In Hinduism, Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश or श्रीगणेश (ⓘ) (when used to distinguish lordly status) (or "lord of the hosts," also spelled as Ganesa and Ganesh, often also referred to as Ganapati) is one of the most well-known and venerated representations of God. He is the first son of Shiva and Parvati, and the 'consort' of Buddhi (also called Riddhi) and Siddhi. 'Ga' symbolizes Buddhi (intellect) and 'Na' symbolizes Vidnyana (wisdom). Ganesha is thus considered the master of intellect and wisdom. He is depicted as a big-bellied, yellow or red god with four arms and the head of a one-tusked elephant, riding on, or attended to by, a mouse. He is frequently represented sitting down, with one leg raised in the air and bent over the other. Typically, his name is prefixed with the Hindu title of respect, 'Shree' or Sri.
| Ganesha | |
|---|---|
| Devanagari | गणेश or श्रीगणेश |
The popularity of Ganesha is widely diffused, even outside of India. Some of his devotees identify Ganesha as the Supreme deity and are called the Ganapatya. [1]
Ganapati is popularly worshipped by the Ganapatya. He is also depicted as a warrior king and at times in a playful mood with dandiya sticks, the symbol of the navaratri festival. [2]
Iconography
As is the case with every other external form with which Hinduism represents god, in the sense of the personal appearance of Brahman (also referred to as Ishvara, the Lord), the figure of Ganesha too is an archetype loaded with multiple meanings and symbolism which expresses a state of perfection as well as the means of obtaining it. Ganesha, in fact, is the symbol of he who has discovered the Divinity within himself.
Ganesha is the first sound, OM, in which all hymns were born. When Shakti (Energy / Matter) and Shiva (Being / Consciousness) meet, both Sound (Ganesha) and Light (Skanda) were born. He represents the perfect equilibrium between force and kindness and between power and beauty. He also symbolizes the discriminative capacities which provide the ability to perceive distinctions between truth and illusion, the real and the unreal.
A description of all of the characteristics and attributes of Ganesha can be found in the Ganapati Upanishad (an Upanishad dedicated to Ganesha) of the rishi Atharva, in which Ganesha is identified with Brahman and Atman. This Vedic Hymn also contains one of the most famous mantras associated with this divinity: Om Gam Ganapataye Namah (literally, I surrender myself to You, Lord of the hosts).
According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesha figures with only two hands are taboo. Hence, Ganesha figures are most commonly seen with four hands which signify their divinity. Some figures may be seen with six, some with eight, some with ten, some with twelve and some with fourteen hands, each hand carrying a symbol which differs from the symbols in other hands, there being about fifty-seven symbols in all, according to some scholars.
The image of Ganesha is a composite one. Four animals, man, elephant, the serpent and the mouse have contributed to the makeup of his figure. All of them individually and collectively have deep symbolic significance.
The lord of good fortune
In general terms, Ganesha is a much beloved and frequently invoked divinity, since he is the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity and fortune and also the Destroyer of Obstacles of a material or spiritual order. It is for this reason that his grace is invoked before the undertaking of any task (e.g. traveling, taking an examination, conducting a business affair, a job interview, performing a ceremony,) with such incantations as Aum Shri Ganeshaya Namah (hail the name of Ganesha), or similar. It is also for this reason that, traditionally, all sessions of bhajan (devotional chanting) begin with an invocation of Ganesha, Lord of the "good beginnings" of chants. Throughout India and the Hindu culture, Lord Ganesha is the first icon placed into any new home or abode.
Moreover, Ganesha is associated with the first chakra (wheel), which represents the instinct of conservation and survival, of procreation and material well-being.
Bodily attributes
Every element of the body of Ganesha has its own value and its own significance:
- The elephant head indicates fidelity, intelligence and discriminative power;[3]
- The fact that he has a single tusk (the other being broken off) indicates Ganesha’s ability to overcome all forms of dualism;
- The wide ears denote wisdom, ability to listen to people who seek help and to reflect on spiritual truths. They signify the importance of listening in order to assimilate ideas. Ears are used to gain knowledge. The large ears indicate that when God is known, all knowledge is known;
- the curved trunk indicates the intellectual potentialities which manifest themselves in the faculty of discrimination between real and unreal;
- on the forehead, the Trishula (weapon of Shiva, similar to Trident) is depicted, symbolising time (past, present and future) and Ganesha's mastery over it;
- Ganesha’s pot belly contains infinite universes. It signifies the bounty of nature and equanimity, the ability of Ganesha to swallow the sorrows of the Universe and protect the world;
- the position of his legs (one resting on the ground and one raised) indicate the importance of living and participating in the material world as well as in the spiritual world, the ability to live in the world without being of the world.
