With his Shakti seated on his left thigh, He has twelve arms. He is red in colour. His hands hold the single tusk, the club, the nocturnal lotus, the noose, the paddy ear, the elephant goad, the washing pot (kamandalu), the sugar-cane bow, the disc, the daylight lotus, the conch and the pomegranate. His trunk is placed on the top of the goddesse's breast or, sometimes, maintains a jewels pot (manikumbha).
Ganapati seated on a large lotus with his Shakti. He removes the impediment. He has four arms. He is white in colour. His first hand show the movement to bestow boons (varada) ; the three others hold the elephant goad, the noose and the bowl of sugaredrice (pâyasapâtra).
Ḍhuṇḍhi Gaṇapati
"The Ganapati Sought After"
dhuMDigaNapatidhyAnaM || mudgalapurANE ||
akShamAlAM kuThAraM ca |
ratnapAtraM svadaMtakaM |
dhattE karairviGnarAjO |
dhuMDinAmA mudestu naH ||26|| aucityAdraktavarNaH
He has four arms. His hands hold the single tusk, the rosary (rudrAkSha), the hatchet (kuthâra) (an axe ) and the pot of jewels (ratnapâtra). (Red Color).
Dvimukha Gaṇapati
"Two-faced Ganapati"
atha dvimuKagaNapatidhyAnaM | mudgalapurANE |
svadaMtapAshAMkusharatnapAtraM |
karairdadhAnO harinIlagAtraH |
ratnAMshukO ratnakirITamAlI |
bhUtyai sadA bhavatu mE dvimuKO gaNEshaH | hasuruvarNaH
He holds in his hands his own tusk, a noose, a hook and a pot full of gems. His body complexion is greenish blue and he is wearing a red colored robe. A gem studded crown embellishes his head.
He has six arms. He carries in two of his right hands very sharp elephant goad, a rudrâksha rosary and is holding another hand in boon bestowing gesture (varada). He carries in two of his left hands a noose, an urn full of celestial nectar (amruta) - ambrosia pot (amritakumbha) and is holding another hand in gesture of bestowing fearlessness (abhaya). He is seated on shining golden throne with lotus in the center. He has three eyes with elephantine face and he effulgent like the flame of forest flower (bastard teak/butea frondosa). (Red color).
Siṇha Gaṇapati
"The Lion Ganapati".
atha siMhagaNapatidhyAnaM | mudgalapurANE |
vINAM kalpalatAmariM ca varadA dakShE vidhattE karai
vAsamE tAmarasaM ca ratnakalashaM sanmaMjarIM cAbhayaM |
shuMDAdaMDalasanmRugEMdravadanaM shaMKEMdugaurashshubhO |
dIvyadratnanibhAMshukOgaNapatiH pAyadapAyatsa naH ||29|| shvEtavar^NaH
He has eight arms. He is white in colour He is holding in his right hands a vîna (Indian lute), a creeper of votive tree - kalpavRukSha ( Tree which can cure all diseases), a discus and another held in a gesture of granting boons (varada). He is holding in his left hands a lotus, a pot of gems, a flower bunch and another held in a gesture of granting fearlessness (abahaya). He is lion faced with an elephant trunk and shining. His body is shining like a white conch and moon. He is wearing a gem studded shining robe.
He has four arms. He is red in colour. His legs are surrounded with the meditation girdle (yogapatta). He is engrossed in yoga and is strapped in a yoga posture. He looks beautiful and shines like the rising morning sun. He is adorned with a colored robe which is shining like blue sapphire. His hands hold the rosary, the elbow-rest or the walking-stick (a yoga wand), the noose and the sugar-cane stalk.
Durga Gaṇapati
"Ganapati the Invincible" similar the Goddess Durgâ.
His body glows like burnished gold (Golden Color). He has eight hands and massive body. He is holding a shining hook (Ankush), an Arrow, a rosary and a tusk with the four hands on the right side. He is holding a noose, a bow, a wish bestowing creeper and Rose Apple (Eugenia Jambolana) with the four hands on the left side. He is dressed in red clothes.
(According to another version, the Arrow is replaced by a noose)
He has four arms. He is effulgent like the rising red sun (Red in Color). He has his wife (shakti) - who is carrying a beautiful lotus, glowing with radiance and bejeweled - sitting on his left lap. He is carrying in one of his right hand a hook (Ankusha) and with the other bestowing boon(varada). He is carrying in one of his left hand a rope(noose) and with the other a vessel brimming with sweet soup (Payasam). He is seated on a Red Lotus and wearing a blue robe.
(According to another version, the varada gesture and vessel of Payasam is replaced by the broken tusk and the rose-apple fruit.)
↑For color reproductions of the 32 Ganapati pictures from the Sri Tattvanidhi see: Rao, pp. vi-ix.
↑For a description of the Ganapati forms based on personal inspection of one of the Mysore originals, see: Martin-Dubost, pp. 120-123, 376.
↑Line drawings of the 32 meditation forms along with the Sanskrit descriptions appearing in the Śrītattvanidhi are given in: Glory of Ganesha (Central Chinmaya Mission Trust: Bombay, 1995), pp. 85-118. The same set of drawings but with some substitutions in order and naming appears in John A. Grimes, Ganapati: Song of the Self, SUNY Series in Religious Studies (State University of New York Press: Albany, 1995) ISBN0-7914-2440-5.
Chinmayananda, Swami (1987). Glory of Ganesha. Bombay: Central Chinmaya Mission Trust.
Annals of the Mysore Royal Family , Part II. Mysore: Government Branch Press. 1922.
Gopal, R.; Prasad, S. Narendra (2004). mummaDi kRuShNarAja oDeyaru - oMdu cAriTrika adhyana ( Mummadi Krsihnaraja Wodeyar- a Historic Study). Karnataka: Directorate of Archeology and Museums.
Grimes, John A. (1995). Ganapati: Song of the Self. SUNY Series in Religious Studies. Albany: State University of New York Press. pp. 52, 59–60. ISBN0-7914-2440-5.
Heras, H. (1972). The Problem of Ganapati. Delhi: Indological Book House.
Martin-Dubost, Paul (1997). Gaņeśa: The Enchanter of the Three Worlds. Mumbai: Project for Indian Cultural Studies. ISBN81-900184-3-4.
Ramachandra Rao, S. K. (1992). The Compendium on Gaņeśa. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications. ISBN81-7030-828-3. Contains color plate reproductions of the 32 Ganapati forms reproduced from the Sri Tattvanidhi.
Thapan, Anita Raina (1997). Understanding Gaņapati: Insights into the Dynamics of a Cult. New Delhi: Manohar Publishers. ISBN81-7304-195-4.
Wodeyar, Mummadi Krsihnaraja (1997). Sritattvanidhi. Oriental Research Institute, University of Mysore.
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