Ganesh Chaturthi
Jyotikar Pattni
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“Aum
Karrum_bindu sayukttaamm_nyityam dhyayantih yoginaha_ Kaamadam mokshadam chaiva
Aum karayaye namoh namah Aum Lambodarayaye namoh namah.”
“Aum is the
‘beeja-akshari’ mantra that manifested from an eternal point in eternal time
with the dance of mystical karma of shiva and Shakti to deliver congruence from
the eternal to the existence to the earth in the passage of time. “Aum” is the
only one beej mantra unparalleled in
sound, symbol and tantra as a result of which the yogi (Arjuna) or the
spirit of life contemplates total divine spiritual liberation passing through
the hurdles of desire and attachments and the illusions of transient life.”
“Aum” is
the manifestation of the sound of Gods. From the nothing-ness teeming vast sky
referred to as “ananta_akasha” the shape of aum surrounds the entire whole
galaxy from an infinite dot back to the infinite dot in a symbol referred to as
“akaal-brahma-swaroop - nirguna gaja swaroopa, the fathomless eternal grand one
that only one unifying symbol of eternal
God in “mantra”, “tantra” and “yantra”. “Aum” is the welcome to Godhead,
“Aum” is the grand prelude beeja- mantra of “Maha_Gana_dhi_Pattayeh” that
contemplates all four purposes of life namely desire, proliferation, religion
and liberation. “Aum” is the point at which all rivers merge with the grand
divine ocean loosing their names, forms and shapes. “Aum is the point of
spiritual eternity. The entire whole existence, the whole galaxy of cosmic deities
and cosmic constellations and cosmic divination tantamount the large belly of
Lord Ganesh, the grandest.
Once
there was neither being nor non-being; there was neither form nor formlessness.
Then, That which was hidden within Itself, that One, stirring, emerging, coming
to be, from Itself to the formless to the form. Immutable, changeless,
everywhere, pervading all, yet not physically visible that grand cosmic God
‘param-atman purusha’ ‘jagada-atman’ the cosmic God prevailed in the dance of
subtle karma of the Shakti – the divine one. Such is the mystery of Vedic
cosmic Godhead.
Suddenly
an ancient note piercing the darkness became the first divine glow of light. From
the light came a divine sound of music, from the divine sound of music came a
divine song whose birth stirred the slumbering, summoning an eternal mystery to
awaken and the shimmer and to make an extravaganza. Emerging from deep within
the blue oceans, the infinite teeming vast sky, the grand nightingale, hidden
caves, the mysterious constellations, the human hearts, “Ganesha's” truth flows
from the ice cave of the infinite.
Housed
within our gated dwelling, Ganesha the guest loved and longed for emerged. That
which has no form, can take a form yet was not borne out of the womb of the
normal but the illusion of
Most households
lovingly sing his praises. There are those who worship and adore him beyond
words. There are those who represent him in art and literature. There are those
who tell stories about him. There are those who chant his glory in many
different colourful ceremonies like weddings, house warming, and all auspicious
celebrations. No one recites Ganesh in funerals. Ganesha the great giver of
abundance, wealth, prosperity, the remover of all obstacles and the embracer of
all sweetness, brings to our households divine happiness, divine harmony and
divine warmth of love and affection.
The
thinkers think, the scholars ponder, philosophers put together lyrics, poets
rhyme Ganesha, singers sing him, Musicians play his divinity mystically, the
devotees worship; but what is the grand great Ganesha's hidden meaning?
There is
a long and hoary lineage of seekers, scholars, philosophers, who have attempted
to plumb the mysteries of the elephant-headed one ‘Gaja-Ganesha’.
Anthropologists, artists, religious aspirants, historians, ideologists, linguists,
philosophers, sociologists, and contemporary devotees of Ganesha are but some
of the most recent representatives of this enquiry. Each group has attempted,
and continues to attempt, to make sense of this enormously popular deity.
Seemingly incongruous facts simultaneously coincide. Ganesha embodies: An enormous
popularity that transcends sectarian and territorial limits; a seemingly rather
late, yet dramatic, full-blown appearance into a religious pantheon; a
confusing, conflicting, yet interesting and intriguing mythology; and an
elephant's head atop a plump human body! To further complicate the picture is
the fact that the physical representation of Ganesha offers more iconographic
variations than does that of any other Indian deity. Couple this with the fact
that Ganesha literature is rife with a seemingly endless number of stories on
an unexpectedly limited number of themes. O Ganesha, who are you really? Tell
the others what you want, tell them anything, but between you and me, who are
you really?
