The Mudgala
Purana is a Hindu
religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha
(Gaṇeśa).
It is an upapurāṇa that
includes many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha.
The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala
Purana are core
scriptures for devotees of Ganesha, known as Ganapatyas
(Gāṇapatya).
These are the only two Purana that are exclusively dedicated to
Ganesha.
The Mudgala
Purana considers Ganesha to represent
the ultimate reality of being. As such, Ganesha's manifestations
are endless but eight of his incarnations are of most
importance. The eight incarnations are introduced in MudP
1.17.24-28. The text is organized into sections for each of these
incarnations. These are not the same as the four incarnations
of Ganesha that are described in the Ganesha Purana.
The incarnation
described in the Mudgala
Purana took place in different cosmic
ages. The
Mudgala Purana uses these incarnations to
express complex philosophical concepts associated with the
progressive creation of the world. Each incarnation represents a
stage of the absolute as it unfolds into creation.
Granoff provides a summary of the philosophical meaning of
each incarnation within the framework of
the Mudgala
Purana: Along with the philosophy, typical
Puranic themes of battles with demons provide much of the story
line.
The incarnations appear
in the following order: