disappears. Because only 70% of you will remain here, and only 30% of you will be able to do bhogā. There is one story that is about a giving nature, from China. This is a story from China. If you read, there’s a very popular Chinese story. There was a guy, and he was a very good businessman, successful. And he used to keep a servant in his home. But he does not have the habit of paying the salary on time. He used to do that one, but he had one servant, and he was there with his wife, only three people. He earned a lot of money, a lot of money. One day, what happened is, he gave time for money, not for health, not for spiritual practice, not for peace, not... For stress management, and not for peace. Siddha Paramparā, Siddha Paramparā,... Siddha Paramparā. Now I come to know why you are skipping my salary, why you are not giving my salary on time. I understand that you are saving for me. Now I have become a winner. Thank you very much. So that’s why one day, whatever you own might be misused by somebody. So that’s why whatever you own now, give it to somebody who is very poor. Give it somewhere that is really, really useful. So that’s why it happens. Research shows, nowadays in current research, that whatever people own in this world, they only enjoy 30% of their earnings. 70% of their earnings, they will leave here. So that’s why you say, "Oh, I don’t want to go to yoga," or, "I don’t want to go to a retreat, because it costs a lot of money." Better, I want to make this, or use this one, or do something else somewhere. But later on, that money remains here. You cannot enjoy it. You cannot utilize that somewhere else. After that, the servant and his wife got married, and the servant prayed in front of the picture, "Until now, you have not paid me, so I understand now because you have done this sin for me." So now, whatever has been saved, I have become the owner. Thank you, Lord, you have saved me. So it was like that. So the moral of the story is that whatever we earn in life, we should donate it for truthfulness, for truthfulness. Dāna Karu, Dāna Mein Hi Puṇyatā Hai, Toh Yahāṁ Pe Bhī Gaṇeśī Ke Dāna Ke Prasaṅga Ā Rahe, Yahāṁ Pe Edkiyā, Jai Bhulie Gaṇapati Mahārāj Kī, Jai. Mahāprabhujī kī paramparā, Mahāprabhujī kī paramparā, he kevalaṁ siddha paramparā, siddha paramparā,... siddha paramparā. That is why it is saying that here also the prayer is increasing your spiritual evolution, recharging, recharging yourself. In our mind, so many things come, and you do āratī, you do meditation, evening meditation, and day meditation. That’s why it’s keeping and it’s going and keeping, maintaining your life is the purification of your life and worshipping. That’s why we can pray, but we need to uplift everything here. And from that time, everyone started to worship Gaṇeśa, and Gaṇeśa is so happy. Wherever Śiva and Gaṇeśa started anything, Śiva also worshipped. And there is an amazing story here that in the Śiva Purāṇa talks about how Śiva blessed Gaṇeśa to be worshipped first. And Śiva came first, Pārvatī came first, and they married first, and Gaṇeśa came, isn’t it? If that is the son, the son always comes later, after marriage. But in Rāmcarita Mānas, when Śiva and Pārvatī are getting married, they worship Gaṇeśa. How come? Will they have an affair, and they have got that son? Or how come that happens? That was a research. So that means that many people in Australia, they ask me, "Well, you said that after marriage Gaṇeśa came. But in Rāmcaritmānas, you taught me that Śiva and Pārvati, before married, they worship Gaṇeśa." So, is that tradition in that time also? Did they have that, a living together relationship without marriage? So they ask, no, that means it is the energy; they worship energy. Gaṇeśa was always there. The first integration: only the form came, time to time. In this long era, it is not possible that Gaṇeśa comes only in one era, 3000 yugas, or the seventh yuga. There was always the energy there, the starting energy. Only to convince people, they need to make all those stories here and there. So, we need to make in your mind that Gaṇeśa is there already. So, and after that, everyone and Gaṇeśa started to pray. Gaṇeśa has got, there