~~OM~~

Meaning of Gam

1. Can you please give us the break out of the meaning of the syllables in 'Gam'?

   There is a sanskrit shloka that explains the syllables:

   The letter ga is the form of wisdom

   The letter a is that which is in the middle of creation

   The anusvaara (m) is the form of perfection

   The attainment of perfection for Ganesha has been given.

The Two Mothers of Ganesh

2. In the 108 names of Ganesh, it says Ganesh as the One with Two Mothers. Who are they?

   Parvati and Aditi.

Ganesh Atharvasirsham

3. In Ganesh Atharvasirsham, it says "nicrid gayatricchamdah" - Nicrd Gayatri is the rhythm. What is this rhythm? How many rhythms are there? What determines when you use one over another?

   Nicrid means insertion. With the insertion of the Gayatri meter (24 syllables to the verse.) There are several meters in this piece, into which Gayatri is also inserted.

4. In Ganesh Atharvasirsham, it says "sa pamca mahapapatpramucyate" - He removes the 5 great kinds of sin. What are these 5 sins?

   Killing a Brahmin, Drinking intoxicants, Theft, Committing adultery with the wife of a religious teacher, Associating with anyone guilty of these crimes.

5. I am a little confused about multiple chantings of the Ganesha Atharvashirsha. I have seen it in multiple places as having 10 verses and then sometimes there is an additional 5 verse part, which I have seen called "Phal sruti" which extols the importance of chanting it. It appears that ours is this same way. So do you chant the 10 verses over and over in a sitting and then chant the remaining 5 verses once at the end, or just do all 15 the whole time?

   The answer is yes you can, but we count the entire recitation as one. We don't want to take the short cut.

Ganesh's Trunk

6. I've been told that the trunk of Ganesh should always show to the right side (from the onlooker's perspective) otherwise it would be unauspicious or only for sadhakas who perform very special Ganesh pujas. Any comments on this?

   No specific comment. As many as there are sadhus, so many are the explanations. There is no scriptural reference.