The avatars of Ganesha

The avatars of Ganesha convey intricate philosophical concepts associated with the creation of the world. Each of these incarnations depicts a stage of the Ultimate which leads to creation.

The Eight Incarnations of Lord Ganesha are mentioned in the Mudgala Purana, an Upapurana devoted exclusively to Lord Ganesha. The Lord defeats 8 weaknesses of humans in each form. These are arrogance, ego, desire, anger, greed, illusion, inebriation and jealousy.

1) Vakratunda:
The first incarnation is Vakratunda which means the One with the Curved Trunk. It is a personification of the form of Brahman. In the form of Vakratunda, Lord Ganesha defeated the demon of jealousy and envy, known as Matsaryasura. Thus, the Lord is considered as the destroyer of jealousy. In this incarnation, His vahana is a divine Lion.

2) Ekadanta
Ekadanta is the second incarnation of the Lord which denotes that the Lord has a Single Tusk. He is a manifestation of the essential nature of Brahman. The Padma Purana states that once Lord Parashurama visited Lord Shiva in Mount Kailash. But Ganesha prevented him from entering. Thus Parashurama became infuriated and threw his divine axe at Ganesha, who knew it was granted by his father Shiva. Thus He refused to stop the sacred weapon and allowed the axe to chop one of his tusks. Hence he was named Ekadanta. Ganesha later used this tusk to script the epic Mahabharata. He acted as a scribe to Sage Ved Vyas. A mouse is his mount or vahana in this avatar. In this incarnation, Lord Ganesha fought against the demon Madasura, who was the embodiment of conceit and arrogance.

3) Mahodara
Eight Incarnations of Lord Ganesha The Mahodara incarnation is an embodiment of the wisdom of Brahman. In this form the Lord is depicted with a pot belly and His mount is a mouse (shrew). Mahodara is an amalgamation of Vakratunda and Ekadanta forms. He is born in this avatar to annihilate Mohasura, the demon of confusion and delusion. Later the demon became a devotee of the Lord.

According to legends, Mohasura was also known as Daitya Raja or the King of the Asuras. He was a devotee of Surya Deva and dominated the three Lokas or worlds. All the sages, deities and gods were terrified of him. Then Lord Surya told the gods and sages to pray to Mahodara. Lord Ganesha was pleased with the worship and devotion of the sages and decided to eliminate Mohasura.

Lord Vishnu and Shukracharya advised Mohasura to surrender and pray to Mahodara. Eventually the demon surrendered to the Lord and praised him with utmost devotion. Mohasura asked for His forgiveness and promised to follow the path of righteousness. Lord Ganesha became pleased with his devotion and instructed him to return to Pataal Loka. All the sages and gods were relieved and praised Lord Mahodara.

4) Gajanana
The Gajanana or Gajavaktra incarnation is equivalent to the Mahodara avatar. Gajanana means the Lord with an elephant head. The combination of an elephant head with a human body is one of the unique physical features of Lord Ganesha. In this avatar, the Lord defeated the demon of greed, Lobhasura, who was the son of Lord Kuber. Gajanana mounts a mouse in this incarnation.

5) Lambodara
The Lambodara incarnation of Ganesha is considered to be similar to Adi-Shakti, the pure power of Brahman. Lambodara, also known as Lambodar, refers to the lord as an elephant headed deity with a large stomach. The divine mouse, Krauncha, is portrayed as His vahana in this avatar. Lord Ganesha incarnated as Lambodara with the objective to eradicate the demon of anger known as Krodhasura.

6) Vikata
In the sixth incarnation of Vikata, Lord Ganesha is considered to be a form of Surya. Vikata, meaning abnormal form, is a ferocious and dreadful deity. He possesses the body of a human with a head of an elephant. In this incarnation, a divine peacock serves as His vahana. Vikata is a manifestation of the illuminating nature of Brahmin. The Lord incarnated as Vikata to eradicate Kamasura, the demon of lust

7) Vighnaraja
Vighnaraja is the seventh avatar of Lord Ganesha and is a personification of the preserving nature of Brahmin. Ganesha is equivalent to Lord Vishnu in this form. Shesha or Shesha Naga, the divine serpent, is his mount in this incarnation. Lord Ganesha appears as Vighnaraja to defeat, the demon of ego and possessiveness, Mamasura.