Vakratunda Mahaakaaya
Suryakotee Sama Prabha Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa
|
Vakratunda |
curved trunk |
|
Mahakaaya |
large bodied |
|
Surya kotee |
million suns |
|
Sama Prabha |
with the brilliance of |
|
Nirvighnam |
free of obstacles, free from fears, free from hurdles |
|
Kuru |
make |
|
mey |
my |
|
Deva |
Lord |
|
Sarva Kaaryeshu |
in all work |
|
Sarvada |
always |
“O Lord Ganesha of Large body, curved trunk, with the brilliance
of a million suns, please make all my work free of obstacles, always.”
Lord Ganesh
is the ever-blissful, elephant-headed Vedic-God ‘Deva’ (god) who is lovingly
worshipped and revered by millions of people worldwide. Although Ganesh is
known through the Hindu Vedic religion, Shri Ganesh transcends the cosmic Vedic
religion universally and is loved by many non-Indians alike, throughout the
world. ‘Maha-Ganapati’ the great Ganesh the unique one is worshipped by both
Vaishnavas (devotees of Vishnu) and Saivites (devotees of Shiva). It is for
this transcendent, all-embracing, auspicious Lord of the Ganas, Sri Maha-Ganesh
(the great divine Ganesh), that this article is dedicated to.
Enjoy and
may all goodness embrace your families. Much peace to you!
What
Ganesh Stands For: Ganesha has four arms which
symbolise his status as the universal ruler and establishes his power as the
cosmic prime minister over the four categories of beings - those who can live
only in the water, those who can live in water and on earth, those who can live
only on earth and those who can fly in air. Significance of four: It was God
Ganesha who instituted four Vedas. Hymn in Sri Bhagavat-Tattva’:
'In heaven, this child of divinity
from the shiva-shakti will establish the predominance over cosmic gods, on
earth over men, in the nether world over anti-gods and serpents. He causes the
four principles of the elements to move and is therefore four armed. In one
hand, he holds a shell, in another a discus, in the third a club or a sweet and
in the fourth a lotus.'
Thus, all
aspects of Ganesh's form are filled with symbolic meanings.
The son of Shiva and
Parvati, Shree Ganesh, is the God of Good Luck and Auspiciousness and is the
Dispeller of problems and remover of obstacles. He is also worshipped as the
God of wisdom, wealth, health, celibacy, fertility and happiness. In the
panchayatana puja, Ganesh is glorified as one of the five prime Hindu deities
(Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha) whose worship confers immortality
and liberation. Every puja hence commemorates the prelude of Ganesh pujan as
without his invocation nothing materialises.
Ganesha is associated with the swastika symbol – that
which in the Vedic ancient mantra literature signifies the nine cosmic points
and the twelve cosmic divine mantras of the kundali or the wheel of cosmic
horoscope. The four dots in the swastika signify the four Vedas and the four
purposes of life. The swastika is the yantra of Ganesha as the symbol Aum is
the mantra of Ganesha’s beej-shakti. Hence, the ancient cosmic Vedic Gods
pronounced the authenticity of all mantras with the prelude AUM and with the
prelude of Ganesh mantra. There is not a single auspicious ceremony without
Ganesha being invoked prior to undertaking any rites, rituals and process.
“Aum namo
Gannapattee tubhyam jyeshtha-jyeshtha te namah”
Devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas', and Ganesh
Chaturthi (also known as Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi) is the holy
festival that celebrates His Glory through
Ganesh Chaturthi is an occasion
or a day on which Lord Ganesha
makes his presence on earth for all his devotees. It is also known as Vinayaka
Chaturthi in Telugu.
It is not the birthday of Lord Ganesha albeit its significance closely relates
to the same. The festival is observed in the Hindu calendar
month of Bhaadrapada,
starting on the shukla
chaturthi
(fourth day of the waxing moon period). While held all over India, it is at its most
elaborate in Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh,
and other areas which were former states of the Maratha Empire.
