Ganesha Puja : Sending out the Rakshasas and the Bhutas, and worshipping the Earth
We bow to all the Gurus :
The reason we bow to all the Gurus is because our personal guru is the last in a long line of gurus who were responsible for the creation, preservation and expansion of the body of knowledge.
(While today intellectual property is a big deal, and royalities etc are the way for a human to earn their living and get credit for their work.. in the olden days.. credit was given by each narrator to the previous one and the king supported all ‘academic activity’.)
Ringing the bell :
For the arrival of all Devas and the departure of all the Rakshasas, I ring the bell. My guru tells me that her guru used to musically ring the bell exactly 14 times when he performed this ritual, perhaps related to the 14 lokas. (One favorite incident I like to retell is how the priests in the Basavanagudi temple were chanting this shloka and ringing the bell., when all the white tourist foreigners ran out with their fingers stopping their ears and all the devout Indians went forward to have the dars’an. Thus I concluded that the Rakshashas had very sensitive ears 
)
bhUtOccATana mantra :
As we begin this dEvakarma, without causing a disturbance to anyone, may all the ‘bhUtAs’ (beings) and others beings who are a burden to mother earth, go away. May those beings who wish to cause obstacles in our puja be destroyed by the order of Siva.
(The above mantra speaks strongly against the ‘loudspeaker religion’ where everyone of all faiths in India blare their activity on the loudspeakers and disturb the peace and quiet. No one should be disturbed in their prayers and none should disturb others…)
Worship of the Earth :
Oh Earth! by you is this whole world carried and you are carried by Vishnu (as in the Varaha Avatar). O Devi! Please carry me and make pure this Asana (seat, easy sitting/posture).
Source :http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3653/3338614940_32c3674b09.jpg
See Also :
- Vinayaka
- Ganesha Puja : Ayam Muhurtah Sumuhurtostu : May this muhurta be a good muhurta
- Ganesha Puja : Quoting the Bhagavad Gita, Vishnu Sahasranamam and Rama Raksha Stotram
- Shodasha Ganapati Stotra is chanted for the removal of all obstacles
- Prana Pratishtha – prANa pratiSThA – invoking Ganesha into the vigraha
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