‘The Gyaneshwari’ is the commentary on Bhagavad Gita written by Marathi saint and poet Gyaneshwara during the 13th century. There is a great Indian tradition of Mangalacharana (auspicious invocation) whereby an author dedicates his literary work to God and Guru; which makes the preamble of the text. Saint Gyaneshwar also begins his commentary on an auspicious note wherein he has prayed to Shri Ganesha in the first twenty verses at the beginning of Chapter 1 of his commentary. He acknowledges the grace of his Guru Nivritti Natha.
The iconography of Shri Ganesha reflected in the preamble of Gyaneshwari is unique. Saint Gyaneshwara has used the imagery of Sri Ganesha, being the elephant-headed God with big ears, a straight trunk and one tusk, a protruding tummy, six hands (instead of four) holding different weapons, and a broken tusk, bearing anklets in his two feet, well clad and bejeweled all over, the God has the most attractive persona. But, at the same time Gyaneshwara meditates upon Ganesha, the Absolute, who is the first among Gods, all-wisdom and without attributes, and goes on to comparing Ganesha as the Sanatana Vedic Dharma personified. The various aspects of the image of Shri Ganesha are shown to represent the fundamental ideas, scriptures and doctrines of the Sanatana Vedic Dharma, layer-by-layer, starting from Vedas, Smritis, Puranas, the literary texts, poetry and drama, Epics (including Vyasa’s Mahabharata which was penned down by Ganesha himself), the six-fold philosophies, critical commentaries on the philosophy of heterodoxical philosophy, the Upanishadas, etc. It culminates with the merging of the image of Ganesha with the most sacred syllable of the Vedic Dharma, that is, ॐ, the AUM (O3M) and this anthropomorphism of the sacred word is sometimes referred to as the Omkar-swarupa of Shri Ganesha. This concept brings us closer to the fundamental principle of Vedic Dharma, that God without any anthropomorphic attributes who is sought through sacred thought and speech by the seekers of knowledge (Gyani) only transcends in the form of an idol for worship by a simple devotee (Bhakta).
The symbols used in the iconography of Ganesha are based on the scriptures of Vedic Dharma to which our website is dedicated. We will be shortly publishing an article on the Shastras. The verses from Gyaneshwari are reproduced along with an English translation on the occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi:
ॐ नमोजी आद्या । वेद प्रतिपाद्या ।
जय जय स्वसंवेद्या । आत्मरुपा ॥१॥
O3M! I salute you, O Primal Lord, propounded by the Vedas; glory to you, who are known only to yourself, O Supreme Self.
देवा तूंचि गणेशु | सकलमति प्रकाशु |
म्हणे निवृत्ति दासु | अवधारिजो जी ||२||
O Lord, you are Shri Ganesha, who illumines all minds. So I, disciple of Nivritti, solicit your attention.
हे शब्दब्रह्म अशेष | तेचि मूर्ति सुवेष |
तेथ वर्णवपु निर्दोष | मिरवत असे ||३||
Glory to the Eternal Word, the Vedas, being represented through his (Shri Ganesha’s) attractive form; his superb body exhibits their faultless diction.
स्मृति तेचि अवयव | देखा अंगिकभाव |
तेथ लावण्याची ठेव | अर्थशोभा ||४||
The Smritis being represented by his limbs; his gestures represents their styles; his attractive aspect represents their exquisite meaning.
अष्टादश पुराणे | तीचि मणिभूषणे |
पदपद्धती खेवणे | प्रमेयरत्नांची ||५||
The eighteen Puranas, being represented by his jeweled ornaments; the jewels set in gold being their doctrines set in poetry.
पदबंध नागर | तेचि रंगाथिले अंबर |
जेथ साहित्यवाणे | सपूर उजाळाचे ||६||
The superb prosody, being represented by his colourful robe; its fine glossy thread standing for their literary style.