This typically comes sometime between 20th of August and 15th
of September. The festival lasts for 10 days, ending on Ananta Chaturdashi. “Ganesha Chaturthi” is one
of the most popular Hindu festivals. It is the day most sacred to Lord Ganesha
and falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of 'Bhadrapada' (August -
September). Ganesha or Vinayaka Chaturthi is celebrated throughout
Vinayaka Chaturthi is set
apart for the sole worship of Ganesh, the common deity of all Hindus. As he is
supposed to be very fond of rice puddings, these dishes are cooked on a very
large scale in every Hindu house and offered to the God, to be consumed by the
members of the family, after the worship is over. A fresh image of Ganesh in
clay is made and worshiped on this day. One hundred and eight different names
of this God are repeated after the preliminary ceremonies and 108 different
flowers are thrown in worship over them. The origin of this worship is
prehistoric.
Yudhisthira, the hero of the Mahabharata,
Damayanti, the queen of the Nishada King Nala, Indra, the Lord of Heavens
and even Krishna, the expounder of the Bhagavatgita are said to have
devoutly worshipped Ganesh and to have obtained their desired ends.
Vinayaka or Ganesh is the eldest son
of Shiva and Mata_Parvati, or of Mata_Parvati only, according to the following
legend, as he sprang from the dirt of her body. Shiva had gone from home and Mata_Parvati
was left alone on the Kailasa; she wished to have a bath and not liking the
idea of any person entering the house then, she rubbed her body with her hands
and from the dirt that rolled off produced a figure to which she gave life and
named Ganesh. She then asked Ganesh to sit at the door and allow no one, who so
ever one might be, to come inside until she had finished her bath. Ganesh sat
at his duty and while Mata_Parvati was bathing inside, Shiva returned home. He
wanted to enter his house, but Ganesh would not allow him. After trying in vain
to persuade him with gentle words, the great god used threats which, however
had no effect. He was at last compelled to cut off Ganesh's head and force his
way in. When the goddess who was within perceived her lord entering and when
she came to know that Ganesh had been murdered, she would not speak to Shiva and
promised to become the great MAHA-KALI in rage and dismal hurt until her
attendant son was restored to back to life.
In order to do this, Shiva gave orders
to his army of the Bhutaganas to find the first living creature that slept with
its head turned towards the north, to cut off its head and to fit it into Ganesh's
body. The Bhutas searched and searched for a very long time.
At last Shiva found an
elephant asleep with its head to the north, and cutting of its head, the army
of Shiva brought it and fixed it to the Ganesha's body, and by powers vested
into Shiva, shiva gave Ganesha all the ‘tantras’ and ‘mantras’ to rise him up
alive in body and elephant in face. This story also accounts for the belief of
Hindus to avoid the northern aspect in sleep. In view of granting Ganesh the
nine qualities of yoga, the twelve emblems of Vedic rites, rituals and
ceremonial rights, the fullest cosmic powers to the governing God of the
celestial, not only Shiva restored back Ganesh but granted him the honour of
being the cosmic prime minister and gave the boon and showered blessings that
Ganesha shall be worshiped in all auspicious occasions and all auspicious
celebrations and all auspicious family occasions until time finishes. Only
after this did Shiva obtain forgiveness from Mata_Parvati.
Another mythological
pre-historic story is that of Shanni-deva casting an eye on Ganesha’s clay idol
that Mata created on the Ganesh Chaturthi and because of the awesome beauty
unparalled to none, Shanni became jealous and envious and his evil eyes
empowered to burn Ganesha’s head. In agony Mata_Parvati pledges to Lord Shiva to not only restore the
Ganesh back to life but to grant her son the commanding position in the cosmos
such that in the future NO one cosmic god would bring harm to Ganesha, otherwise
Maa vowed to destroy the entire existence with her maha-kali form. To avoid
this happening and to respect her wishes the first ever head Shiva comes across
is the head of a baby girl elephant whose mother agrees to give Shiva the
consent to cut off and take. Shiva then returns to Mata_Parvati and restores
back the head of Ganesha and Ganesha gradually comes to life with sixty four
tantras and mantras of Shiva, twenty seven constellations, all together cosmic
powers of existence and Ganesha is bestowed as the cosmic prime minister. Only
thence Mata_Parvati becomes Gauri_Sundari or the back to the beautiful one.
Mata when she beholds Ganesha in her laps whilst sat on the lion, admires
Ganesha’a most beautiful eyes and wonders how come the eye lashes of this
elephant head are so long and beautiful and divine. It was then Shiva tells Maa
that the head is that of a ‘she’ baby elephant. Mata does not mind because she
had Ganesh restored back to life and when Mata strokes Ganesha’s back, the
trunk of Ganesha turns right wards to Mata-Parvati’s face and embraces her with
immense affection and love.
