Welcome beautiful soul today we are exploring a beautiful question that came up in one of our chanting circles the difference between ganesha's two bhiksha mantras gaam and glaum you might know glaum from the extended ganesha mantra Aum,
Aim,
Hreem,
Shreem,
Kleem,
Glaum,
Gaam,
Gaanapataye,
Namaha here glaum and gaam appear side by side both seed sounds connected to ganesha and naturally someone asked if both are ganesha bhikshas why is gaam considered the classical one and glaum the tantric one this is exactly what we will explore together gently clearly and in a way you can feel in your own body take a moment to arrive let the breath soften feel the ground beneath you and the gentle support of your own spine take a slow deep inhale and a long exhale landing in the present moment let's begin a bhiksha mantra is a seed sound a compact vibration that carries a specific energetic quality it doesn't work through meaning or interpretation it works through sound,
Breath,
Repetition,
And presence a bhiksha mantra is like striking a tuning fork inside the heart it sets a field of vibration it aligns the mind it awakens energy both gaam and glaum are bhikshas but they come from different lineages and have different energetic structures let's name them clearly gaam is the classical bhiksha of ganesha it's widely used in vedic and puranic traditions simple grounding steady glaum is the tantric bhiksha of ganesha it appears in specific tantric upasana lineages where sound is encoded in more complex and energetic ways both are authentic both are ancient both are powerful but their structure and purpose differ gaam is built on a very simple structure ga plus m the anuswara it is steady compact grounding teachers like david roley thomas ashley farrand harish yohari and classical ganesha commentaries all describe gaam as stabilizing clarifying obstacle clearing supportive and accessible for all practitioners it's the bhiksha that appears in the widely chanted mantra Aum Gaam Ganya Pattaye Namaha so gaam is classical devotional universal tantric bhikshas follow a different energetic logic they often include consonant clusters like gl,
Kl,
Kr which is energetic compression or diphthongs like au or ai for an expansion of energy and anuswara the m for internalization resonance and absorption glaum follows this exact structure gl au and m the anuswara it is mentioned in tantric ganesha upasana texts and described by froley and ashley farrand as shakti bhiksha a sound that carries a more concentrated transformational impulse traditionally glaum is associated with breakthrough energy dissolving deeper patterns activating creative force removing inner blockages and momentum and transformation so while gaam clears the path gently and steadily glaum cuts through in a more energetic shakti driven way both are safe both are beautiful just differ in tone and depth here is the simplest way to hold it gaam is the classical seed grounding steady devotional glaum is the tantric seed energetic coded transformational both work through sound both both open the inner field both support clarity focus and presence the difference is not the effect but the lineage the energetic structure and the intention behind the sound let's feel this together for a moment sit comfortably relax the jaw let the breath deepen just a little i'll guide you through three soft repetitions first of glaum and then of gaam feel the sound not as something you perform but as something you let move through you now take a soft deep inhale once more inhaling now gaam inhaling um once more inhaling let the echo settle notice the energy the presence the subtle shift as we come to a close remember you don't need to choose between gaam and glaum they are like two different doors into the same sacred space one is classical and grounding one is tantric and deeply transformational both are part of ganesha's vast sound field if you'd like to explore gaam and glaum further you're warmly invited to join the chanting circles or listen to the recordings take another deep breath in and a long breath out thank you for being here for listening and for exploring sound as a path namaste
