Today, Sep 19th 2012, is being celebrated as Ganesh Chathurthi, the birthday of Lord Ganesha all over the country. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati and is the elder brother of Lord Karthikeya. This Hindu God is one of the most popular dieties in Indian folklore and culture. He is worshipped in human form with the head of an elephant and is known by many names, such as Ganapati, Vinayaka, Vigneshvara and Pillayar. He is considered to be the remover of obstacles and is also considered to be a very fantastic scribe with a high level of wisdom. It is through his writings that Mahabarata narrated by Vyas, became so popular and is among the finest pieces of Hindu literature. Thus, it is of no surprise that he is also worshipped as the god of learning, knowledge and wealth. He is invoked before starting any new venture such as a new business, writing a book etc and there is hardly any Hindu house without his picture adoring the walls.
The significance of his physical form has some very interesting points to ponder. They are briefly described below.
The significance of his physical form has some very interesting points to ponder. They are briefly described below.
Ganesha's head denotes wisdom and his trunk teaches us to be efficient and adaptable at all times. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The rope in Ganesha's left hand is supposed to help surmount all difficulties and reach your goal. The broken tusk in Ganesha's lower right hand is beleived to have been used as a pen for writing the Mahabarata, and is a symbol of sacrifice in search of knowledge and wisdom. The rosary in his other hand goads all devotees to continuosly pursue knowledge. The sweet (laddoo) in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His large ears indicates that he is always ready to listen to us. The snake around his waist represents energy in all forms and the mouse at his foot is his humble mount.
The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana are the main scriptures for the devotees of the Lord. The Ganesha Purana talks about four incarnations of the lord, such as Mahotkata, Mayuresvara, Dhumraketu and Gajanana (see pic below).
There are 8 incarnations according to the Mudgala Purana (i.e.) Vakratunda, Ekadanta, Mahodara, Gajavaktra, Lambodara, Vikata, Vighnaraja and Dhumravarna. (see pic below)
Both these Puranas consider Ganesha to represent the ultimate reality of being.
The devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas' and I am proud to be one among them.
Wish you a very very Happy birthday Vinayaka !!