Every merchant commences
his operation after first propitiating this deity. In marriages and every other
kind of religious ceremony, Vinayaka is the first God whose help is invoked.
Almost all the standard works in Sanskrit and the Vernacular languages begin
with an invocation of the help of Ganesh. Vinayaka's figure is represented as
elephant in face and man in body. The elephant's head is regarded as the emblem
of sagacity. In his image he is always seated at his ease, with his legs folded
under him on a lotus throne. He has four arms and they hold an elephant's
trunk, a noose, a mace, and a Modaka (rice pudding). He wears a crown.
His ears are adorned with jewels and his forehead vibhuti - the sacred
ashes and red kumkum and orange chandana. He wears a garland of pearls and
precious stones round his neck. He is worshipped under the different names of
Vinayaka, Ganesh, Ganapati, Pillaiyar, etc. As this most popular deity is
worshipped in almost every village, there is a belief among certain people that
he is the god of the Sudras and lower orders, who are generally uneducated.
"Who
is Vinayaka? In the sloka beginning with the words, Suklaambaradharam Vishnum,
only the form of the deity is described. But there is another inner meaning for
the name "Vinayaka". Suklaambaradharam means one who is clad in
white. Vishnum means he is all-pervading. Sasivarnam means his complexion is
grey like that of ash. Chathurbhujam means he has four arms. Prasannavadanam
means he has always a pleasing mien. Sarvavighnopasaanthaye means for the
removal of all obstacles. Dhyaayeth, meditate (on him). Vinayaka is the deity
who removes all bad qualities, instills good qualities and confers peace on the
devotee who meditates on him Vinayaka means that he is totally master of
himself. He has no master above him. He does not depend on anyone. He is also
called Ganapathi. This term means he is the lord of the ganas - a class of
divine entities. This term also means that he is the master of the intellect
and discriminating power in man. He possesses great intelligence and knowledge.
Such knowledge emanates from a pure and sacred mind." Ganesh is the
grandeur prime minister of the Vedic cosmic sky, as he is like a deity of all!
In the celestial, Brahma, Vishnoo, Mahesh, Saraswatti, Laxshmee, Kali all
together worship him as grand deva or Lambodarayeh!
In the
spiritual world, all the angels, and spirits cherish his glorious grandeur in
hymns. In the terrestrial world, he is worshipped in every heart as the Grand
God of all wisdom, all together Grand God of abundance and giver, hence he is
known as Lambodarayeh.
Lord
Naradji sang the following hymn for Ganesh:
“Aum Ajam nirvikalpama niraakaramekam
niraananda_ma_ananda_ma_ddaittapurnnam.
Param-Nirgunam Nirvikalpam Niriham;
Parabrahma_roopam, Ganesham_bhajeaham.
Gunateetamanm Chidaananda_Roopam;
Chida_Bhasakam Sarva_gann Gyannagamyam.
Munidhyeyam Aakasharupam Paresham;
Parameishwaram, parabrahma_roopam Ganesham_bhajeaham.
Aum Sarva_Vighnaharam Devam
Sarva_Vighna_Vivargitam Sarva_Sidhi_Pradataram Vandeham Gumm Gananayakam”
One who can recite the above hymn shall invoke the
presence of Lord Ganesh without the shadow of the doubt says Lord Naradji.
This hymn is my favourite hymn together with the ashtha_Ganesh
shlokas that Naradji sings to Ganeshji in his prayers.
