Vinayagar or Ganesha is
best known as the God of new beginnings. This aspect of the God can be
explained by the stories of his origins. The Padma Purana tells that Ganesha
was the son of Shiva and Parvati and was born a perfect and normal child. At
Parvati's invitation, the other gods and goddesses came to see the new baby and
to bestow their blessings upon him. Unfortunately, Parvati's brother Sani had
been cursed by his wife so that if he looked at anyone, that person was reduced
to ashes. Parvati was so proud of her son that she insisted that Sani come to
admire him. Only a quick sideways glance from Sani was enough to cause
Ganesha's head to fly off his shoulders. Brahma was also present and promised
that the transplantation of the head of the first living creature seen would
enable the child to live. Vishnu set off at once and returned with the head of
an elephant.
A more popular tale
comes from the Shiva Purana. Parvati wanted to bathe but did not want to be
disturbed. She created a boy from the dirt of her body to stand outside and
guard against intruders. Her husband Shiva returned from hunting to find his
access to his wife blocked by a stranger and angrily cut off the boy's head.
Parvati was grief-stricken, so to soothe her, Shiva sent his men out to find
the first animal they could that was sleeping with its head pointed north. When
they returned with the head of an elephant, Shiva attached this to the boy's
neck and promised that from then on, all men would call upon Ganesha at the
beginning of any new enterprise.
Another tale explains
why Ganesha is also known as the remover of obstacles and why he is always the
first deity invoked in any Hindu ceremony or festival. Shiva wanted Ganesha and
his brother Subramanya (also called Kartikeya) to circle the world. Subramanya
dutifully set off around the world, but Ganesha simply circled his parents,
saying that to him, his parents were the world. This greatly pleased Shiva who
decreed that henceforth, people would worship Ganesha before beginning any
important task.
A similar story relates
how Ganesha won his two wives. In this version both brothers wished to marry
the same two women, and decided that whichever of them was the first to
circumnavigate the world would become the bridegoom. Kartikeya set off on foot,
but Ganesha stayed home and studied the scriptures. Kartikeya's travels took
years and by the time he returned, Ganesha had married the pair. He justified
this by explaining that through his studies and learning, he had gone around
the world in a lesser time than had his brother.
Ganesha's two wives are
Buddhi, whose name means wisdom and intelligence, and Siddhi, whose name
denotes prudence, prosperity, and suceess in undertakings. Thus Ganesha is also
patron god of these very attributes. After all his studies, Ganesha was very
knowledgeable of the scriptures and had become an excellent scribe. In this
way, he became the god of education, literature, and the fine arts.
Images of Ganesha are
full of symbolism. He is most often depicted as a short man with an elephant
head, yellow skin, a pot-belly, and four arms. His human body represents
earthly existence while his elephant head represents the soul, or atman, and is
a reminder of his wisdom and understanding. The large size of his head
represents the cosmos, and his fat belly denotes the capacity to face all of
life's experiences, whether they be good or ill.
Ganesha's large ears
illustrate his ability to be a good listener and assure his devotees that he
hears all their pleas, while his large eyes show his perceptiveness. The wide
mouth symbolizes the human desire for earthly pleasures and his elephant trunk
shows that he is capable of great strength or precise delicacy in his actions.
Ganesha has one intact
tusk, and one that is broken. The most common story of how this came to be is
that Ganesha's pen broke while he was writing down the Mahabhrata at the
dictation or Vyasa, one of the major characters in the epic. Not wanting to
miss a word, Ganesha broke off his own tusk to replace the pen. He is often
shown holding this broken tusk which symbolizes the sacrifice necessary to
acquire wisdom.
Ganesha's four arms
demonstrate his onmipresence and omnipotence. The objects held on right side of
his body represent the reason which must overcome the emotion represented by
those held on the left side. In his upper hands he variously holds a noose,
paasam, an elephant goad, ankusha, an axe, and a lotus. The axe and lotus say
that one must sever worldly attachments and conquer the emotions to obtain
wisdom, while the noose is used to trap illusion. The ankusha is used in India
to control elephants and signifies the power to produce movement from intertia
and helps Ganesha to remove obstacles in order to propel mankind down the right
paths.
In his lower left hand
Ganesha may hold a string of beads which symbolizes that pursuit of knowledge
is continuous, or a conch shell, shankha. This shell is thought to be lucky and
to bring wealth. It is blown before the start of many ceremonies, its sound a
symbol of the cosmic universe. The lower right hand is open in the varada
mudra, which is an upright hand gesture carrying a blessing, and also means the
granting of wishes or boons. This hand may sometimes hold a chakra, a small emblem
which is an energy center. Sometimes the lower left hand will be held palm open
and pointing down in the abhaya mudra which grants protection and shows
fearlessness.
Ganesha wears red and
yellow clothing, the red denoting activity in the world and the yellow, purity,
peace, and truthfulness. There is a snake around Ganesha's waist which
represents all forms of energy. His right foot or leg is often crossed over his
left, again demonstrating the need for knowledge and reason to overcome
emotion. Ganesha is often depicted holding tray of ladoos, a popular sweet,
which represents wealth and prosperity. Sometimes he is seen to be holding a
ladoo in in his trunk, demonstrating the discovery of the sweetness of the
atman.
There is a mouse at
Ganesha's feet which represents the ego. When Ganesha rides this mouse, he is
demonstrating the conquest of ego in order to obtain wisdom and humility. Mice
are also known for their ability to gnaw through most anything, which further
illustrates Ganesha's aspect as the remover of obstacles.
While the above
description of Ganesha is the most common, this god has 32 forms in which he
may appear, along with 108 names, each with its own meaning. Ningyo has
previously posted a diagram which illustrates the some of the symbolism of
Ganesha's form. Other examples of Ganesha's characteristics can be found in the
traditional tales which are told about this god.
Ganesha's sacred day is
the fourth day of each new moon. Ganesh Chaturthi, his birthday festival, falls
in the Hindu lunar month of Bhadrapada, which corresponds with our late
August/early September. During this festival, worshippers celebrate by holding
fund raising events, participating in or viewing public musical and dancing
performances, and by feasting and noisemaking. People create artistic idols of
Ganesha and parade about with them, with the end of the festival signaled by
the immersion of these into water. Legend warns that to look at the moon on the
night of the Ganesh Chaturthi will cause a person to be falsely accused. If
this is done inadvertantly, the curse can be broken by reciting the story of
the Syamantaka Jewel from the Puranas.
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