Atharva Veda · Atharva Veda (also called Ganapati Atharvashirsha) · 14 mantras
Ganapati Upanishad
Gaṇapaty-upaniṣad
Central theme: Ganesha as Brahman — the elephant-headed One identical with Om and the supreme Self
Mahavakya
त्वमेव प्रत्यक्षं तत्त्वमसि
Tvameva pratyakṣaṁ tat-tvam-asi
“You alone are the visible "That thou art."”
— Ganapati Upanishad 1
Also called Ganapati Atharvashirsha or Sri Ganapati Atharvashirsha Upanishad. Opens with the iconic prostration "Om Namaste Ganapataye" and the eight-fold identification: "You alone are the visible Tattva, you alone are the creator, you alone are the sustainer, you alone are the destroyer, you alone are all this, you alone are Brahman, you alone are the Atman." Embeds the ganesha-gayatri ("ekadantāya vidmahe, vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi") and the seed-mantra "gaṁ" with its full nyasa procedure. Recited daily by Ganapatya sect and by all who begin any auspicious undertaking. Promises removal of obstacles, mastery of the eight siddhis and ultimate liberation to its daily reciter.
Ganapati Upanishad 8
त्वं ब्रह्मा त्वं विष्णुस्त्वं रुद्रस्त्वमिन्द्रस्त्वमग्निस्त्वं वायुस्त्वं सूर्यस्त्वं चन्द्रमास्त्वं ब्रह्म भूर्भुवः स्वरोम्
Tvaṁ brahmā tvaṁ viṣṇus tvaṁ rudras tvam indras tvam agnis tvaṁ vāyus tvaṁ sūryas tvaṁ candramās tvaṁ brahma bhūr bhuvaḥ svar oṁ
You are Brahma, you are Vishnu, you are Rudra, you are Indra, you are Agni, you are Vayu, you are Surya, you are Chandra — you are Brahman, the three worlds, you are Om.
The remover of obstacles is not a deva among devas — he is the One the devas themselves are.