Sree Ganeshaya namah Naraada uvachaal. Prannamya shirasaa devamm
gauree putramm vinaayakamm -- bhaktaa vaasam smaren.h nityamm aayuhh kaama
artha siddhayeh. 1
Prathamamm vakratunnddamm cha eka danttamm dvitiyakamm
trritiiyamm krrishnna pi-ngakshhamm gaja vaktramm chatturrthakamm. 2
Lambodaramm panchamamm cha shhasshhtthamm vikattameva cha
saptamamm vighna raajendraamm cha dhuumra varnnamm tatha ashhtamamm. 3
Navammam bhaalachandramm cha dashamamm tu vinaayakam ekaadasham
gannapatimm dvaadashamm tu gajaananamm. 4
Dwaadasaitaati naamaani tri sanmdhyamm yahh patthenn.h narahh na
cha vighna bhayamm tasya sarva siddhikaramm prabho.5
Vidyaarthii labhate vidyamm dhanaarthii labhate dhanaamm
putraarthii labhate putraan.h mokshhaarthi labhate gatimm. 6
Japed.eh Gannapatistotramm -- shhaddbhir.h maasaihh phalamm
labhet.h sammvatsarenna siddhimm cha labhate natra sammshayahh.7
Ashhttabhyo braahmannebhyashcha
likhitvaa yahh samarpayet.h -- tasya vidyaa bhavet.h sarvaa ganneshasya
prasaadatahh. 8
Itti shree narad purani, sankashta nashanamm – naaman shree
ganapattti stotram sampurnnanam
Ekadantaya vakratundaya gauree tannayaye dhi mahi gajeshanaye
bhalchandraye shree Ganeshaya prachodayatt.
It is proven that one who recited the above two hymns
everyday once at the sunrise or upon waking up shall never ever encounter
obstacles in his or her routine and one shall leave the household with the
right foot first for the boys and left for the girls. His maha mantra which
Naradji recited is as follows:
“Aum Antarikshayah Sarva_Sidhayah Mantra_siddhayah
Ridhi_dayakayah, Maha_Ganeshayah Tubhyam Jyeshtha_Jyeshthayah Namoh Namaha”
Anyone who recites this mantra for 108 times for 365 days
beginning Ganesh Chaturthi shall accomplish any one wish one makes without the
shadow of doubt. This is the Vedic promise of Vyas_guru.
It is believed that moon on the Chaturthi is NOT to be
seen and if by some reason the Chaturthi moon is seen by the visible eyes then
the following mantra is recited to overcome suffering of planets like Ketu or
for the removal of all obstacles. The Ganesh mantra for the Chaturthi moon as
recited by Lord Krishna’s Radhika is as follows: This mantra may be recited
prelude to any puja or any mantra_manjaree to remove evil aspects of planets
and Rahu-Ketu influx:
“Aum Gamm Glaum Gannapattaye
Vighna_Vinashiney Swaha”.
The Grandeur of Ganesh manifests in the following
delightful shaktis (energies) in all goodness in all households alike without
any dualism:
1.
Para_Brahma Vishwaroopam trinetram Tripura_Sundaram
MahaAntarikshayah, Maha_mantrasiddhayah and Maha_Yantrasidhayah swaroop the
great AUM.
2.
Shubh and Labh in the form of swastika representing the
auspiciousness and profits or benefits.
3.
Gaja_kesari Laxshmee Ganesh: the Padma_asnah Ganesh beloved of
mata Laxshmee representing the whole cosmic karmic God.
4.
Ridhi and Sidhi representing abundance and proliferations and
success.
5.
Shakti Ganesh as a guardian angel at the entrances of our homes
in the form of MUSIKA_VAHANAH or the charioteer of mouse.
32 Forms
of Ganesh in Agamic Scriptures
Baala Ganapati - Red colored image of a four armed
Ganesha.
Dharuna Vinayakar: Red colored image of an eight armed
Ganesha – (rare).
This the maha_kali Maha_dharun warrior Ganesh.
Bhakti Vinayakar: Grey colored image of four armed
Ganesha .
Veera Vinayakar: Red colored image of 16 armed Ganapati.
Shakti Ganapati: Red colored image of 4 armed Ganapati,
seated with his consort to his left.
Dwija Vinayakar: White colored image of four faced
Ganesha with 4 arms.
Siddhi Vinayakar: Golden colored image of four armed
Ganapati.
Ucchishta Ganapati: Blue colored image of six armed
Ganapati with his consort.
Vigna Vinayakar: Gold colored image of eight armed
Ganapati.
Kshipra Ganapati: Red colored image of four armed Ganesha
bearing a ratna kumbham.
Heramba Vinayakar: Black colored image of ten armed
Ganesha with five faces, seated on a lion.
Lakshmi Vinayakar: White colored image of eight armed
Ganesha with two consorts.
Makara Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with a
third eye, 10 arms, bearing a ratna kumbham, with his consort.
Vijaya Vinayakar: Red colored image of 4 armed Ganesha on
the mooshika mount.
