Ganesha, also known as Ganapati and

Vinayaka, is one of the most worshipped

deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image

is found throughout India, Sri Lanka and

Nepal. All Hindu sects worship him

regardless of affiliations and this extends

to Jains and Buddhists

Significance of Ganesh

Chaturthi K Sriram

Sri Ramana Bhaktha Samajam Chennai

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Aum Sri Ganeshaya namah

Lord Ganesha and Ganesha Chaturthi

Vakra thunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Sama prabha I

Nivignam Kurme Deva Sarva karyeshu Sarvadha II

Oh, Lord! The One with the broken tusk, the One whose Virat swarupa that

permeates the entire Universe, The One whose splendour surpasses even

hundred million Suns, please remove all our obstacles that stand between us and

our accomplishments, both in worldly life and in our spiritual path!

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Introduction

Ganesha, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the

most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found

throughout India, Sri Lanka and Nepal. All Hindu sects worship him

regardless of affiliations and this extends to Jains and Buddhists.

Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles, the

patron of arts and sciences, God of intellect and wisdom & Poet-

Laureate among poets [Kavin Kavinaam -sanskrit]. As the God

of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and

ceremonies. He has many names to his credit and in fact, 1000

names, each conveying different aspects of him & the text is called Ganesha

Sahasranama [sahasra – thousand, Nama – name]. Some of his famous names

are Vigneshwara [Controller of Obstacles], Gananatha & Ganapati [Leader of

Shiva Ganas], Pillayar [Tamil word meaning son of Shiva], Lambodara [Huge-

bellied], Akhuratha [one who has mouse as his charioteer], Ekadanta &

Ekadrishta [one with a single tusk], Gajanana & Gajavadana [Elephant-faced],

Heramba [Protector of the weak] and Kavish [King of Poets].

His vahana [Vehicle] is Mouse. Once a mouse complained to him that he

was the most neglected lot. Being so compassionate, he took pity on the mouse

& made him his vahana, thus making the little one worthy of worship. This shows

the fact that Ganesha is so powerful that he can make

even a dust a mountain. We will see more

interpretations on this later on.

How Ganesha came into Being

Parvati, the consort of Shiva, created Ganesha out of sandalwood paste that she used for her bath and set upon him the task of guarding her door while she bathed. Shiva, who had gone out, returned and as

Ganesha didn't know him, didn't allow him to enter. Seeing this, Shiva Ganas attacked Ganesha who prevailed over them. Finally angry Shiva severed the head of the child. Knowing this, Parvati became so upset that Shiva, deeply moved by her sorrow, fixed an elephant head on the child's body and brought him back to life. Lord Shiva also declared that from that day onwards, the boy

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would be the leader of Shiva Ganas & hence called him ‘Ganesha’. Soon he got other names - Ganapati and Gananatha (Gana Isha : Lord of Ganas, Pati & Nathan- leader).

According to the Linga Purana, Ganesha was created by Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati at the request of the Devas for being a Vighnakartaa (obstacle-creator) in the path of Rakshasas & Asuras and a Vighnahartaa (obstacle-destroyer) to help the Devas achieve fruits of their hard work.

Philosophy of Lord Ganesha’s Form

Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of Wisdom and Bliss. He is the foremost among celibates in South India but is worshipped with two consorts in North India. Lord Ganesha’s two Saktis are Kundalini Sakti and Vallabha Sakti. In Tamil, they are known as Ichaa Sakthi and Kriya Sakthi. These roles are reversed in the case of his brother, Lord Subrahmanya who is a staunch Brahmachari [Ceibate] as Karthikeya in the North India whereas in South India, he is God of two wives, namely, Deivayanai [in Tamil & Devasena in Sankrit, she is Indra’s daughter] and Valli [ who belongs to the hunters’ clan].

Ganesha is the first God, Adi-Deva. He is the Presiding Deity of the Muladhara Chakra.

He is the Lord who removes all obstacles in worldly success and more so, in the spiritual path. Avvaiyar, the Tamil poetess & one of his primary devotees who attained Mukti [Liberation] through his Grace is a monumental example for this. So He is called Vighna Vinayaka. His Bijakshara is Gang. He is the Lord of harmony and peace.

Lord Ganesha’s elephant-head is one figure which, by nature, is in the form of Pranava Mantra, ‘OM’. Hence, his posture where his trunk is turned to right side is considered Holy & in this posture, he is called ‘Valampuri Vinayaka’ [See picture with trunk turned on the right]. Pranava is one chief Mantra on which volumes have been written in Hindu scriptures, particularly, in Gowdapadhakarika, & nothing is done without uttering it. So, to think of ‘OM’, is to think of Ganesha. Hence, the practice of invoking Lord Ganesha’ Grace before beginning any undertaking or even writing, with Ganapati –Signature[Pillaiyar Chuzhi which represents ‘OM’] came into being as an established practice. The two feet are His Jnana Sakti and Kriya Sakti.

