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Išānastvagurudevapaddhati II. MANTRAPADA The second quarter of the work consists of thirty-eight Patalas from the fifteenth to the fiftysecond. This part of the treatise is devoted to Mantras relating to different deities. Different Yantras are also prescribed to ward off the evil effects of stars, birds, diseases, poisons etc. Rites for ensuring victory in a battle elixir to prolong life, means to overcome death etc., also are prescribed in this section. (15) The fifteenth Patala is styled Prapancaganapati. Here the god is identified with Siva himself and is termed as the source for creation, sustenance and destruction of the universe. The author states : जगदिदं गणसंज्ञितमस्य यद् गणपतिः पतिरेष शिवः स्वयम् । विकुरुते निखिलं खलु शक्तितः पुरुष एष शिवः स चिकीर्षया । तदवनं च ससंहृतिमिच्छया वितबुते तनुभेदविलक्षणः॥
Siva has just transformed himself into Ganapati with the face of an elephant. The god can be mcditated upon as occupying different regions, as for instance, the god dwelling on a mountain located in the midst of an ocean of the juice of sugracane. He can be conceived as occupying a Tantric diagram whose eight regions may be conceived as different places of importance in the Indian subcontinent.
प्राच्यां श्रीकामरूपो यमदिशि च तथा कोल्लपूर्वो गिरिः स्यात्
सोपाराख्यं प्रतीच्यां धनददिशि तथा चोड्डियाणं तु पीठम् । आग्नेय्यां चापि तद्वन्मलयगिरिरथ श्रीकुलान्तं निऋत्याम्
जालन्ध्र वायुभागे त्रिणयनहरिति स्यात् तथा देविकोट्टम् ॥
There are six different conceptions, of the god known under differeat names through all the forms have elephant head. The six names are Amoda, Pramoda, Sumukha, Durmukha, Vighna and Vaināyaka. The god is in a seated form and on his left lap his consort (who is only a form of Sakti) is seated. The feminine
