[Advaita-l] Vinayaka(s)

[V Subrahmanian]

On Tue, Sep 6, 2016 at 7:01 PM, Kathirasan K via Advaita-l <
advaita-l at lists.advaita-vedanta.org> wrote:

> Namaste Bhaskarji,
>
> The Manavagrhyasutra states the names of the four Vinayakas: athāto
> vināyakānvayākhyāsyāmaḥ. śālakaṭaṅkaṭaśca kūṣmāṇḍarājaputraścosmitaśca
> devayajanaśceti. (2.14.1-2)
>
> which are śālakaṭaṅkaṭa, kūṣmāṇḍarājaputra, usmita and devayajana.
>
> Those of you who are familiar with Sanskrit can find full text here:
> http://gretil.sub.uni
> goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/1_veda/5_vedang/2_grhya/manavgsu.htm (look
> at
> 2.14 onwards for the section on Vinayakas and the effects they create)
>
> The Yajnavalkya Smrti states 6 Vinayakas: mita, sammita, śāla, kaṭaṅkaṭa,
> kūśmāṇḍa and rājaputra (1.285). It also states that the Brahma and Rudra
> appointed the Vinayaka to be the remover of obstacles (1.271). Look at the
> effects of Vinayakas curse in verses 1.272 - 276. However, this text
> eventually relates that Mahaganapati needs to be worshipped daily along
> with Aditya to overcome the obstacles.



In this verse:

ādityasya sadā pūjāṃ tilakaṃ svāminas tathā /
mahāgaṇapateś caiva kurvan siddhim avāpnuyāt // Yj_1.294 //

the word 'siddhi' is explained by the Mitākṣara gloss as inclusive of Mokṣa
too.  In another chapter even pitṛ propitiation is said to result in mokṣa.

Thus, the worship of the deities mentioned above (tilakaswami is
Subrahmanya) can result in moksha.  The scriptures do not impose that one
deity alone like Vishnu is to be propitiated for moksha or he alone can
'give' moksha. Shankara in the Br.up. bhashya and elsewhere too says that
one should never be negligent in propitiating gods, etc. who bless the
aspirant with all that is required for self-realization.

regards
vs


> The Yajnavalkya Smrti is available
> here:
> http://gretil.sub.uni-goettingen.de/gretil/1_sanskr/
> 6_sastra/4_dharma/smrti/yajn2_pu.htm
>
>
> *Kathirasan K*
>
>
>