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Riding on the mouse represents that He has full control over the mind which runs like a mouse i.e. He is egoless. He holds Ankusa, the elephant goad. This represents that He is the Ruler of the world. This is an emblem of Divine Royalty.

Mouse is a small creature. Elephant is the biggest of all animals. Riding on a mouse and wearing the head of an elephant denote that He is the Creator of all creatures, from the biggest elephant to the smallest mouse. Elephants are very wise. Wearing the head of an elephant indicates that Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom. That is, perhaps, why Lord Shiva gave him the elephant head. Also, It denotes the process of evolution. The mouse gradually evolves into an elephant and finally becomes a man. That is the reason why Ganesha has a human body, the head of an elephant, and mouse as His vehicle. His Grace permeates even in places inaccessible like a rat. Further it stands for destruction and his control over it, is total.

The literal translation of his name ‘Ganesha or Gananatha’ may be that He is the Head of the followers of Shiva. The other philosophical meanings are that he is the Lord of Ganas or groups, such as the group of elements, the group of senses, the group of Tattwas etc i.e He is All-powerful.

Legends connected with Lord Ganesha

Ganesha and the famous Mango

Once Sage Narada gave a precious mango to Lord Shiva. Both Ganesha & Subrahmanya vied for it. Lord Shiva decided that whoever would make a tour round the world and come back first would get the mango. Lord Subrahmanya flew off at once on His vehicle, the peacock, in circumambulation of the world. However, Ganesha went around His parents and asked for the prize. Lord Shiva objected that he did not go round the world. Ganesha replied: "No, but I went around My parents who represent the manifested world". Lord Shiva was highly pleased & the dispute was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha & the fruit was given to him as prize for his intelligent way handling this issue.

There is another philosophical interpretation to this story. The mango represents ‘wisdom’. Getting immersed in worldly activities teaches one that God is the final resort to obtain peace & happiness. This is the wisdom one gets ultimately from the world & this is the purpose for which the world is created by God. Lord

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Subrahmanya went through the world & got the ‘wisdom’ it has to offer. So there is no need for him for receive any extra wisdom. But Ganesha went to God straightaway instead & it is he who richly deserved ‘wisdom’, the mango. So Lord Shiva gave the mango to Ganesha.

Ganesha and Ravaneswara

In Treta Yuga, Ravana reached Kailas and performed rigorous penance to

get the "Atma Linga" from Lord Shiva, as Ravana's mother expressed a keen

desire to worship the Atmalinga of Lord Shiva. Pleased with his penance, Lord

Shiva gave the "Atma Linga" to Ravana and instructed him to carry it home by

walk & also that he should never place it on the earth failing which the Linga

would get eternally embedded at the place where it was grounded.

Devas were worried as Ravana would become

invincible once Atma Linga is installed in Lanka, his

Capital. They pleaded with Maha Vishnu to come their

rescue. Maha Visnu devised a plan to install the linga

somewhere else other than Lanka and sought the help of

Lord Gaganesha who agreed to this and reached Gokarna

as a Brahmin boy.

When Ravana was coming near Gokarna, Maha

Vishnu hid the sun with his Sudarshana Chakra (Wheel) as

per his plan with Ganesha. Thinking that it was time to

perform the evening Puja [Sandhya vandanam], Ravana

saw the Brahmin boy and asked him to hold the Atma

Linga till he came back. Ganesha agreed to hold the Linga in his hand on one

condition that he would do so till he would be able to bear the weight of Linga

and thereafter he would call Ravana three times and if failed to come, he would

have no other option than to place the Linga on the earth.

Lord Ganesha called Ravana three times when he was performing his Puja

and placed the Linga on the ground and vanished. At once the Atma Linga got

firmly entrenched in the earth. Ravana realized that he had been tricked by the

Gods.

The depressed demon king was deeply agitated and tried to pull up the

Linga, but it did not budge a little. It resulted in his throwing the coverings of the

Linga to five places which subaequently became places of Worship of Shiva i.e.

Surathkal [Sadhashiva], Dhareshwar [Dhareshwara], Guneshwar (now

Gunavanthe) [Gunavanteshwara], and Sajjeshwara [Sajjeshwar] temples. Ravana

was unable to lift the Linga from the ground and called this Shiva Linga as

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Mahabala (Most powerful). And ever since, the Linga is known as

Mahabaleswara.

