Lesson 5 Shri Ganesha Puja (Intro)

Namaste!
Introduction to Lesson 5 Shri Shiva Shaktipaths version of Shri Ganesha Puja (a full prayer ritual). This puja is made up of rituals used in both ancient and modern form taken from many sources and made perfect for the Shri Shiva Shaktipath.  whats different about this ritual is we are invoking many aspects of the divine and the Gods full powers we also activate that energy within ourselves and in a sense we unite with Lord Ganesh and become him you will learn lord Ganesh's 108 names, as well as his Tantric Mantra and Siddhi Mantras(power mantras), the Shri Ganesha Gayatri mantra as well as the famous Shri Ganesha Atharvashirsha, and proper ritual Mudra's(powerful hand mantra's) you can use the same shrine/alter you have been using for your Shri Ganesha Araati's and you will also use the same offerings and set up as in Lesson 1 with the exception of a few items

you will need:

4 small cups to hold Abhishekam(ritual bath) offerings(milk,granulated sugar,honey,plain yogurt)
2 large containers to hold water(enough so that you can wash the image clean from the other Abhishekam offerings,)
1 large baking pan or deep dish large enough to hold the items from the abhishekam(ritual bath) as you will use the baking pan to hold the image while you pour the abhishekam offerings over it
I will explain and Abhishekams in more detail when we come to that part of the puja.

you will probably need 2 sticks of incense for this ritual
and camphor. Camphor is basically a white crystalline type resin from the Cinnamon plant and has a strong menthol aroma and is sold in packages of many different sizes and usually compressed into squares or small round pill shapes and can be found at Indian grocery stores as well as pagan shops and botanica's,  it is not mandatory to burn camphor during a Puja, however it has cleansing qualities and purifies the atmosphere of negative energy. but I have found that incense and mantra chanting has the same effect and mantra's used in Puja are chanted for that purpose. but if you would like to offer it u will need a proper container to hold the burning camphor like a traditional camphor burner or a large metal spoon with a rubber or wooden handle that will protect your hand from getting hot, should be deep enough so the camphor will not fall out and not tip when you set it down. when Camphor is burned it burns big  NEVER BURN A FULL SQUARE INDOORS OR LARGE AMOUNT break it up, a small amount will produce the perfect flame and not to much black smoke which is produced when burning camphor. it is important when burning camphor to keep it away from flammable objects! currently we do not sell Camphor in our online Tantra Emporium however if you are unable to find some I would be happy to sell you some at a fair price simply contact me shri_saman_lee@shri-shiva-shaktinath.com for details.

you will also need red yarn to tie around your wrist during the ritual and a pair of scissors to cut it.

A coconut and hammer to break it with. a Coconut is also not mandatory but is a loving gesture and has two meanings; it represents blood sacrifices of ancient times and the breaking of the selfish ego. tap the coconut hard enough at its center and go around  till you have two halves.  I recommend having a bowl underneath it to catch the coconut water that you can sprinkle on the image of Ganesh.  I have found that it is hard to find a good coconut at a grocery store most are rotten inside and do not break properly and can be really messy and you may need a knife to cut the coconuts inner flesh this can be frustrating and can cause some negative energy during the ritual so most of the time, I leave this part out and offer only on special occasions or once in a while! a good tip when buying a whole coconut is to shake it, if it feels like there is a lot of water inside and it feels a little heavy then it should be a good coconut for offering!

you will also need about 15 to 20 flower blossoms that are red or yellow in color or combination of both I like to offer the red flowers to Ganesh and the yellow flowers to other Gods and Goddess's invoked.

Lesson 5 will be posted in sections in both English and transliterated Sanskrit so you will be able to perform this ritual in english and or Sanskrit! I recommend that you learn the ritual first in English then at your own pace begin replacing the English with Sanskrit till you can perform the entire ritual in Sanskrit! I have decided to post this ritual in sections to avoid the feeling of being overwhelmed with information this way you can study each section at your own pace and then once I have posted the entire puja in sections I will make a single post with the entire ritual and a Video of the ritual being performed!

Example pics and video will be posted through out lesson 5

if you have any questions or concerns about this or any of our other lessons and blogs please feel free to contact me shri_saman_lee@shri-shiva-shaktinath.com or leave a comment

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