Ganesha Gita is part of the Ganesha Purana. The fundamental difference between Ganesha Purana and Mugdala Purana is that Mugdala Purana describes eight incarnations of Ganesha as opposed to four, and these are rather different in form and content. It is also an Upa-Purana, or minor Purana, that seeks to establish Ganesha as the supreme deity.
It is also dated between 10th and 15th century AD and scholars are divided as to which of the two is older. Like the Ganesha Purana, the Mugdala Purana is a Purana devoted to Ganesha. This portion describes his four avatars in each of the four yugas. The second part of the Ganesha Purana is the Krida-khanda that narrates the tales of Ganesha. This portion contains the Ganesha Sahastranama that contains the 1000 names of Ganesha, often chanted in Ganesha temples.
Ganesha purana in english how to#
The first portion is the Upansana-khanda, that contains details on how to express devotion towards Ganesha. It is dated between 10th and 15th century AD. It is one of the two Puranas that is specific to Ganesha and therefore highly referred by Ganapatyas, the worshippers of Ganesha. Ganesha Purana is a later Purana and identifies itself as an Upa-Purana or a later Purana. These are later Hindu texts, very different in character from early Hindu texts, the Vedas, where the cornerstone of attention was not a deity but a ritual called the yagna. Puranas are texts that chronicle the tales and the methods of worship of deities enshrined in temples. For the intellectuals, however, there are the scriptures, the various works dedicated specifically to Ganesha, including a Purana, a Gita and an Upanishad. The image of Ganesha will continue to enrich us, even without being intellectually analyzed. If we do not want to do decode it, its perfectly alright. And so, the answers are right there in front of us, in the form of Ganesha, if we are willing to decode it. One can argue, why not simply give the solution why go through the trouble of creating a puzzle? Ancient Hindus believed, wisdom must never be given. Through him, they are trying to communicate a profound truth that changed their understanding of the world, and enabled them to live a richer fuller life. The image of Ganesha, his rituals and his stories, are a kind of mythological puzzle created by our ancestors. Published on 24th August, 2014, in The Speaking Tree.
(From the book ’99 Thoughts on Ganesha’ – Jaico Publications – by Devdutt Pattanaik)