Lord Shiva learnt all these from Vayu Deva (Wind god) and declared

these five places as His "Pancha kshetras" (Five Holy Places).

Ganesha and his brother Subrahmanya

Lord Subrahmanya wanted to marry Valli, he approached Ganesha for help. Ganesha, being a very affectionate brother, helped both Subrahmanya & Valli to get married. His help was invaluable and continues to hold an important place in the life history of Lord Subrahmanya.

Ganesha and Kaveri Matha

Once Sage Agastya got angry with River Kavery for her arrogance and forced her to enter his Kamadalam [a small pot made of copper or bronze] through his Mantra Sakthi & virtually

imprisoned her. Devas felt this unjustified as millions of beings, both human & sub-human, who

were dependent on her river-bed, underwent untold sufferings without her waters. They felt only Ganesha could save the situation as they felt that no other god would be prepared to incur the wrath of Sage Agastya. Finally it was Ganesha who released Kaveri from the Kamandalam when the Sage was away. To the everybody’s surprise, when the Sage came to know this, took it with a laugh saying if it was Lord Ganesha who did this, it would be the most correct thing in the world. He also added that Lord Ganesha would have destroyed Mother Kaveri’s arrogance which was the real purpose of his holding her & he should only thank Ganesha for making his job easier.

Ganesha and Veda Vyasa

Veda Vyasa wanted to compose Mahabharatam and he wanted a very efficient scriber who could keep pace with his speed of reciting the slokas. A scribe of lesser calibre would be a hindrance to his flow of thoughts. Many scholars hesitated to take up this extremely difficult assignment. However, when Veda Vyasa approached him, Ganesha immediately accepted this challenge & successfully completed the mission to the delight of Veda Vyas. On this the ocassion, when his pen got spoiled, he broke one of his tusks and used it as the pen so that the

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writing work could go on unhindered. This spontaneous act fetched him the famous name ’Ekadanta’. There is another legend that is prevalent in North India connected with Moon God for his breaking of the tusk which is given as the next legend.

Ganesha and Moon

Ganesha, was once on his way back from a feast offered by Kubera, with

lots of sweets and delicacies. He was riding His pet mouse, when a snake crossed

his path. The mouse was scared of the snake and starts trembling all over,

throwing Ganesha off balance and to the ground.

Ganesha got up and surveyed the scene. The

moon in the sky looked at this funny scene and

started laughing out aloud and made fun of the

spectacle. When the moon didn't stop his jeering,

Ganesha got irritated. He broke off one of His

tusks, and threw it at the moon, leaving a dent on

the moon's surface. He also cursed the moon that he would slowly wane and

disappear, and not be visible to anybody. Ganesha also found and tied the snake

that crossed His path on His tummy like a belt. The scared moon now feels

ashamed of his behaviour and begged for Lord's forgiveness.Compassionate as

ever, the benevolent Ganesha modified his curse that even though the moon

would wane and disappear from sight (as originally cursed), he would also slowly

grow back and be visible in his full glory and splendour in the night sky. It was

from that day onwards that the moon has been decreasing in size before the New

moon day and increasing till the Full moon day! However, in memory of this

incident, the devotees of Ganesha are forbidden from viewing the moon on

Ganesha Chaturthi day (or rather, night).

Ganesha and Auvaiyar

Once Sundaramurthy Nayanar and Cheran perumal Nayanar invited Avvaiyar, the staunch devotee of Ganesha, to join them in their Kailas yatra. Avvaiyar flatly refused saying she was doing puja to Ganesha & until she completed it, she would not move an inch. Both the Nayanmars expressed their inability to wait and moved on. Later, after her puja was over, Ganesha enquired as to whether she was still interested in going to Kailas. Once she answered him in the affirmative, he transported her to Kailas within a wink of an eye. Nayanmars who could make it to Kailas much later were surprised to see her there already.

