LORD GANESHA
Ganesh Chaturthi is on 9th september ,the birthday of lord Ganesha .
He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles (Vignaharta ) He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth and good fortune . In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities .Shiva declared his son Ganesha as superior to all the gods, barring Vishnu, Lakshmi, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is traditionally invoked at the beginning of any new venture or at the start of travel
Ganesh" (Gana-Isha : lord of the Ganas) , God who would not allow any forces to enter without due permission .Thats why ,he is the first God to be invoked so that others may be allowed to enter .
A legend explains why Ganesha is worshipped before any other deity or prior to any important event. It happened that Lord Shiva asked Kartikeya and Ganesha - his two sons - to circle the world and return. Kartikeya hurried off on his peacock, but Ganesha walked around Shiva and Parvati. He explained that for him, his parents constituted the world. Pleased, Shiva granted him a boon, saying that before undertaking any important task, people would pray to Ganesha. According to the Narasimha Purana, if he is not worshipped at the beginning of a ceremony, he creates obstacles for the performers. Therefore, no matter what the occasion or ceremony be, Ganesha is worshipped before all other deities.
Significance of the Lord Ganesha's Form
Ganesha's elephant-head represents the highest form of animal and symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence.The elephant head also denotes wisdom The importance of the elephant is also that it is a herbivore, eating Sathwic food – a calm and gentle animal who has immense strength, which it uses only when needed.
His human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The human heart must have the feelings of love,compassion and well being for others .
His trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality, our most sacred of symbols, representing the primeval sound of creation and our most powerful mantra in prayer and meditation
The elephant’s trunk is one of the few instruments in nature that can perform both gross and subtle actions – it can uproot a huge tree as well as pick up the tiniest of needles. It signifies the need for us to be able to develop our intellect, our powers of discrimination, in both the gross or material world and also in the subtle or spiritual world.
In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a axe or ankusa which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way.Symbolically, the mind is like a wild elephant, running from here to there, in chaos. So we must use the ankusa to tame and control our mind
The noose in Ganesha's left hand is to capture all difficulties.The noose is used to tie down our calmed mind and keep it close to us– only then can we concentrate, contemplate and meditate.
The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing Mahabharata The reason for being Ekdanta according to Padma Purana, is that one day when Lord Shiva was sleeping, sage Parashurama came to visit him. However, Ganesha would not allow Parashurama in, for his father's sleep would be disturbed. When Parashurama insisted he be permitted entry, a fight broke out. Parashurama threw his axe at Ganesha. This axe had been given to Parashurama by Lord Shiva. Recognizing the axe and out of reverence for his father, Ganesha refused to intercept the weapon. He bowed and took its impact on one of his tusks, which broke. This broken tusk was used by him to write the epic, Mahabharata. Ganesha, the embodiment of wisdom, is also depicted as a scribe to whom sage Vyasa dictated the Mahabharata. He is accepted as the god of learning and the patron of letters.
There is an interesting tale connected with the composition of Mahabharata. Sage Vyasa, the author of Mahabharata, wanted to dictate the verses of Mahabharata to someone who was capable of writing extremely fast, and without mistakes. Lord Brahma decided that Lord Ganesa was the only person equal to this great task. When Lord Ganesha came to Vyasa, Vyasa told him that he would dictate the poem very fast and that Ganesha must take down all the verses without mistakes. Ganesha threw a challenge in return that he would write as fast as Vyasa dictates and that too correctly, but when dictating, Vyasa should not stop till he complete the entire Mahabharata. Vyasa accepted the challenge and Ganesha used his broken tusk as the divine quill to record the Mahabharata - each word of the verses recited by Vyasa - for Gods and men alike.
The sweet modhak he holds indicate that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. This sweet with it’s hard outer shell signifies the reward of the sweetness of knowledge that will give the spiritual seeker joy, satisfaction and contentment as he travels along the path of enlightenment.
His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition.His large ears and head also indicate that he has gained wisdom through listening and reflecting on the eternal truths of the vedas. Small mouth is for talking less and small eyes for concentration
He is humble and modest enough to ride the lowest form of animal ,a mouse.
Lord Ganesha’s large belly is said to contain the whole universe – and is symbolic of the way we should live our lives. We must be able to accept and digest whatever experiences we go through – be they good or bad. Throughout our trials and tribulations we must be equal-minded and realise that all experiences are learning experiences and will bring us closer to God. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms.
Lord Ganesha sits with one leg folded up and the other leg resting on the ground. The leg on the ground tells us that we can live in the world like anyone else. But the leg pointing upwards tells us that our concentration and meditation should be ever focussed on the godhead within. Rather like the lotus that He holds in his hand, which grows in stagnant water, but raises it’s flowers above the water line so that their purity will not be blemished by the polluted waters underneath, we can live in this world but remain unpolluted by the materialism and negative qualities of our surroundings.
At the feet of our Lord is often spread a huge array of different kinds of food. The food represents material wealth, power and prosperity and indicates that if you live a life of high ideals and principals, these material benefits will always be available for you, although you will not be attached to them and they will therefore not hinder your spiritual progress.
The little rat represents desire. Rats, by nature, are very greedy creatures who will run here and there nibbling and hoarding far more than they need. If a man has desires, he can waste his whole life running here and there, fulfilling one desire, only to replace it with another. Lord Ganesh helps you defeat desire. He even goes further, he uses the mouse as a means of transport, meaning that if you bring desire under your control you can use them to propel yourself towards your goals.
Source : Internet search and self (speakingtree)
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