- The four arms of Ganesha represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body, that is: mind (Manas), intellect (Buddhi), ego (Ahamkara), and conditioned conscience (Chitta). Lord Ganesha represents the pure consciousness - the Atman - which enables these four attributes to function in us;
- The hand waving an axe, is a symbol of the retrenchment of all desires, bearers of pain and suffering. With this axe Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles. The axe is also to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth;
- The second hand holds a whip, symbol of the force that ties the devout person to the eternal beatitude of God. The whip conveys that worldly attachments and desires should be rid of;
- The third hand, turned towards the devotee, is in a pose of blessing, refuge and protection (abhaya);
- the fourth hand holds a lotus flower (padma), and it symbolizes the highest goal of human evolution, the sweetness of the realised inner self.
The lord whose form is OM
Ganesha is also described as Omkara or Aumkara, that is having the form of Om.[4] The shape of his body is a copy of the outline of the Devanagari letter which indicates the celebrated Bija Mantra. For this reason, Ganesha is considered the bodily incarnation of the entire Cosmos, He who is at the base of all of the phenomenal world (Vishvadhara, Jagadoddhara). Moreover, in the Tamil language, the sacred syllable is indicated precisely by a character which recalls the shape of the elephant's head of Ganesha.
Ganesha and the mouse
According to one interpretation, Ganesha's divine vehicle, the mouse or mooshikam represents wisdom, talent and intelligence. It symbolizes minute investigation of a cryptic subject. A mouse leads a secret life below the ground. Thus it is also a symbol of ignorance that is dominant in darkness and fears light and knowledge. As the vehicle of Lord Ganesha, a mouse teaches us to remain always on alert and illuminate our inner-self with the light of knowledge.
Both Ganesha and the Mooshak love modaka, a sweet dish which is traditionally offered to them both during worship ceremonies. The Mooshak is usually depicted as very small in relation to Ganesha, in contrast to the depictions of vehicles of other deities. However, it was once traditional in Maharashtrian art to depict Mooshak as a very large mouse, and for Ganesha to be mounted on him like a horse.
Yet another interpretation says that the mouse (Mushika or Akhu) represents the ego, the mind with all of its desires, and the pride of the individual. Ganesha, riding atop the mouse, becomes the master (and not the slave) of these tendencies, indicating the power that the intellect and the discriminative faculties have over the mind. Moreover, the mouse (extremely voracious by nature) is often depicted next to a plate of sweets with his eyes turned toward Ganesha while he tightly holds on to a morsel of food between his paws, as if expecting an order from Ganesha. This represents the mind which has been completely subordinated to the superior faculty of the intellect, the mind under strict supervision, which fixes Ganesha and does not approach the food unless it has permission.
Lastly it is a very evocative presentation of how humble and modest one should be. Ganesha in spite of his huge physical, mental and intellectual prowess conducts and carries himself so lightly that he can very well be carried by a very very small (compared to the size of Ganesha) and insignificant being-the mouse.
Married or celibate?
It is interesting to note how, according to tradition, Ganesha was generated by his mother Parvati without the intervention of her husband Shiva. Shiva, in fact, being eternal (Sadashiva), did not feel any need to have children. Consequently, the relationship of Ganesha and his mother is unique and special.
This devotion is the reason that the traditions of southern India represent him as celibate (see the anecdote Devotion to his mother). It is said that Ganesha, believing his mother to be the most beautiful and perfect woman in the universe, exclaimed: "Bring me a woman as beautiful as she and I will marry her."
In the north of India, on the other hand, Ganesha is often portrayed as married to the two daughters of Brahma: Riddhi (intellect) and Siddhi (spiritual power). Popularly in north India Ganesha is accompanied by Sarasvati (goddess of culture and art) and Lakshmi (goddess of luck and prosperity), symbolizing that these qualities always accompany he who has discovered his own internal divinity. Symbolically this represents the fact that wealth, prosperity and success accompany those who have the qualities wisdom, prudence, patience, etc. that Ganesha symbolises.
