Ekāksara-Gaṇapati

From Hindupedia, the Hindu Encyclopedia

By Swami Harshananda

Ekākṣara-Gaṇapati literally means ‘Gaṇapati indicated by one letter’.

Gaṇapati or Gaṇeśa, the elephant faced deity, is one of the most popular deities. His bījākṣara[1] is ‘gain’. The form of Gaṇapati which is associated with this letter is to be meditated upon while repeating it. It is called ‘Ekāksara-Gaṇapati’.

It is one of the eight famous aspects recommended for attaining siddhis or supernatural powers. Ekākṣara-Gaṇapati is described as stout and dwarfish. He is red in color and seated in padmāsana or lotus posture. In iconographical representation, his hand holds:

  1. Bījāpura - pomegranate
  2. Pāśa - lasso
  3. Aṅkuśa - goad
  4. Gesture of varada[2]

This form is specially worshiped to attain happiness in life.


References[edit]

  1. ↑ Bījākṣara is the seed-letter containing his power and essence.
  2. ↑ Varada posture denotes bestowing boons.
  • The Concise Encyclopedia of Hinduism, Swami Harshananda, Ram Krishna Math, Bangalore

Contributors to this article

Krishna Maheshwari, Deval Sancheti

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