Speak Such Words…* True Worship of Ganesha – Purity of Speech, the Truest Worship

When we look at the silent night sky with a calm mind, we see clouds, stars, and colors spread across. But when all these move aside, what remains is sheer emptiness.

Our life is very similar. Throughout the day countless thoughts, ideas, and dreams pass through the mind. But if, by the end of the day, none of them have left a lasting impression, life feels hollow, empty, barren. Then how will true fulfillment, true direction, and true abundance arise? The answer lies in our first thought of the day.

Someone has rightly said: “Every morning, two kinds of thoughts arise in the mind: one positive and one negative. The choice, however, rests entirely with us.” Because, as is the thought, so becomes life. The secret of the entire day is hidden in that very first thought.

*The First Thought of the Morning*

Most people begin their day with thoughts like – “I must catch the train,” “I must finish the deadline,” “I must visit the doctor.”

But think of the very first impulse of the Divine –

“Eko’ham Bahusyām” – I am One, let me manifest in many forms.

And from that thought blossomed the entire creation in its magnificent diversity.

Our first thought too should be –

*I am… and I must create something good in this world through many forms of myself.*

This is precisely why our saints gave us the tradition of daily worship – so that every morning, at the very dawn of the day, auspicious and elevating thoughts may take root in the mind. But over time we reduced worship to a mere ritual, forgetting its true purpose: to purify our thoughts and to sanctify our speech.

*What is Ganesha?*

Sant Dnyaneshwar, at the very opening of his Jñāneśwarī, describes Ganesha:

“This is the infinite Word-Brahman,

Itself the most graceful form,

Where the body of letters shines,

Pure and flawless.” (1:3)

The meaning is clear – the entire Vedas themselves are the form of Ganesha, and their beauty lies in the Word. Ganesha is none other than the Word-Brahman. Hence, true worship of Ganesha is not merely before the idol, but in the purity of our speech and the sanctity of our words.

Sant Kabir echoes the same spirit-

“Speak such words, let the ego melt away,

Words that bring peace to others,

And to yourself, joy shall stay.”

Dnyaneshwar further emphasized: more important than the word is its meaning, more than the meaning is the feeling, and even greater than the feeling is the resonance of sound. For ultimately, sound is vibration. And when sound is pure, its vibrations purify both mind and life.

Underscoring this, Sadguru Shri Wamanrao Pai would say –

“A person must remain alert at the point of utterance, for every beginning springs from the word spoken.”

Purifying speech, therefore, does not mean using polite words alone; it means cleansing the feeling and sound behind them. The same word, spoken with love, creates one effect; with anger, another. Hence one should speak with the awareness – “What if these are my last words?” Such awareness itself is Vak-Shuddhi – purity of speech.

Bitter words can break relationships, while gentle words can win strangers as friends.

Thus –

Right thought → Pure speech → Right action → Auspicious fruit.

Wrong thought → Impure speech → Wrong action → Painful result.

The root of a happy life lies in our thoughts and speech.

Sadguru Shri Wamanrao Pai also said –

*He who conquers his tongue, conquers the world.*

The tongue is used in two ways –

1. For taste (food) – which affects the body.

2. For speech (words) – which affects the mind, society, and the entire life.

Mastery over the tongue in food gives health; mastery over the tongue in speech gives peace and power. True mastery is in speech, and that alone is true worship of Ganesha – beginning with pure words, pure sound, pure feelings.

Worship of Ganesha is not merely offering modaks.

Worship of Ganesha is offering sweet, pure speech.

So let us pause before we speak, and ask –

Are my words bringing harmony and well-being?

If the answer is “yes,” then consider –

Your true worship of Ganesha is complete.

A student of Vak-Shuddhi

*Jayant Joshi*