Antaranga Avatars • Mudgala Purana
Eight Inner Forms of Ganesh
The Mudgala Purana gives eight Inner Avatars of Ganapati. These avatars can be understood to symbolize abstract qualities which triumph over similar personifications of evil and weakness. The Purana explicitly states that the stories are to be meditated upon for their inner meaning, which will be revealed according to the inner development of each individual, and are not meant to be understood as literal narratives.