is a various meaning why he has got a belly, why he wants the laddū, and the long mouth and ear and wisdom. And you might ask, there is in the Gaṇeśa, there is a... we are going to conclude this session, but still, there is one important thing. Mahāprabhujī Karatā Mahāprabhujī Karatā He Kevalam. We need to search the meaning, the indication. The indication is not that in reality he cut off the elephant and brought it. But the boy was really arrogant, very stubborn. He didn’t allow, he didn’t ask, "What is your identity? Who are you?" He just blocked, he just waited. He just blocked the door. Śiva is the light, knowledge. When the knowledge comes, his head is changed. And changed like an elephant. The elephant is wise. So that’s why he finishes that ignorance; he finishes the darkness of mind. So that’s why when you get the knowledge, you become the knower. When you meditate, the awakeness comes, reality comes, and you change your mind. That’s the change of mind. It’s not the physical slaughtering, the scissors, and the blood. Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā Mahāprabhujī Dīp Karatā... Mahāprabhūjī Dīp Karatā, Mahāprabhūjī Dīp Karatā He Kevalam Śrī Śrī... He can listen from far away. That is also the art of listening. And the long neck means the sense, the sensible capacity. He can sense from far away, so that’s the thing. Isliye ki Bhagavān Gaṇeś ke bī kyun sun hai. And why does Bhagavān have long ears? And what did Bhagavān Śiva do? He cut off Gaṇeśa’s head and attached an elephant’s. Toh koi log bolte hai, ye toh hiṁsā ho gayā. Hathī ko mārnā bhī to hiṁsā pāp hai. So, to save your son, to take the head of another animal, is it a lot of sin or not? So, I am also asked a lot in the Western world. But it means that, in truth, the lion or the elephant did not come. That Ganesha who was standing at the door of Pārvatī, he was a little bit of a forced man. He did not ask without asking. So when Lord Śiva said, it is a sign of knowledge, a sign of truth. When the truth came, he removed the untruth. He removed his mind, his ignorance. Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā Mahāprabhujī kī Karatā... In the next session, I will talk about the marriage of Sunder Gaṇeśjī and the pledge of being the son of Kārttikeya. It is all coming. You should not get away from the Amṛta of Śiva Purāṇa. This Bāṇī is never old. It is always new. The more you listen, the newer you are. So, this is the wonderful story we explained about how Gaṇeśa originated, what is the meaning of Gaṇeśa, how we worship, what is the significance of Gaṇeśa, and why he is worshipped first and later on now. We would like to explain about Gaṇeśa’s marriage and Kārtikeya’s celibacy and all those things. And this is wonderful, that in this pilgrimage spot we are listening to this Śiva Purāṇa, and we are wearing the jewelry of the ear, wisdom. So that’s why the yogī always wears the jewelry lace, that the jewelry is, the wisdom is the jewelry for our ear. So we continue, and Śivapurāṇa’s rule is to continuously attend the Śivapurāṇa and listen less, think more. So that’s why you have a long gap from 11 to 4 o’clock. And you think about it, and then try to utilize it in your mind. Oṁ Pūrṇamadaḥ Pūrṇamidaṁ Pūrṇāt Pūrṇamudakṣyate Pūrṇasya Pūrṇamādāya Pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate Oṁ Śāntiḥ Śāntiḥ... Oṁ Yannivedaṁ Bhaktyā Yuktena Patraṁ Puṣpaṁ Phalaṁ Jalam Tadīyaṁ Kṛpayā Deva Prasīda Pratigṛhyatām Pūjā chaib nājanāmi chhamāśwa parameśvarī mantra hīnaṁ kriyā hīnaṁ bhakti hīnaṁ janārdhanaṁ yath pūjitaṁ māyādeva paripūrṇaṁ tadastume anyathā śaraṇaṁ nāsti tomevaṁ śaraṇaṁ mama tasmāt kāruṇya bhavena rakṣa māṁ parameśvara. Kāracāra sanākhitam vā karma jaṅkāya jaṅvā śramaṁ naina jaṅvā manasaṁvā parādāṁ vihitam vihitam vā sarmetatakṣyam aśva jai jai karuṇābde śrī mahādeva śambho hari hi o jai bhole brahmā, viṣṇu, maheśvara, kī jai, jai bhole alakḥpurī, Siddha Pīṭha Paramparā, Kī Deep Nārāyaṇa Bhagavān, Kī Jaya Bholē Madhavānanda Mahārāja, Kī Jaya Bholē Viśvagurujī, Maheśvarānanda Svāmījī, Kī Jaya Bholē Satya Sanātana Dharma, Kī Jaya Bholē Brahmā, Viṣṇu, Maheśvara, Kī Hari Om Tat Sat Om Bhavatu Sabba Maṅgalam Bhavatu Sabba Maṅgalam...