8- Dhumravarna
The eighth and last incarnation of Lord Ganesha is Dhumravarna, which depict the Lord in a grey coloured form. It is an embodiment of the destructive nature of Brahmin. His mount is a horse in this incarnation. As Dhumravarna, Lord Ganesha is equivalent to Lord Shiva. Dhumravarna is born with the objective to defeat the demon of self-infatuation, pride and attachment known as Abhimanasura or Ahamkarasur.! ✨🕉🌻🐘🍃📿🐚🌷🔔🌀🎨🐘🙏🏻🌺✨

Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah ~ Blessed Sunday Divine Souls! ✨🕉🌻🐘🍃📿🐚🌷🔔🌀🎨🐘🙏🏻🌺✨

Spiritual enlightenment has always represented the highest goal in life to Hindus, the one thing that gives it meaning and purpose

In India, Spiritual enlightenment has always represented the highest goal in life to Hindus, the one thing that gives it meaning and purpose. Moreover, enlightenment is a state of being that is in principle attainable by everybody.
The average individual, however, would need many incarnations to become enlightened, to see God, to become one with the Absolute, to merge one’s mind with Cosmic Consciousness ; in short, to become holy.

Since time immemorial shortcuts have been available for people wanting to become enlightened in this life rather than the next. Those who follow the fast track, mostly men, are the sadhus, the ‘holy men’ of India.

For thousands of years they have been around. Once they must have been more numerous, but even today there are still four to five million sadhus, constituting about half a percent of the total population.

Organised in various sects, they passed on the wisdom of old, the method of yoga, that is ‘yoking’ soul and Soul together.

Usually they live by themselves, on the fringes of society, and spend their days in devotion to their chosen deity. Some perform magical rituals to make contact with the gods, others practise intense forms of yoga and meditation to increase their spiritual powers and acquire mystical knowledge.

Certainly, not all sadhus are enlightened. But believers regard them all as holy anyway, if only because of their radical commitment. And successful sadhus are even worshipped as ‘gods on earth’.

Believers only have to ‘behold’ a sadhu, as a kind of living idol , to receive a spark of his spiritual energy. They give donations to the sadhus , regarded as offerings to the gods , and get their blessing in return. Thus, since time immemorial, has Indian society been organised to support the holy men, for they are not supposed to work. ✨🕉✨

Love, light & Peace ✨🌺👁🕉📿🐍🔆⌛️🌷🔱🐚🌿🌻🌀🌙💀🌸🔔💙🙏🏻✨ Hara Hara Mahadev ~ Hari Om Tat Sat ~ Om Namah Shivaya ✨🌺👁🕉📿🐍🔆⌛️🌷🔱🐚🌿🌻🌀🌙💀🌸🔔💙🙏🏻✨

Lord Vishnu is one of the most important Hindu Gods in Hinduism. He is a part of the Trimurti along with Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma.

Lord Vishnu is one of the most important Hindu Gods in Hinduism. He is a part of the Trimurti along with Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma. While Brahma is known as the Creator and Shiva as the Destroyer; shri Vishnu is the Preserver of the Universe. Throughout the ages Lord Vishnu has manifested in different Avatars either on earth or in heaven. His purpose has always been the restoration of Dharma or ‘the path of Righteousness’ and the destruction of evil. There are many legends associated with him that cement his status as the supreme preserver and protector.

The most common form of Vishnu is him lying on a huge five-headed snake with Maa Lakshmi sitting near his feet. Also Garuda is the Vahana of Shri Vishnu. There is some underlying importance regarding Sheshnag, the snake.

Why Does Vishnu Lie On A Five-Headed Snake Adishesha.

1. Sesha Naga is the king of all Nagas (snakes) and was one of the primary beings present during the Creation of the Universe.

2. He is an expression of Lord Vishnu himself which forms a coiled seat for Vishnu to rest on.

3. According to the Puranas, Shesh holds all the planets of the Universe under his hood and keeps singing the praise of Lord Vishnu with all his mouths.

4. This same snake had provided shelter to Vasudeva as he carried baby Krishna to Gokul through the waters of Yamuna during a terrific storm.