Nritta Vinayakar: Gold colored image of Ganesha in a
dance posture.
Urdhva Vinayakar: Gold colored image of six armed Ganesha
with his consort.
Ekakshara Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with a
third eye, seated on a lotus.
Vara Vinayakar: Red colored image of 4 armed Vinayaka
with a third eye.
Dhryakshara Vinayaka: Gold colored image of four armed
Vinayakar, decorated with Chaamara ear rings.
Kshipraprasaada Vinayakar: Red colored image of six armed
Ganapati.
Haridra Vinayakar: Yellow colored image of four armed
Ganapati.
Ekadhanta Vinayakar: Blue colored image of four armed
Ganapati.
Srishti Vinayakar: Red colored image of four armed Ganapati seated on his
mooshika mount.
Utthanda Vinayakar: Red colored image of 10 armed Ganesha
with his consort to his left.
Ranamochana Vinayaka:
Dundi Vinayakar: Four armed image of Ganesha bearing a
tusk, a garland, an axe and a gem studded vessel.
Dwimukha Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with two
faces and four arms.
Trimukha Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with
three faces and six arms seated on a golden lotus.
Simha Vinayakar: White colored image of Ganesha with
eight arms (with an arm bearing a lions face).
Yoga Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha in the
posture of a yogi.
Durga Vinayakar: Red colored image of Ganesha with eight
arms.
Sankatahara Vinayakar: Red colored image of four armed
Ganesha clothed in blue, seated on a lotus peetham with his consort to his
left.
There is always a small shrine of Vigneswara, attached to
all Shiva temples. In the Vishnu temples too he is worshipped as Tumbikkaialvar
- the sage of the elephant's trunk - and as Vishvaksena. Sometimes he
has his own temples too. As he is the favourite son of Shiva, he receives
honours equal to Shiva. His image is with sincere devotion adored by men and
women alike. He is supposed to represent the several personifications of
sagacity, shrewdness, patience, and learning. As a test of his wisdom, it is
related that when he was a child and playing in company with his brother
Subrahmanya-Kartikaya, Shiva promised to present a mango and marriage to him
who made a circuit round the world and returned first. Subrahmanya summoned his
peacock, mounted it and was ready for the journey. But Ganesh calmly went round
Shiva-parvatti put together, his father and mother, and demanded the fruit and
crowned for marriage.
"But you never went round the world," said
Shiva.
"What is the world, but your own holy self and the
holy feet of my beloved mother? I went round you both together. Ergo, I
went round the world and its entire grand cosmic illusion maya." was
Ganesha's wise reply.
Shiva was of course convinced, praised Ganesh for his cleverness,
shrewdness, and gave him the promised fruit, which however he shared with
Subrahmanya and crowned him for ridhi-sidhi marriage.
The peculiarity of this deity is that his worship is
combined as it were with that of every other God. All sects unite in claiming
him as their own. It is for this reason that his shrines are found generally
associated with those of other deities - Shiva and Vishnu. The largest temple
built solely in honour of Ganesh in
Though this god is invoked on several occasions during
the years, there is a special day in every year which is set apart particularly
for his worship, and this day is called the Vinayaka Chaturthi
day, which falls on the fourth lunar day of the bright half of the month of
Simha. The Tamils term this day Pillaiyar Chavutti day. Of all the figures in Hindu Mythology, that
of Ganesh or Pilaiyar must be most familiar to every European. In the bathing
ghat of every river and underneath the pipal tree will be seen a figure in a
sitting posture, short and stout, with a protuberant stomach and four hands,
riding a mouse and with the body of man and the head of an elephant. This is
the image of Ganesh or Pillaiyar, and there is not a single village in the
whole of
The first person to observe
the 'vratt' (vow) of Ganesh Chaturthi was Chandra - the moon. After Ganeshji's
fame as leader ('pati') of Shiva's 'ganas', hence Ganapati, he was travelling
through the heavens. As he passed Chandra - who prided on his attractive
features, he slighted Ganeshji's peculiar form. In return, Ganeshji cursed him,
"You shall bear the fruit of your karma. Whenever anybody does your
darshan one will be cursed too." Chandra begged for forgiveness. Ganeshji
then advised him to observe the Ganesh Chaturthi vratt and was freed from the
curse. By being aware of the detrimental effects of false pride one should cultivate
humility. The Skanda Purana mentions this sentiment of the festival. The Vayu
Puran advocates the observance of this festival by listening to the following
relevant episode of Shri Krishna, to be relieved from false accusation: When
Shri Krishna was falsely accused of pilfering the Syamantak Mani (gem) he
observed Ganesh Chaturthi and was freed from the false charge. This festival
also inspires devotees to inculcate two virtues; obeying the commands of God
and God’s choicest devotee, and consolidating faith in them, just as Ganeshji
had faith and trust in Parvati Mataji regarding circling of his parents.
