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Lord Ganesh
Ganesh
— the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest
mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the
importance of Ganesh, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in
the minds of the masses.
The Lord of Success
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh has an elephantine countenance with a
curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is
the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped
as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesh is one of
the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other
four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.
Ganesh Chaturthi
The
devotees of Ganesh are known as 'Ganapatyas', and the festival to celebrate and
glorify him is called Ganesh Chaturthi.
Significance of the Ganesh Form
Ganesh's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate
supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or
the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its
trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand
Ganesh holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path
and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesh's left hand is a gentle
implement to capture all difficulties.
The
broken tusk that Ganesh holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of
sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other
hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo
(sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of
the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition.
The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is
humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.
How Ganesh Got His Head
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva
Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy
out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance
to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a
stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati
broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana)
to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company
found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then
attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader
(pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a
boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any
venture.
However, there's another
less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana:
Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease
Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and
goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya
(Sun-God) was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at
this behavior, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking
at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed
the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to
bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought
back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus
reviving it.
Ganesh,
the Destroyer of Pride
Ganesh is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the
personification of material universe in all its various magnificent
manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesh regardless of their sectarian
belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the
beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."
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