God of Success
Ganesha
 An elephant deity
riding a mouse is one of the best known and most worshipped deities in
the Hindu pantheon. Ganesha, also called Ganapati, is the god of wisdom,
prudence, and salvation. Ga means "knowledge", na means "salvation", and
isa and pati mean "lord". His image is found throughout India. Hindu
sects worship him regardless of other affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha
is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.
The son of the Hindu deities Siva and Durga is a god of luck and of
"opening the way." Rotund and generally jolly, Ganesha is distinguished
from other Hindu deities because he has the head of an elephant. His
image appears on numerous Hindu products, such as incense and foods. His
symbol is the swastika, which he bears in the palm of his hand. His
identifying weapon is an elephant goad, to move stubborn people, but he
is not always shown bearing it. Sometimes he carries a conch shell,
holds a book, or receives offerings of sweet foods. Usually, one of his
tusks is broken and his vehicle is a rat, who may be shown stealing one
of the food offerings placed at his feet.
Ganesha became the Lord (Isha) of all existing beings (Gana) after
winning a contest from his brother Kartikay. When given the task to race
around the universe, Ganesha did not start the race like Kartikey did,
but simply walked around Shiva and Parvati, both his father and mother
as the source of all existence.
He is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities,
representations of Ganesha show wide variations and distinct patterns
changing over time. He may be portrayed standing, dancing, heroically
taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting
down, or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.
He is also the most widely worshipped deity. All ceremonies, religious
or secular, begin with an invocation to Ganesha. His image is printed on
cards sent out for any happy occasion, like for the announcement of
birth in the family or a wedding. Usually before beginning any religious
writing, he is invoked with words 'Om Shri Ganeshaya Namaha', literally
meaning "Ganesha, I pray to you".
Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes
him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of
Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of
Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and
wisdom. He is honored at the start of rituals and ceremonies and invoked
as Patron of Letters during writing sessions. Several texts relate
mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and
explain his distinct iconography.
At birth, Ganesha was a perfectly normal boy, with perfect features and
body parts, as befits one conceived by a goddess. There are many stories
that describe how Ganesha got his elephant head. One tells how Parvati
created Ganesha in absence of Shiva to guard her quarters. When Shiva
wanted to see her Ganesha forbid it, at which point Shiva cut of his
head. Later Shiva restored Ganesha to life and provided him with the
head off an elephant, because no other was available. In another story,
Ganesha's head is burned to ashes when Saturn is forced by Parvati to
look after her child and bless him.
Shiva was in the habit of intruding upon Parvati while she was bathing.
However, Parvati found this habit of her forgetful lord rather annoying.
One day, when the beautiful goddess was about to get a bath in the water
of a pool inside a cave, she placed Ganesha, her favorite son, at the
entrance of the cave and strictly instructed him not to let anybody in
while she was inside. So Ganesha stood guard while his mother bathed
inside till he spied his father ambling towards the cave. Shiva demanded
admittance but Ganesha stood his ground bravely and refused to allow his
father in.
Shiva was astounded at this. He protested that no one had the right to
keep him away from his rightful wife but Ganesha did not budge from his
post saying that he would not disobey his mother's instructions. Shiva
flew into a terrific rage and attacked his own son. Ganesha parried his
father's attack and both fought for quite some time. At the mean time,
Parvati unwittingly went on bathing inside, unaware of what was
happening. Eventually, Shiva hurled his trident, his supreme weapon, at
his son. Ganesha would not parry this as that would show great
disrespect for his father. Therefore, he took the blow from the trident
on one tusk, which broke off. At this point in time, Parvati emerged
from her bath and, perceiving what has been going on, hastened to bring
amity back to her family. Since then Ganesha, benevolent initiator, has
had one tusk.
Ganesha has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything
associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of
Ganesha, but also how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds
of the masses.
Ganesha rides a rat that represents the subjugated demon of vanity and
impertinence. The conch represents the sound that creates Akash. The
laddu presents Sattva. The snakes represent control over the poisons of
the passions and refer to Shiva, father of Ganesha. The hatchet cuts
away the bondage of desires. The mudra grants fearlessness. The broken
tusk is the one with which Ganesha wrote the Mahabaratha.
The broken tusk that Ganesha 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.
Acceptance of the somewhat funny looking elephant man Ganesha as the
divine force stills the rational mind and it's doubts, forcing one to
look beyond outer appearance. Thus Ganesha creates the faith to remove
all obstacles.
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Ganesha The God of Success
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