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Ganesha and Mahavishnu

Once Mahavishnu went to Kailas & chanced upon Ganesha who playfully and forcefully took away his main weapon, Chakra. When Vishnu tried to retrieve it, he hid the chakra by putting it in his mouth. Mahavishnu was at a loss as to what to do. He knew pretty well he could not employ force as Ganesha was too powerful. So he too playfully did ‘Thorpi Karanam’. Seeing this funny act, Ganesha was so amused that he could not control his laugh and the chakra came out of his mouth. Mahavishnu was smart enough to take back his chakra immediately and heaved a big sigh of relief. Thus started the practice of doing Thorpi Karanam before Ganesha. Thorpi Karanam is to hold your right ear lobe by left hand & left ear lobe by right hand in ‘standing posture’ & then squatting fully and again standing up. Doing this exercise several times before Ganesha looks a funny act but now this is called ‘Super Brain yoga’ in the West and is highly praised as the best exercise to improve one’s brain power. Yoga Teachers, Biologists, Occupational therapists, Doctors, particularly, Neurologists & Physicians, Teachers in many schools [of course in the West] and more so, Yale University School of Medicine strongly recommend this for improving brain energy enormously. More details on Super brain Yoga can be obtained in Internet searching through Google or Bing search engines. Once you learn the benefits of Super Brain Yoga, you will be amazed at the wisdom of our forefathers to bring it in our daily routine by way of worshipping Lord Ganesha. Naturally, an exercise that improves the intelligence quotient and brain energy is dedicated to God of Wisdom by our forefathers!

Ganesha Chaturthi

Celebrations at Home

Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi, the birthday of Ganesha, is observed in the Hindu calendar month of Avani [Bhaadrapada] starting on the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing moon period). The date usually falls between August and September. All Hindu families install their own small clay

statues of Ganesh Chaturthi for worship. The idol is worshiped on every morning

and evening until the departure. The worship involves various offerings to the

idol including flowers and durva. Each durva bunch has 21 shoots and the shoots

have either three or five strands. Other offerings like modhak along with other

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sweets have to be 21in number [Please see details under ‘caption’- Festival

Dishes]. Worship is performed for 3, 5, 7 or 11 days as per their family custom. The daily worship ceremonies end with the worshipers singing the Aarti in

honour of Ganesha, other Gods and saints. The Ganesh Aarti sung in Maharashtra

was composed in 17th century by Saint Samarth Ramdas. The celebrations end on Anant Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing moon period) and the clay idols are dissolved in water and disposed off in a suitable manner taking environmental conditions into consideration.

Public Celebrations

The modern festival involves installing clay images of Ganesha in public pandals

(temporary shrines), which are worshipped for ten days and then immersed in sea or lake. While celebrated

all over India, it is grandest and most elaborate in Maharastra, Andhra Pradesh,

Karnataka, Telangana, Goa and in other parts of Western India and Southern India. Outside

India, it is celebrated widely in Terai region of Nepal and by the Hindu diaspora in the United States, Canada, Mauritius, Malaysia, Singapore and other places.

The festival is also the time for cultural activities like singing and theatre

performances, orchestra and community activities like free medical check ups,

blood donation camps, and charity for the poor.

Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival, it has become a

very critical and important economic activity for Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad,

Bangalore and Chennai. Many artists, industries, and businesses earn a significant

amount of their living from this Festival. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage

for budding artists to present their art to the public. Not only Hindus but many

belonging to other religions like Muslims, Jains, Christians and Parsis among

others also participate in the celebrations.

Celebrations across the world

Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the UK by the migrant Hindu population

as well as the large number of Indians residing there. The Hindu culture and

Heritage Society, UK, a Southall based organisation, celebrates Ganesh Chaturthi

for the first time in London in 2005 at Vishwa Hindu Temple. The Idol, usually,

is immersed in the river Thames at Putney Pier. Another Gujarati group celebrates

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in the Southend-on-Sea which attracts over 18000 devotees. Annual celebrations

take place on the River Mersey at Liverpool also.

The Philadelphia Ganesh, popularly known as PGF, is the largest

Sarvajanik (fully contributed by public funds) Hindu festival in North America.

Since 2005 the festival is conducted every year in Bharatiya Temple, Chalfont,

Pennsylvania. The 10 days are marked by processions, devotional programs,

cultural events, India filmi-orchestra and a weekend carnival. While the Marathi

community plays a big role in organising the festival, participation from all

communities such as Gujarati, Kannadiga, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali etc. is seen as

the reason for its success and uniqueness. The Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA,

an organisation of Hindus based in the US organises many such events.

In Canada, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated by associations of Marathi-

speaking people. (MBM in Toronto, MSBC in Vancouver, etc.)

Celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi in Mauritius dates back to 1896. The first

Ganesh Chaturthi Puja was held in the 7 Cascades Valley next to Henrietta village

by the Bhiwajee family members who are still celebrating this pious festival after

more than a century. Over the years the festival gained such popularity on the

island that Mauritian government has declared a public holiday for that day.

