Prologue to śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇeśa (gaṇapati) mantra sādhana :-
Tantra is a system or framework, meant for spiritual salvation, as well as achievement of material objectives. The root ‘tan’ means ‘to expand’ and ‘tra’ in this context is ‘liberation’. śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇeśa sādhana, falls under the tantra category. Various commentaries and texts suggest that it’s more effective under the vāmamārga or left handed path, than any other. However, the mantras in general, can be practiced by followers of any path. The same applies for śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇeśa sādhana.
The paths of tantra, generally fall under four categories. Various descriptions exist for these paths.
1. Vāmamārga or the left-handed path is known for it’s esoteric and unconventional methods, without any binding to the norms of the society. Adherents consider everything sacred and focus primarily on the sādhana (spiritual quest) than anything else. There are no taboos and everything is considered to be a manifestation of the superconsciousness and is therefore sacred. Freeing the mind from everything through internal worship and focusing primarily on the mantra japa is the objective.
2. Dakṣiṇamārga or the right-handed path, is known for it’s plethora of vedic rituals and maintaining utmost sanctity towards the worship of the deity. Laden with numerous rituals that need to be performed externally, this method focuses on creating an environment of utmost devotion as well as a fear of the unknown. The fear stems from the fact of missing out any rituals or not following the norms properly or as dictated by the guru. Strict adherence of rules including celibacy, proper diet, time of worship etc. are mandated.
3. Kaulamārga is a mix of both Vāma and Dakṣiṇamārgas. Importance to the pañcamakaras or their substitutes is followed in this tradition. Importance of a partner is stressed in some rituals. It is not important for one to follow every single ritual and this allows a great deal of flexibility, based on one’s disposition.
4. Samayamārga is mostly meditative and some rituals of dakṣiṇamārga are followed either internally or externally.
Irrespective of the path one chooses, devotion and perseverance are of paramount importance.
śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇeśa (gaṇapati) sādhana is described as the “essence of all tantras”. From a material perspective, it is meant for give victory in all sorts of competitions, game of dice or gambling etc., as well as considerable wealth, for those who achieve siddhi or complete fructification of the mantra. It is said that the mantras of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati made Kubera, the treasurer of all material riches and Vibhīṣaṇa, the king of Lanka. The mantras from 9 to 19 letters (Sanskrit) are primarily meant for both material and spiritual objectives, but primarily used for material purposes. The higher lettered mantras are more on the spiritual side, especially the 37 lettered mantra, that is said to grant mokṣa, or lead us in that direction.
Hastipiśāci is the consort or the śakti of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati. The large elephant head of Lord gaṇeśa, is said to be the repository of all knowledge and his supreme intellect. The word ‘hasti’ represents an elephant and ‘piśāci’ refers to a class of celestial beings of the highest order. There are other ‘piśāci’ classes that closely resemble goblins or similar beings. The śakti of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati, Hastipiśāci is among the supreme beings, just the same as mahāpiśāci that’s used to refer to śrī Mātaṅgī.
The following two quotes from the book called amarakośaṃ describe piśācis.
piśāco guhyaka ssiddho bhūto'mī devayonayaḥ
पिशाचो गुह्यक स्सिद्धो भूतोऽमी देवयोनयः
Meaning:- piśācis, guhyakās, siddhis and bhūtās are born of devās.
eśitāśāstāmasāḥ svayaṃ nirmāṃsāḥ
एशिताशास्तामसाः स्वयं निर्मांसाः
Meaning:- piśācis are meat eating celestial beings and tamasic by nature and are also very thin and almost fleshless in appearance.
śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati is also seen as a mahā yakṣā and his consort hastipiśāci as a yakṣiṇi. This visualization is for material purposes only.
To comprehend the full form of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇeśa from a holistic perspective, The following śloka from īśopaniṣad can be stated in this context. More ślokas from atharva veda state the same.
oṃ pūrṇamadaḥ pūrṇamidaṃ pūrṇātpurṇamudacyate ।
pūrṇasya pūrṇamādāya pūrṇamevāvaśiṣyate ॥
ॐ पूर्णमदः पूर्णमिदं पूर्णात्पुर्णमुदच्यते ।
पूर्णस्य पूर्णमादाय पूर्णमेवावशिष्यते ॥
The Whole is beyond, Whole is this (creation)
From Whole the Whole emanates,
Of Whole the Whole having been taken
The Whole is even left over.
The creation or visarga bhāva that we live in, is a complete Whole manifestation of the universe or brahmāṇḍa. This Whole manifestation comes from the bhūta bhāva or the creative aspect called goddess śakti, the dynamic superconsciousness, which is also a Whole manifestation in HERSELF. The bhūta bhāva comes forth from the adhyātma bhāva or SELF or Lord śiva, the static superconsciousness, the manifested saguṇa brahman, who is a Whole by HIMSELF. saguṇa brahman is manifested from parambhāva or parabrahman, a Whole by ITSELF.
During the creative involution, the creation is a complete infinite Whole and thus the involutionary form of bhūta bhāva is also a complete Whole, the Whole having been taken off during the process, remains a complete Whole. This residual Whole is named ucchiṣṭa brahman or ucchiṣṭa gaṇeśa, the parabrahman, the ultimate supreme reality or the singular principle. He is also in all the leftover Wholes mentioned above - śrī mātā and śiva.
Karma is of three types – sañcita, prārabdha, and āgāmi. Prārabdha is the portion of sañcita, that we experience in this lifetime and āgāmi is what we accumulate to be added to sañcita. Sañcita is the leftover ucchiṣṭa karma that could be eliminated through the mantra sādhana of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati, leading us to liberation.
When we are devoid of our ego, pride, achievements, lineage and anything else that binds us to the body or person, then the consciousness that is leftover, is ucchiṣṭa brahman or śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati.
Samaya means time. Brahman is beyond time and space and all other dimensions that can be conceived. There are therefore no specific muhurtas or auspicious timings for starting the śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati sādhana. There are also no requirements to check the eligibility of an individual based on the various tools such as the akāthaha cakra etc. Consciousness is not separate from the superconsciousness. The mantra obtained from a siddha guru is by itself potent and can be recited without any hesitation by the sādhaka. Also, there are no stringent requirements on cleanliness etc. The consciousness is the purest that there is and all we need, is to sync our breath with the mantra. All other preliminaries are simply to lead us to that point. Once the form of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati is fixed in the minds of the sādhaka and the mantra is synchronized with breath, no other dhyāna, viniyoga or nyāsas are required.
Lastly, those pusuing the sādhana of śrī ucchiṣṭa gaṇapati, should consider performing the Śrī Ucchiṣṭagaṇeśa Ṣoḍaśopacārapūjā and also seek a guru for obtaining the mantra. Those who are unable to find a suitable guru or wishing to self-initiate, may considering following the procedure mentioned here.
There is no need to ask Him explicitly for any wishes. He knows and gives us what we need!
This article is scripted by Shri. Krishna Vallapareddy. He can be contacted at krishna@manblunder.com
Further Readings
Ucchista Ganapati - Navarna Mantra
Ucchista Ganapati Sahasranamam
Ucchista Ganapati Shodasopachara Puja
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