Names of Ganeshji
Ekadanta (one-toothed): To scribe the Mahabharat Katha
Ganeshji removed one of his tusks to carve a quill from it. He then scribed the
epic on palm leaves as the sage Ved Vyas recited it. The scribing took three
years! In south
There are other names
related to his body and virtues. A few commonly known are listed below:
·
Sumukhaya
- Lambodaraya - from the long vast- 'lambo', tummy (big belly) -
'udar'.
- Gajakarnakaya - from the large elephant 'Gaja' ears - 'karna.'
- Kapilaya - from his ruddy complexion.
- Vikata - heavy-bodied.
- Bbhaalachandra - having a Chandra (moon) on his forehead -
'bhal.'
- Dwaimatur - one who has 'dwi' - two, 'mata' - mother; Parvati -
who gave birth to him and Malini - a demoness who nurtured him.
- Vakratunda - one who breaks the ego of he who behaves
anti-socially ('Vakra').
- Maha-kaya – one whose body is grand as the cosmos
- Vakra-tunda – Beloved of all suns put together.
- Vikataya – one who grants divine eternal happiness
- Vinayakaya – one who is the supreme cosmic prime minister
- Mudgal - In
south
- Vigneshwar - One
who removes mayic obstacles - 'vignas'
- Dhumaraketava –
fiery in stature – filled with the energy of mars.
- Ganadhyakshaya – one who is the leader of ganas
- Gajananaya – beautiful elephant faced
- Surpakarnaya – large basket like ears
- Herambaya – supremely powerful one
- Skanda-purvajaya – one whose elder brother is Subrahmanyam
- Maha-Ganapataye – grandeur of cosmic gods
- Haripriyaye – beloved of all Gods and God Vishnoo presides in
him.
Symbolism
of Ganesh
Since
Ganeshji represents auspiciousness, his whole being has symbol purports
meaningful zest for devotees.
Large
ears - signify listening to God's katha with great zeal.
Small
eyes - to do the Lord's darshan minutely.
Large
forehead - to develop great intellect to realise God.
Large
stomach - depicts his great capacity to empathise with the woes
of devotees.
Short
stout and hefty legs - depicts patience.
Long
trunk - symbolic of his deep scriptural wisdom.
Mouse as
vehicle - a hyperactive creature, symbolic of our indriyas. Therefore
Ganesh sitting on such a vehicle represents a deity of control over the
indriyas.
Four arms - which hold: 'ankush' - symbol for
control over the mind 'ladu' - for happiness 'pash' - axe to punish the
indriyas and antahkaran 'ashirvad mudra' – blessings for the well being
of humanity. Depending on the role of Ganapati, the number of arms varies, as
do the type of objects.
Ashtha_dgipal
devta: - one who controls all eight directions of the cosmos with his
swastika-vachannam and atharvashishtha shlokas.
The Shiva Puran cites another story.
Prajapati had two daughters, Siddhi (wealth) and Buddhi (intellect). He
approached Parvati and Shivaji for the girls' marriage to Kartikeya and
Ganeshji. However both girls wished to marry only the latter realising that
Kartikaya wanted to observe celibacy. Thus they married Ganesh. Siddhi gave
birth to a son named 'Shubh' (auspiciousness) and Buddhi to 'Labh' (merit).
Therefore when businessmen and merchants offer pujan to Ganeshji and Laxshmeeji
they write 'Shubh' and 'Labh' inside their account ledgers to invoke the two
deities.
Historical
reflections:
According to the historian Shri Rajwade, records reveal
that Ganesh Chaturthi was celebrated even during the reigns of Satavahana, Rashtrakuta and Chalukya. There are also references in
historical records to similar celebrations during Peshwa times, Lord Ganapati being the family deity of the
Peshwas. After the end of Peshwa rule, from 1818 to 1892 Ganesh Festival
remained a family affair in
In Pune, as the sun sets over darkening rivers, the
images are taken out in boats and as each one is immersed, a cry is raised
asking him to return the next year. It is an emotional and public farewell to
their beloved god as parthiva (of the earth), who like the Phoenix, will
rise once again the following year.
