Shakti

Sadhan
a

** VIGNESHWARI Devi **

In Tamil Nadu, Vigneshwari is not considered a Yogini, but rather a Shakti. She is
called Sree Vanja Kalpalatha Maha Ganapathi. As expected, this form of Ganapathi
[the South Indian name for Ganesh] has the head of an elephant. But the rest of
the body -- neck, shoulders, chest, etc. -- is that of a woman!

It is said that people troubled by disease, marriage strife or accidents should pray to
this form of Ganapathi, also known as Ganeshini.

The Ganeshini Pooja Mantra is considered very difficult; one must remain focused
and free of diversions while reciting it; only then can one expect Ganeshini to give
results. But those who successfully comple Her sadhana will gain power, and God
will always be with them; the sadhak becomes Sree Vidya Ganapathi Herself! This is
confirmed by the Vedas and Shastras.

We can actually pray to those who have obtained the power of Sree Vidaya
Ganapathi, and obtain their blessings to solve our problems. These people also gain
the power to predict the future. In the Veda, we can also find Sree Vidaya
Ganapathi depicted as being female, seated with Her left leg folded beneath Her
and Her right leg hanging. She is said to have ten hands and to hold a vessel filled
with water in one of Her right hands. ... The fact that Ganeshini is a mixture of Lord
Shiva and the Goddess gives Her more power. In the 15th Century Sasidenra
Danamalays Perumal Temple, we again see the elephant/female visage of
Ganeshwari.
This Ganeshwari is also known as Vigneshwari. She has four hands, and is sitting in
a relaxed position with one leg folded beneath and the other leg pointing
downward. Because Vigneshwari has female features, She is also called Sree Vidyaa
Ganapathi. In Rajasthan, in the north of India, sits the tenth-century Lord Shiva
Temple in the city of Ciggar. In this temple, again we find Vigneshwari, crowned
and wearing lots of jewelry around Her neck. People used to pray to Her by putting
kumkum [vermillion] and tumeric powder on Her idol's chest. ... In addition, there
exist in the museums several old Pahari and Nepali drawings of
Ganeshini/Vigneshwari.

*************************************

(Picture and text taken from the September 2002 edition of the Tamil- language
magazine, "Kumutam Bhakti" Translated into English for the "Shakti Sadhana"
Group by Mr. S. Rajah (PPT), of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.)

*************************************

[ Home ] [ About us ] [ SHAKTI ] [ Sadhana ] [Temple] [ Shakta Tantra ] [ The

Forum ] [ Resources ] [ Gallery ] [Online Shop]

ogi Ananda Saraswathi

GODDESS VINAYAKI or Ganeshani is the feminine form of Lord Ganesha. She is

the Mistress of Obstacles. Vinayaki is also known as Gajanani, Ganeshwari,
Gajamukhi or Vigneshwari. Goddess Vinayaki worship is prevalent in the Tamil
speaking south of India. In Tibet, an equivalent elephant headed goddess,
Ganeshani, is worshiped.

SHAKTI: Goddess Vinayaki is elephant-headed Goddess just as Ganesha is the

elephant headed God of Obstacles. Her elephant head shares a female body. In the
Madurai area in Tamil Nadu, Vinayaki is referred to as Vyagrapada Ganapathy.
With these attributes, Vinayaki is assumed to be the Shakti of Vinayaka or the
female form of Ganesha. The Agni Purana is the one of the first Purana that lists
Ganeshas shaktis. Linga Purana also list Vinayaki as a Shakti.

MATRIKA: In the Devi Purana and some Upapuranas, Gananayika or Vinayaki is

identified as Ganeshas Shakti. Here she is elephant headed and has the ability to
remove obstacles. This places her as the ninth Matrika. Traditionally seven
matrikas are mentioned. But the list seems to be extended to accommodate
Mahalaskmi or Yogeshwari and Vinayaki as the eighth and ninth Matrika.

Vinayaki is mentioned in the Matya Purana to mean belonging to Vinayaka or

Ganesha. There, she is one of the Matrikas considered as a Shakti of Shiva more
than Ganesha. Here Vinayaki is associated to Ganesha by name only and she is
created to by Lord Shiva to fight the demon Andhaka.
PURANAS: Mahapuranas and Upapuranas carry legends pertaining to Lord
Ganeshas marriage. Some religious scriptures put Ganesha on par with
Hanuman to be a Brahmachari practicing celibacy. However, by Puranic accounts,
he was married to Riddhi, Siddhi and Buddhi. Ridhi represents prosperity, Siddhi
represents spiritual power and Buddhi represents wisdom. These consorts
appear in human form and appear on either side. Vinayaka, seems to extend this
list.

There are legends to state that Goddess Saraswathi, Goddess of knowledge and
Goddess Lakshmi also married Lord Ganesha. Lakshmi and Ganesha are
worshipped together, one removing obstacles in the path of wealth and the other
gracing wealth. Lakshmi apparently turns up as Riddhi material welfare and
Siddhi spiritual prosperity.

In Skanda Purna, Lakshmi is cursed to have an elephant head, which she gets rid
of doing penance to Lord Brahma. In Skanda Purana there is no reference to
Vinayaki. But the cursed elephant headed goddess seems to be remotely linked to
Malini, Ganesha as mother or consort Lakshmi.

Both Ganesha and Saraswathi control Buddhi. Now, Vinayaki is also considered to
be the wife of Lord Ganesha. Man makes God in his own image and it appears
that they have given the elephant headed God an elephant headed consort.

The Vayu Purana, Skanda Purana and Harivamsa describe elephant faced
Matrikas. Female ganas take names like Gajanana or elephant faced. There is
mention of Gajamukhi, elephant faced matrika. Jyeshtha, the Goddess of
Misfortune is also described as elephant faced. Ganeshani and Vinayaki are one of
the sixty four Yogini Shaktis or matrika goddesses. But there does not seem to be
any rituals or pujas attributed to Vinayaki.

DEPICTION: The description in Gorakshasamhita is an elephant faced Vinayaki,

pot-bellied, having three eyes and four arms. She holds a parashu and a plate of
modakas. In Shilparatna, the 16th century iconographical treatise, there is a
description of an elephant headed goddess residing in the Vindyas. This image
has two trunks and body of a woman. She is vermillion complexioned with ten
arms. She is pot-bellied with a full breast and beautiful hips. These are post
Shaktism images depicting Shaktis of gods.

A Vinayaki sculpture is found in Chitrapur Math in Shirali. Here, Vinayaki is full-

breasted, but slender, unlike pot-bellied Ganesha. Her two front hands are held in
abhaya, fear not and vrada, boon giving mudras. She carries a sword and a noose.
Her trunk is turned to the left. This image is said to be a Shakta Goddess.

There is a non-potbellied Vinayaki from Giryek in Bihar. She is a four-armed

goddess carries a gada, ghata and parashu. An image from the Pratihara dynasty
shows a pot-bellied Vinayaki, with four arms holding a gada-parashu
combination, a lotus, an unidentifiable object and a plate of modaka held by the
trunks.
BUDDHISM: In the Buddhist tradition, there is a female Ganesha called
Ganapatihridaya Heart of Ganesha. Aryamanjusrimulakalpa, a buddhist text
describes Vinayaki as siddhi of Vinayaka. She shares various attributes of
Ganesha, she removed obstacles and is also elephant headed. Here Vinayaki is
described as the daughter of Ishana, an early Buddhist reference to God Shiva.

(draft Gods, Goddesses and Deities )

Hara Hara Mahadeva