There is another mythology, especially in Bengal, which goes in that Ganesha is married to the Kalabou. The Kalabou is nothing but a banana tree draped in traditional white with a Bengali saree with a red border. The story goes that, when Ganesha was supposed to marry, one day when he came home, he saw his mother Durga eating with all her ten hands. Shocked, he asked why is she doing it. Durga replied that if, after Ganesha marries, his wife would not give Durga any food, so Durga is eating to her heart's content with all ten hands. Feeling very sad, Ganesha decided that he would marry a banana tree or Kalabou so that her mother never has any worries about food, as a banana tree cannot stop her from eating.
In the early hours of Saptami, the kalabou is taken for a bath to the Holy Ganges. Water from the Ganges accompanied with Dhak and Kanshi finishes the bathing ceremony. After the bathing ceremony she is adorned in a red-bordered white sari and vermilion is smeared on its leaves. She is then placed on a decorated pedestal and worshipped with flowers, sandalwood paste, and incense sticks. Later she is placed on the right side of Lord Ganesh. This is the reason she is popularly known as Ganesh's wife.
Mythological Anecdotes
How did Ganesha's tusk break off?
There are various anecdotes which explain how Ganesha broke off one of his tusks.
Ganesha the scribe
In the first part of the epic poem Mahabharata, it is written that the sage Vyasa asked Ganesha to transcribe the poem as he dictated it to him. Ganesha agreed, but only on the condition that Vyasa recite the poem uninterrupted, without pausing. The sage, in his turn, posed the condition that Ganesha would not only have to write, but would have to understand everything that he heard before writing it down. In this way, Vyasa might recuperate a bit from his continuous talking by simply reciting a difficult verse which Ganesha could not understand. The dictation began, but in the rush of writing Ganesha's feather pen broke. He broke off a tusk and used it as a pen so that the transcription could proceed without interruption, permitting him to keep his word.[5]
Ganesha and Parashurama
One day Parashurama, an avatar of Vishnu, went to pay a visit to Shiva, but along the way he was blocked by Ganesha. Parashurama hurled himself at Ganesha with his axe and Ganesha (knowing that this axe was given to him by Shiva) allowed himself out of respect to be struck and lost his tusk as a result.[6]
Ganesha and the Moon
It is said that one day Ganesha, after having received from many of his devotees an enormous amount of sweets (Modak), in order to better digest this incredible mass of food, decided to go for a ride. He got on the mouse which he used as his vehicle and took off. It was a magnificent night and the moon was resplendent. Suddenly a snake appeared out of nowhere and nearly frightened the mouse to death, causing it to jump and Ganesha was thrown off his mount. Ganesha's huge stomach smashed against the ground so forcefully that it burst open and all of the sweets that he had eaten were scattered around him. Nonetheless, he was too intelligent to get angry about this accident and, without wasting any time in useless lamentations, he tried to remedy the situation as best he could. He took the serpent which had caused the accident and used it as a belt to keep his stomach closed and bandage the injury. Satisfied by this solution, he remounted his mouse and continued his excursion. Chandradev (Moon God) saw the whole scene and laughed. Ganesha, being the short-tempered one, cursed Chandradev for his arrogance and breaking off one of his tusks, hurled it against the Moon, slashing its luminous face in two. He then cursed it, decreeing that anyone who happens to see the moon will incur bad luck. Hearing this, Chandradev realised his folly and asked for forgiveness from Ganesha. Ganesha relented and since a curse cannot be revoked, only softened it. Ganesha softened his curse such that the moon would wax and wane in intensity every fifteen days and anyone who looks at the moon during Ganesh Chaturthi would incur bad-luck. This explains why, in certain moments, the light of the Moon goes off and then begins gradually to reappear; but its face appears whole only for a brief period of time, since it is once again "broken" in half to the point of disappearing.
Ganesha, head of the celestial armies
There once took place a great competition between the Devas to decide who among them should be the head of the Gana (the troops of semi-gods at the service of Shiva). The competitors were required to circle the world as fast as possible and return to the Feet of Shiva. The gods took off, each on his or her own vehicle, and even Ganesha participated with enthusiasm in the race; but he was extremely heavy and was riding on a mouse! Naturally, his pace was remarkably slow and this was a great disadvantage. He had not yet made much headway when there appeared before him the sage Narada (son of Brahma), who asked him where he was going. Ganesha was very annoyed and went into a rage because it was considered unlucky to encounter a solitary Brahmin just at the beginning of a voyage. Not withstanding the fact that Narada was the greatest of Brahmins, son of Brahma himself, this was still a bad omen. Moreover, it wasn't considered a good sign to be asked where one was heading when one was already on the way to some destination; therefore, Ganesha felt doubly unfortunate. Nonetheless, the great Brahmin succeeded in calming his fury. Ganesha explained to him the motives for his sadness and his terrible desire to win. Narada consoled and exhorted him not to despair.
