The
Worship of Mahaganapati : According to the Nityotsava/Gudrun Buhnemann.
Delhi, Kant Publications, 2003, xl, 156 p., plates, ISBN 81-86218-12-2.
The
Worship of Mahaganapati : According to the Nityotsava/Gudrun Buhnemann.
Delhi, Kant Publications, 2003, xl, 156 p., plates, ISBN 81-86218-12-2.
Contents: Preface. I. Introduction: 1. On the Nityotsava. 2. On Mahaganapati. 3. General characteristics of the Tantric Puja according to the Nityotsava. 4. Peculiarities of the Ganesapuja. 5. Note on the presentation of the text. II. List of translated passages/concordance. III. Text. IV. Translation. V. Commentary. Appendices: 1. Vedic Mantras. 2. Special Mantras of Ganesa. 3. Verse index. 4. Bibliography: a). Texts and translations. b). Secondary literature. 5. Index.
"The present study contributes to an understanding of the aims Tantric puja, which is intentionally hidden from the common man, and about which many strange notions prevails both in India and the west. As an example of regular Tantric puja practice it presents, with an elaborate introduction and commentary, the Sanskrit text and English translation of the second chapter of the Nityotsava. This text was written in 1745 A.D. by Jagannatha Pandita alias Umanandanatha, a Maharastrian Brahmin and disciple of Bhaskararaya Makhindra. It is one of the best known and most respected works of the Srividya school of Hindu Tantrism, a school which is still alive today. The deity worshipped in this ritual is Mahaganapati, a ten-armed form of Ganesa with consort, who is worshipped mainly in Maharastra and South India. The book presents illustrations of different acts of the puja ritual and the ritual gestures (mudra) employed in it."