Traditions
and customs, rites and rituals of Ganesh Chaturthi:
Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival
which commences on the fourth day of the bright half of the month of
Bhadrapada, around August or September. It is variously celebrated for one,
two, five, seven or 11 days. The day commemorates certain events connected with
Ganesha. It is the day on which he materialised as Mayureshwara, to kill the
demon Sindhu, who had acquired extraordinary powers through the worship of Surya.
Mayureshwara is also one of the ashtavinayakas (the eight forms of Ganesha).
This is also the birth that Shiva has chosen to celebrate in Kailasa.
A special puja is performed for Ganesha.
The worship of the deity involves getting a corner ready to receive the god.
Ganesha is invited with a special phrase and with material and verbal
offerings, the puja begins. It involves the panchamrut (five nectars), which includes milk,
curd,
ghee,
honey and jaggery, with which the god's icon is bathed,
cleansing in between with water. Ganesha is then given a red garment and the
sacred thread - saying it is silver. He is then smeared with red sandal paste
and offered red or yellow flowers. A lamp is lit, bells chime and food is
offered in six symbolic mouthfuls - not to the god's body, but to his five
panchapranas or 'vital breaths' and the one beyond - the absolute.
During the festival, puja is performed twice every day -
once in the morning and again in the evening. Ganesha is offered special leaves
and flowers, 21 of each and white durva grass. The idol is formally installed
on the first day and given life in the presence of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva,
and the Vedas. Touching the idol with blades of durva grass, he is brought to
life step by step and made to go through 15 of the 16 rites of passage that
each Hindu goes through in his lifetime. (The sixteenth one, which is for
death, is omitted). Ganesh viasarjan is very much a
The Ganesha mantra is chanted, followed by a Ganesha
prayer. The last puja done, the family or congregation gathers around and rice
grains are placed on the head of the idol, which is moved, symbolically
unseating him.
As a matter of interest there are about 91 different
figures of Ganesha according to research done by several scholars. The details
of their make up may vary from figure to figure, but with no change in the main
set-up. It is the enigma of certain striking variations in details that the
sublime in the figures of Ganesha has to be sought for.
Some figures are seen sitting with their trunks turned
towards the left side, invariably reaching a bowl of modaks (a sweet edible and
festive preparation), while in some figures, the trunks are seen turning
towards the right and in yet others, the trunk is straight, hanging down, with
or without a pot of nectar in the curve of their trunks.
In some images, Ganesha is seen standing, resting his
right foot on a lion and his left foot on a mouse (his chosen mode of
transport), while in some other images, his left foot is found resting on a
mouse and his right foot lifted in an effort to touch the serpent girdle - his
mount carrying a jewel in its mouth.
Problems and limitations:
Despite the good intentions and divine idea behind this
festival, in modern times there have been a few stray incidents of religious
tensions. Environmentalists have questioned the dumping of the idols made
increasingly with chemicals which pollute the lakes and seas. On September
2004, the Chennai High Court imposed a temporary ban on such immersions. Every
year there are at least a couple of casualties associated with accidents (while
dumping the idols) or clashes associated with this. There is conflicting
perception because according to the Vedas, the Vinayaka Chaturthi represents
the first manifestation of the Ganesh and the ten days subequent to that day
representing the ananta-chaturdashi or the fourteenth day of the bright cycle
of the moon of the badrapada month commemorates the end of Ganesh utsav and
Ganesh is believed to rise back to life on this particular day as the spirit of
Ganesh. To immerse idols of Ganesh in waters to me does not hold any truth!
As a Vedic scholar and as a Vedic practitioner, I believe
that in accordance with the Vedas there is only one truth and truth is not
dual. Over the historical passage of
time, people have divided and manipulated that truth. So more and more
interpretations emanate from different regions of
Reciting the mantra-manjari of Shree Naradji given herein
and recital of the ashtha-vighneshwara shloka of the Naradji brings immense
peace, happiness and internal divine bliss.
Ganesh: The twelve forms of Ganesh and mantras
Symbolism: Ganesh
Dedicated
to the great divine spirit of life of life Maha_Ganesha
Jyotikar
Pattni ©