देखा काव्यनाटका | जे निर्धारिता सकौतुका |
त्याचि रुणझुणती क्षुद्रघंटिका | अर्थध्वनी || ७||
The poetical and dramatic compositions being represented through the jingling bells in the girdle around his waist; and its sound expounding the meaning thereof.
नाना प्रमेयांचि परी | निपुणपणे पाहता कुसरी |
दिसती उचित पदे माझारी | रत्नें भली || ८||
All many doctrines set in poetry, when observed keenly, seem to be represented by the gems set in gold.
तेथ व्यासादिकांच्या मति | तेचि मेखळा मिरवती |
चोखाळपणे झळकती | पल्लवसडका || ९||
Vyasa’s intelligence being represented by the silken garment round the waist of Ganesha; and its shining borders denote the pure flashes of that intelligence.
देखा षड्दर्शने म्हणिपती | तेचि भुजांची आकृती ||
म्हणऊनि विसंवादे धरिती | आयुधे हाती || १०||
The six philosophical systems being represented through his six hands and the articles held in them indicate their differing doctrines.
तरी तर्क तोचि परशु | नीतिभेदु अंकुशु |
वेदांतु तो महारसु | मोदकाचा || ११ ||
The axe denotes the Nyaya logic, the goad the Vaisheshika creed; and the sweet syrupy modaka (an Indian sweet) shows to advantage the Vedanta doctrine.
एके हाति दंतु | जो स्वभावता खंडितु |
तो बौद्धमत संकेतु | वार्तिकांचा || १२ ||
The tooth in his hand, which is naturally broken, indicates the refutation by the Vartikakara (Kumarilabhatta) of the Buddhist doctrine.
मग सहजे सत्कारवादु | तो पद्मकरु वरदु |
धर्मप्रतिष्ठा तो सिद्धु | अभयहस्तु || १३ ||
It follows that his lotus-hand represents the Sankhya law of causation, while the safety-sign of the remaining hand establishes the pre-eminence of dharma.
देखा विवेकमंतु सुविमळु | तोचि शुंडादंडु सरळु |
जेथ परमानंदु केवळु | महासुखाचा || १४ ||
The straight trunk of Ganesha represents the pure thought conducive to the supreme joy of final beatitude.
तरी संवादु तोचि दशनु | जो समताशुभ्रवर्णु |
देवो उन्मेषसुक्ष्मेक्षणु | विघ्नराजु || १५ ||
His straight white teeth denote the philosophical dialogues, while his half-open eyes represent the eye of wisdom
मज अवगमलिया दोनी | मीमांसा श्रवणस्थानी |
बोधमदामृत मुनी | अलि सेविती || १६ ||
His ears look to me as the Mimamsa and Vedanta schools; and the sages, like bees taste the ambrosia of knowledge from his temples.
प्रमेयप्रवाल सुप्रभ | द्वैताद्वैत तेचि निकुंभ |
सरिसे एकवटत | इभ मस्तकावरी || १७ ||
His temples, shining with the corals in the form of doctrines of the Dvaita and Advaita schools, are close on his elephant-head.
उपरि दशोपनिषदे | जिये उदारे ज्ञानमकरंदे |
तिये कुसुमे मुगुटी सुगंधे | शोभती भली || १८ ||
And the sweet-smelling and beautiful flowers on his forehead denote the ten Upanishads full of wisdom.
अकार चरणयुगुल | उकार उदर विशाल |
मकार महामंडल | मस्तकाकारे || १९ ||
The first letter A represent his feet, the letter U his big tummy, and the letter M his circular head, the foremost among limbs.
हे तिन्ही एकवटले | तेथ शब्दब्रह्म कवळले |
ते मियां गुरूकृपा नमिले | आदिबीज || २० ||
All the three letters (A,U,M) are united in the sacred syllable ॐ, which encompasses all spiritual knowledge. I salute Shri Ganesh, the primal seed of the world through the grace of my Guru Nivritti.
