Let us contemplate the wondrous form and glory of the Lord who is the remover of obstacles, the beloved Ganapati. His visage is striking: a curved trunk adorns his face, and his great body radiates with the brilliance of ten million suns. He stands single-tusked, his eyes dark and tawny, formidable in presence, his complexion tinged with smoky hues. He holds an axe, ever ready, and his form is likened to a jackal—a leader among beings. His ears are broad, like winnowing fans, and his countenance is beautiful, shining with prosperity and the power to grant every accomplishment. Sometimes golden in hue, his limbs glow like molten gold, and his soul is vast, emanating the gentle radiance of sandalwood. His own limbs and eyes are always blissful, for he embodies all worlds and their perceptions. He is Indra, the victorious one, bannered with smoke, akin to fire, worthy of worship, and destroyer of forest fires. He is complete bliss, supreme bliss, the ancient supreme person. In his hands he holds a pot and a pitcher; his form is sometimes hunchbacked, and he is satisfied by offerings of fish and meat. He is composed of constellations, stars, and planets, assuming the form of time itself, the lord of the universe. Mighty in power, he is beloved at the beginning of the lunar fortnight, and on the second day, established in non-duality. He manifests in three forms, is the third fire, of triple nature. On the fourth day, he is especially beloved, the one who leads across; his voice resounds on the fifth day. He enjoys the six tastes, is unborn, the sixth, and the year of sixty. Through seven streams his movement flows; he is the essence, the lord of the seventh day, desired by all, bringing joy on the eighth day, free from pain, honored by devotion on the ninth. Worshipped by the lords of the ten directions, he is the tenth, Brahma, swift, soul of the eleven, leader of the hosts, and revered in the twelve pairs. He is praised in thirteen syllables, dear to the gods of the fourteen worlds, extolled by fourteen Indras, and his form is full of bliss on the full moon day. Both new moon and full moon, vision and seer, he dwells in forests, lord of sages, silent, with sweet speech, the root of all words, embodied, his vehicle the cloud. He is the great elephant, conqueror of anger and enemies, refuge of victory, fierce, dear to Rudra, golden, son of Rudra, and destroyer of evil. Beloved of Bhava and Bhavānī, bearer of burdens, creator of beings, skilled in Gandharva arts, unimpeded, Vaikuṇṭha, served by Viṣṇu. He is slayer of Vṛtra, remover of obstacles, strong, destroyer of misfortune, charming, purifier, intoxicated, son of Durgā, and never indolent. He is the endless stream of nectar-like consciousness, the hero, sole accomplisher of valor; a radiant crown adorned with jewels sits atop his head, and he is encircled by the tinkling of little bells. His trunk moves as his snout coils, adorned with a garland of skulls; his eyes are lotus-like, a lotus held in his hand, worshipped by Padmanabha. Praised in hymns, adorned with a garland of human teeth, decorated with ornaments, he is Narada, elephantine, with restless ears like winnowing baskets. He is attainable by those seated in great delight, pervading the three worlds, the life-giver who bestows grace upon those bewildered in the realm of earth. His mighty ear-ends generate winds that conquer all directions, and the great roar from his mouth overwhelms the terrifying shell of the universe. His vast feet stride across the seven netherworlds, causing them to tremble; he fiercely delights in battle, his great tusks exuding the essence of joy in combat. With mighty hands, he wields all weapons and subdues demons; his face shines with vermilion, his eyes blaze with fiery brilliance. He resounds with the jingling of anklets adorned with radiant jewels; surrounded by rivers filled with swiftly moving streams and countless droplets of water. His lotus feet are worshipped by hosts of wandering elephants; revered by Brahma, Achyuta, and the great Rudra, foremost among the gods. He is attended by all kinds of serpents, including mighty Shesha; the roar of five-faced lions reaches the mountain peaks. His mind is bewildered by the fierce cries of the gods, 'Ha Ha' and 'Hū Hū'; his form is empowered by fifty seed-syllables and mantras. The earth is flooded by the nectar-stream of Vedanta’s teachings; the sound of the conch fills realms from netherworld to heavens. He is the wish-fulfilling gem, the great wrestler, holding a strong spear, powerful and victorious; he shines in the three worlds, illuminating them with the glory of the Krita and Treta ages. He is Dvapara, sole lord of the other world, moonlight dispelling the darkness of karma; his form anointed with nectar, pervading the cosmic egg and all within. Radiant with the series of letters from 'A' to 'Kṣa', he resounds with musical tones sung from 'A' and 'Ā', echoing with the highest note. He delights in the garland of mantras beginning with 'I' and 'E', joyfully whirling them; adorned with the dread serpent as sacred thread, emerging from the utterance of 'U' and 'O'. He is adorned with the syllable 'ṛ', radiant with the pair of lotus-like 'ṝ' syllables, united with 'lṛ', filling all directions with the conch-like sound of 'lṝ'. Skilled in drinking the milk from Girijā's breast, symbolized by the letters 'e' and 'ai'; leisurely in the sequence of creation beginning with 'o' and 'au'. His head and limbs are pervaded by the syllables from 'aṃ' to 'aḥ'; surpassing the celestials, his ears and palate filled with exceedingly powerful wind. He has reddish feet, a crown adorned with gems, banner of the lord of birds; his ears ever intent on the songs sung by proud Gandharvas. Worshipped by foremost gods and sages in the city of eloquence, borne by a mighty cloud, he is the radiant One-tusked Lord, resplendent with the nectar-stream of the syllable 'ṅa'. His beautiful form is adorned with sandalwood, saffron, and the red of the jambāla fruit; his face decorated with a jeweled crown, attended by a royal umbrella and fly-whisks. His matted locks are set with rows of priceless gems; surrounded by the humming sound of swarms of bees, echoing with their melodious song. He wields a mace drenched in the blood of demons destroyed by the power of the syllable 'ña'; at the taste of the fruit of the syllable 'ṭaṅ', all his hair stands on end. He is pleased by the syllables ṭha, ḍha, ḍa, and ḍha; the nectar-bearing support of the stream of immortal essence from the nine sacred letters. His forehead shines with the glow of a mass of coppery vermilion; he delights the assembly of twice-born by the wealth of the syllable 'tha'. Such is the vivid, reverent vision of Ganapati, the Lord of all, whose form and power pervade every realm, every syllable, every moment, and whose blessings are sought by gods and mortals alike.