Ganesha returned to his father, who asked him how he was able to finish the race so quickly. Ganesha told him of his encounter with Narada and of the Brahmin's counsel. Shiva, satisfied with this response, pronouned his son the winner and, from that moment on, he was acclaimed with the name of Ganapati (Conductor of the celestial armies) and Vinayaka (Lord of all beings).
Ganesha's appetite
Ganesha is also known as the destroyer of vanity, egoism and pride.
One anecdote, taken from the Purana, narrates that the treasurer of Svarga (paradise) and god of wealth, Kubera, went one day to Mount Kailasa in order to receive the darshan (vision) of Shiva. Since he was extremely vain, he invited Shiva to a feast in his fabulous city, Alakapuri, so that he could show off to him all of his wealth. Shiva smiled and said to him: "I cannot come, but you can invite my son Ganesha. But I warn you that he is a voracious eater." Unperturbed, Kubera felt confident that he could satisfy even the most insatiable appetite, like that of Ganesha, with his opulence. He took the little son of Shiva with him into his great city. There, he offered him a ceremonial bath and dressed him in sumptuous clothing. After these initial rites, the great banquet began. While the servants of Kubera were working themselves to the bone in order to bring the portions, the little Ganesha just continued to eat and eat and eat.... His appetite did not decrease even after he had devoured the servings which were destined for the other guests. There was not even time to substitute one plate with another because Ganesha had already devoured everything, and with gestures of impatience, continued waiting for more food. Having devoured everything which had been prepared, Ganesha began eating the decorations, the tableware, the furniture, the chandelier.... Terrified, Kubera prostrated himself in front of the little omnivorous one and supplicated him to spare him, at least, the rest of the palace.
"I am hungry. If you don't give me something else to eat, I will eat you as well!", he said to Kubera. Desperate, Kubera rushed to mount Kailasa to ask Shiva to remedy the situation. The Lord then gave him a handful of roasted rice, saying that something as simple as a handful of roasted rice would satiate Ganesha, if it was offered with humility and love. Ganesha had swallowed up almost the entire city when Kubera finally arrived and humbly gave him the rice. With that, Ganesha was finally satisfied and calmed.
Ganesha's reverence for his parents
Once there was a competition between Ganesha and his brother Karthikeya as to who could circumambulate the three worlds faster and hence win the fruit of knowledge. Karthikeya went off on a journey to cover the three worlds while Ganesha simply circumambulated his parents. When asked why he did so, he answered that his parents Shiva and Parvati constituted the three worlds, and was given the fruit of knowledge.
Devotion to his mother
While playing, once, Ganesha wounded a cat. When he returned home he found a wound in his Mother's body. He enquired how she got hurt. Mother Parvati replied that this was caused by none other than Ganesha himself! Surprised, Ganesha wanted to know when he hurt her. Parvati explained that She as Divine Power was immanent in all beings. When he wounded the cat she was hurt. Ganesha realised that all women were veritable manifestations of his Mother. He decided not to marry. That's how he remained a brahmachari, a life-long celibate, following the strict rules of Brahmacharya. However, in some scriptures and images Ganesha is often portrayed as married to the two daughters of Brahma: Riddhi (Knowledge) and Siddhi (Perfection).
Festivals and worship of Ganesha
In India, there is an important festival honouring Lord Ganesha. While it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra, it is performed all over India. It is celebrated for ten days starting from Ganesh Chaturthi.[7] This festival is celebrated and it culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi when the murti of Lord Ganesha is immersed into the most convenient body of water. In Mumbai (earlier known as Bombay), the murti is immersed in the Arabian Sea and in Pune the Mula-Mutha river. In various North and East Indian cities, like Kolkata, they are immersed in the holy Ganga river.
