Pooja (Prayer)
The huge size of Ganapati represents the Universe (Cosmos), and his curled
trunk, the symbol OM. The elephant's head is said to represent superior
intellect while the snake around his waist cosmic energy. His broken tusk is
symbolic of knowledge, as it is believed that it is with this tusk that he wrote
down the Mahabharata, in the capacity of a scribe, when it was recited by the
sage Vyasa. The mouse - mooshikam, his mount is said to symbolize the equal
importance of the biggest and smallest of creatures, in the eyes of the infinity
of creation Bhrama. |
Who is Ganesha?
Lord Ganesha the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess
Parvati, is one of the most popular and beloved deities in the Hindu
religion. He is also known as Vigneshwara or the remover of obstacles. People
worship him before starting any new venture to ensure success. Ganesha is also
the brother of Lord Muruga.
Ganesha is also the god of wisdom and prudence. These
qualities are signified through his two wives: Buddhi (wisdom) and Siddhi
(prudence). It is believed that Ganesha helped Vyasa Muni to write epic
Mahabharata.
Lord Ganesha is sometimes referred to as
Gajanana because of his elephant head. Mooshaka or mouse is Ganesha's preferred
mode of transport. Ganesha is also known as Ganapati, Vigneswara, Vinayaka,
Gajamukha and Ainkaran.
Vinayaka Chaturti is a festival celebrated in honor of Ganesha, and it is
celebrated as a community festival in the state of Maharashtra (India), where
Vinayak is held in great reverence, especially in the 8 Ashta Vinayak temples in
the vicinity of Pune and in the Siddhi Vinayak temple in Mumbai. Ganesh
Chaturthi usually falls late August / early September every year.
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The Birth of Ganesha
Legend has it that Parvati, created a beautiful boy from her sankalpa,
treated him as her son, and gave him the responsibility of guarding her home.
Shiva, upon returning home was affronted by this lad, hitherto unknown to him.
The lad, true to his word to his mother, refused to let Shiva into his own home.
An enraged Shiva sent his Bhuta Gana attendants to scare the lad and to obtain
entry into his own home. The lad single handedly defeated the Bhuta Ganas in
battle. A clash of egos followed, as Shiva sent several of the Gods, to fight
against Ganesha and an equally enraged Parvati sent several of her attendants to
fight them. In the resultant fight, the valorous lad's head was chopped off by
Nandi deva, and the lad lay lifeless.Parvati's grief knew no bounds, and Shiva
sought to assuage her, by promising to bring the boy to life. Alas, his head
could not be found in the battlefield. A quick fix was sought, and it was
decided that the first available head would be used to bring the boy to life.
Accordingly, the boy was fitted with the head of an elephant and brought back to
life. Even this did not placate Parvati, who sought that this boy (who
successfully created obstacles to his father's mission) now fitted with the head
of an elephant, should be regarded by one and all, as the remover of obstacles,
and should be offered worship first, before any form of worship was offered to
any other manifestation of divinity. This boon granted, Ganesha, the lord of the
attendants of Parvati, came to be regarded as Vigneshwara the remover of
obstacles. |
If you have more fun facts about this favorite God, do email us so we can share
it in our next class. |