In Malaysia and Singapore, the festival is more commonly known as

Vinayagar Chaturthi because of the relatively larger Tamil-speaking Hindu

minority among the other South Asian ethnic groups. It is very common to see

pictures or statues of Lord Ganesha at the entrance of homes, business premises

and schools. These idols are usually decorated with flower garlands alongside

offerings of fruits and sweets. Most Ganesha temples mark Vinayagar Chaturthi

with morning prayers, abhishegam (ritual bathing of the deity) and free vegetarian

lunch for devotees and the poor. Chariot processions organised by Ganesha

temples in the evenings often attract huge crowds of devotees and tourists.

Festival dishes

The main sweet dish during the festival is the modak

(modak in Marathi, modakam/kudumu in Telugu,

modaka/kadubu in Kannada, kozhakatta/modakkam in

Malayalam and kozhukattai/modagam in Tamil). A modak

is a dumpling made from rice flour/wheat flour with a

stuffing of fresh or dry-grated coconut, jaggery, dry fruits

and some other condiments. It is either steam-cooked or fried.

Another popular sweet dish is the karanji (karjikai in

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Kannada) which is similar to the modak in composition and taste but has a

semicircular shape.

In Telangana and Kerala, modakkam (rice flour dumplings stuffed with

coconut and jaggery mixture), Laddu, Vundrallu (steamed coarsely grounded rice

flour balls), Panakam (jaggery, black pepper and cardamom flavored drink),

Vadapappu (soaked and moong lentils), "Chalividi" (cooked rice flour and

jaggery mixture), etc., are offered to Ganesha along with Modakams. These

offerings to god are called Naivedyam in Sanskrit. Traditionally, the plate

containing the Modak is filled with twenty-one pieces of the sweet.

Environmental impact

The most serious impact of the festival on the environment is due to the

immersion of idols made of Plaster of Paris into lakes, rivers and the sea.

Traditionally, the idol was sculpted out of mud taken from nearby one’s home.

After the festival, it was returned to the Earth by immersing it in a nearby water

body. This cycle was meant to represent the cycle of creation and dissolution in

Nature.

However, as the production of Ganesh idols on a commercial basis grew,

the earthen or natural clay was replaced by Plaster of Paris. Plaster is a man-

made material, easier to mould, lighter and less expensive than clay. However,

plaster is non-biodegradable, and insoluble in water. Moreover, the chemical

paints used to adorn these plaster idols themselves contain heavy metals like

mercury and cadmium, causing water pollution. Also, on immersion, non-

biodegradable accessories that originally adorned the idol accumulate in the

layers of sand on the beach. The sea foods, like fish etc are highly contaminated

and become unusable. Also they are wiped out in large numbers creating scarcity.

In Goa, the sale of Ganesh idols made from Plaster of Paris (PoP) is banned

by the State Government. People are urged to buy traditional clay idols made by

artisans. Some State governments have already started following this good

practice. Others are expected to step in soon.

Siddhi-Vinayaka Vratam on Ganesh Chuthurti Day

In Ganesh Chaturthi festival, Ganesh Vrata has become a compulsory observance, as a matter of tradition. Apart from this annual Puja, the Ganesh Vrata—also known by the name of Siddhi-Vinayaka Vratam—is performed as a special Vrata on Ganesh Chaturthi Day for attainment of some particular end in view, usually for clearing oneself of false and unjust accusations and charges, recovering lost objects, regaining lost status, and removal of obstacles in an

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enterprise. It consists of elaborate worship of Lord Ganesha with Shodashopachara (a 16 steps-wise worship) and various offerings, after appropriate Sankalpa (determination).

The divine Sage Narada prescribed this Vrata to Sri Krishna who wanted to wipe off the dishonour of the

charge of stealing the Syamantaka Gem. Much later, Lord Krishna himself instructed Yudhishthira to

perform this Vrata at the time of the Mahabharata war. This renowned Vrata was effectively observed by Devas to obtain Ambrosia on the eve of churning the ocean, by Damayanti to find her lost husband, by Lord Rama to get back Mother Sita, by Indra to defeat Vritrasura, by Bhagirata to get the

celestial Ganges down on earth, by Draupadi to avenge the insult she suffered at the hands of Duryodhana and

by Samba, son of Lord Krishna, to get cured of an incurable disease.

He who performs this Puja in all sincerity with faith, devotion and

concentration obtains all that he desires and attains the Highest Abode of Lord Shiva i.e. Sayujya-Mukti or Self-Relaization, the final State of Liberation.

Let us all pray to Lord Ganesha, the God of Wisdom, the Most compassionate, on the Holy Ganesha Chaturthi Day, to remove all the obstacles in our path towards worldly success and in the Spiritual Path to reach the ultimate goal of human life i.e Self-realization!

Wish you all a very happy Ganesha Chaturthuti!