While the Ganapati festival is celebrated by Hindus throughout the Country with great devotional fervour, in Mumbai, the Country’s richest and most populated city, the festival assumes awesome proportions. On the last day of the festival, millions of people of all ages descend onto the streets leading up to the sea, dancing and singing, to the rhythmic accompaniment of drums and cymbals [8]. The town of Pen in Raigad district of Maharashtra is famous for producing the most beautiful Ganesh murtis(idols). The skilled artists from this town make Ganesh murtis all around the year to meet the demand of the murtis in Ganesh festival.
Popularity of Ganesha
Ganesha has two Siddhis (symbolically represented as wives or consorts): Siddhi (success) and Riddhi (prosperity). It is widely believed that "Wherever there is Ganesh, there is Success and Prosperity" and "Wherever there is Success and Prosperity there is Ganesh". This is why Ganesh is believed to be the harbinger of good fortune, and why he is invoked first at any ritual or ceremony. Whether it is diwali puja, a new house, a new vehicle, students praying before the exams, or people praying before job interviews, it is Ganesha they pray to, because it is believed that he will come to their aid and grant them success in their endeavor.
Like other devas (Hindu male deities) and devis (female deities), Ganesha has many other titles of respect or symbolic names, and is often worshipped through the chanting of the Ganesha Sahasranama, which literally means A thousand names of Ganesha. The Ganesha Sahasranama is part of the Ganesha Purana, a Hindu mythological text that venerates Ganesha. Each name in the Sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha.
Other media
- Ganesha was controversially [9] portrayed as Monster in My Pocket #62, although he was depicted with only two arms (though still with a broken tusk). After protestation by local Hindu groups, he was removed from the line in England, but continued to be included in other countries.
- In Monkeybone, Jumbo the Elephant God is somewhat based on Ganesha.
- In The Simpsons, Apu Nahasapeemapetilon is a devoted follower of Ganesha.
- Ganesha was depicted in the Mighty Max episode "Good Golly Ms. Kali" under the control of Naga.
- The movie Garden State begins with an invocation to Ganesha. The Ganesha Mantram is sung melodiously several times during a traumatic event.
- The video game Postal² features a grocery store named "Lucky Ganesh".
- In Neil Gaiman's novel American Gods, Ganesha appears as a minor character who provides assistance.
- In the collectible miniatures game Dreamblade, the Thunder Sultan figure greatly resembles Ganesha, albeit with two trunks and only two arms.
- A statue of Ganesh appears in Digger as a major character. As a statue of Ganesh, it is partially divine itself.
Notes
- ^ "Ganapatya". brittanica.com. Retrieved 2006-09-27.
- ^ Various avataras of Ganapati
- ^ "Ganesha". vahini.org. Retrieved 2006-09-28.
- ^ "Ganesha". parashakthitemple.org. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
- ^ "Ganesha: Overcomer of Obstacles". theosophy-nw.org. Retrieved 2006-09-28.
- ^ "Ganesha". gurjari.net. Retrieved 2006-09-28.
- ^ "Ganesha Chaturthi". hindunet.org. Retrieved 2006-09-26.
- ^ A report with high resolution images of the Ganapati Visarjan Festival
- ^ http://www.hinduismtoday.com/archives/1993/11/1993-11-15.shtml
References
The majority of documentation on Ganesha is in Sanskrit. A collection of useful documents can be found here. At the same site can be found some documents and translations in English here.
- Prof. Pradeep Sarkar, The reflection of ancient India in modern India
- A. Daniélou, Le polythéisme hindou, Paris. 1960. pp. 443-452.
- Ram Swaroop Joon, History of the Jats, 1938,1965, New Delhi.
- Thakur Deshraj, Jat Itihas, Maharaja Suraj Mal Smarak Shiksha Sansthan, Delhi. 1936. (in Hindi)
Further Reading
- Ganesha Puja, Swami Satyananda Saraswati, Devi Mandir. (ISBN: 1-877795-46-1)
Other meanings
In India an elephant with one tusk is sometimes called a "ganesh".
External links
- Hindu God Ganesha
- [1] 108 Names of GANESH and meanings
- [2] 32 FORMS of GANESH
- The meaning and significance of the symbolism of Ganapati
- [3]
- Ganesh Festival Campaign
- Festival explanation and Story of Ganesha
- Ganesha Festival Pictures
- Lord Ganesh - Description on hindunet.org
- Ganesha: The Elephant-God
- Ganesha Chaturthi
- Ganesh Symbolism
- Lord Ganesha image gallery
- Devotional hymns and eulogies on Lord Ganesha
- [4] Tibetan Ganesh Thangka