Wednesday 16 August 2017

There exist a large number of legends relating to Ganesha and his appearance, all reflecting the wealth of symbolism that attends him. And some of the stories surrounding Ganesh are conflicting in nature, for example how his tusk came to be broken. One popular story is that he broke it off himself in order to write down the Mahabharata, one of the world's longest epic poems, as it was dictated to him by the sage Vyasa. In the process of writing, Ganesh's pen failed and so he snapped off his tusk as a replacement in order that the transcription not be interrupted. The broken tusk therefore symbolises sacrifice (particularly in the pursuit of artistic endeavours) and reiterates Ganesh's role as patron of the arts and of letters. However, another version of the broken-tusk story emphasises Ganesh's loyalty and devotion. In this account, his father Shiva decided to take a nap and asked Ganesh to guard him. A Brahmin warrior and sage, Parashuram , came to visit Shiva but was stopped from waking him by Ganesh. Parashuram was furious and fought with him, finally throwing his axe at his head. Ganesh stopped the axe with his tusk which broke, giving him the nickname Eka-danta, or "One Toothed." ✨🐘🕉🌀🎨✨💖🙏 Jai Shri Ekdantaya Namah 💖💙💝

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There exist a large number of legends relating to Ganesha and his appearance, all reflecting the wealth of symbolism that attends him. And some of the stories surrounding Ganesh are conflicting in nature, for example how his tusk came to be broken. One popular story is that he broke it off himself in order to write down the Mahabharata, one of the world's longest epic poems, as it was dictated to him by the sage Vyasa. In the process of writing, Ganesh's pen failed and so he snapped off his tusk as a replacement in order that the transcription not be interrupted. The broken tusk therefore symbolises sacrifice (particularly in the pursuit of artistic endeavours) and reiterates Ganesh's role as patron of the arts and of letters. However, another version of the broken-tusk story emphasises Ganesh's loyalty and devotion. In this account, his father Shiva decided to take a nap and asked Ganesh to guard him. A Brahmin warrior and sage, Parashuram , came to visit Shiva but was stopped from waking him by Ganesh. Parashuram was furious and fought with him, finally throwing his axe at his head. Ganesh stopped the axe with his tusk which broke, giving him the nickname Eka-danta, or "One Toothed." 🐘🕉🌀🎨💖🙏
Jai Shri Ekdantaya Namah 💖💙💝

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