5. He is also known as Ananta-Shesha or Adishesha and signifies the moving forward of time. Ananta-Shesha is infinite and will exist even after the destructionof the Universe.

6. Shesha had manifested as Balarama, brother of Krishna and as Lakshman, brother of Rama; both important characters in Hindu scriptures .

7. Owing to the legends of Sheshnag, snakes are revered by most Hindus nowadays. Even Lord Shiva has a snake around his neck and Manasa Devi is worshipped a lot.

8. Shesha Nag’s brother Vasuki was used as the rope that churned the ocean of milk during Samudra Manthan; an important incident in Hinduism.! ✨🌈🕉👁🐍🐚🌷🔔🌀📿🔆🌈🙏🏻✨

Om Namo Narayana ~ Jai Shri Vishnu ✨🌈🕉👁🐍🐚🌷🔔🌀📿🔆🌈🙏🏻✨

Ganesha is the destroyer of vanity, selfishness, pride and is the remover of obstacles.

Ganesha is the destroyer of vanity, selfishness, pride and is the remover of obstacles. He also is the symbol of abundance since there is nothing stopping you between you and your ideal. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. Since his main job is to remove obstacles in your life's path, he has become one of the most praised and worshiped of Hindu gods.

After Shiva restored its life, he was made the leader of Shivas troops, hence his original name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.
The head of Ganesha represents the Atman (the soul or ultimate reality), while his body signifies the world and earthly realm of human beings. The elephant trunk had the symbol of OM on it, which is the primal sound and symbol of the Universal 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. ✨🌀🐘🕉🐚🔔🙏🏻✨

Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah ✨🌀🐘🕉🐚🔔🙏🏻✨

Nirjala Ekadashi ~ 13-06-2019

Nirjala Ekadashi ~ 13-06-2019

The glory of Nirjala Ekadashi is mentioned in Padma Purana. Bhimasen requested one fast by which he could obtain the merits of all the other fasts that he was incapable of observing.
Vyasa Ji tells him about all of the merit achieved by fasting on all Ekadasis one year , can be attained by fasting on this one Nirjala Ekadashi. "Without drinking even water, you should fast on the Ekadashi that occurs during the light fortnight of the month of Jyeshtha (May-June) when the sun travels in the sign of Taurus (Vrishabh) and Gemini (Mithun),

As stated in Srimad Bhagavatam, "One who fasts on Ekadashi is saved from going to the hellish planets." One who fasts on this Ekadashi, without taking even drinking water or eating, becomes free of all sinful reactions, and one who observes the difficult Nirjala Fast reaps the benefit of all other Ekadashi fasts.

In this Kali-yuga, the age of quarrel and hypocrisy, when all the principles of the Vedas will have been destroyed or greatly minimised, and when there will be no proper charity or observance of the ancient Vedic principles and ceremonies, how will there be any means of purifying the self?
But there is the opportunity to fast on Ekadashi and become free of all one's past sins.

1) Whoever fasts on this Nirjala Ekadasi receives the merits of bathing in all the places of pilgrimage, giving all kinds of charities to worthy persons, and fasting on all the dark and light Ekadashis throughout the year, in one go.

2) whoever fasts on this Ekadasi truly becomes a great person and achieves all manner of opulence and wealth, grains, strength, and health.

3) whoever observes this Ekadasi should take a Holy bath, give charity to a worthy person, chant the Lord's Holy names on a japa-mala, and perform some kind of recommended sacrifice, for by doing these things on this day one receives imperishable benefits. he who observes this fast certainly achieves liberation (MOKSHA) from the cycle of repeated birth and death.

4) "Remember, whosoever eats any grains on Ekadasi becomes contaminated by sin and verily eats only sin"

When the other Pandavas heard about the benefits to be gained by following Jyeshtha-shukla Ekadashi, they resolved to observe it exactly as their grandfather Srila Vyasadeva had explained it to their brother, Bhimasena. thus this day is also known as Pandava Nirjala Dvadashi. ✨🌷📿👁🕉🔆🐍🐚🌀🔔🌸🙏🏻✨

Om Namo Bhagwate Vasudevaya Namah ~ Om Namo Narayana ~ Jai Shri Vishnu! ✨🌷📿👁🕉🔆🐍🐚🌀🔔🌸🙏🏻✨