PURPORT OF HIS WORSHIP
Forum Participants)
I often wonder why Ganesha should be glorified in his broken tusk ? Ekadanta Ganesha has become the most popular form for worship of Ganesha. I wonder why a story should have been created projecting him as an angry deity hurling his tusk at moon or breaking it for scribing the epic Mahabharata? In fact even Sankara’s sloka on Ganesha is wrongly projected. I often wonder why Ganesha should be glorified in his broken tusk as Ekadanta not knowing whether that is right-handed or left-handed or he is dvidanta or chaturdanta in different regions and temples confused or convinced? Puranas, Pauraniks, Saints and Musicians have eulogized Ekadanta Ganesha, a Non Vedic Upadevata chosen as leader from celestial natural creation of ekadanta species who served under Vishwaksena as a captain of a team of ganas. This Gana Leader has also been linked to Rigveda mantra addressed to Indra--ganaanatvavaa ganPatigam havaamahe. Even an Upanishad was later added to the main 108 Upanishads as Ganapati Atharvaseershopanishad while downgrading Skanda his projected sibling. Mudgil toppled all this with his Mudgil Purana with 32 forms of Ganesha including Ucchishta Ganapati, Ganapathi-- Ganapati devouring the remnants of the meal (May be influenced by his mount Rat)
- Sri Kapadri Stotram on Vinayaka from Skanda Puranam
- Face Book postings of Right-Hand Ekadanta and Dwidanta idols
presently worshiped in Temples.
- Adi Vinayaka Temple of Parvati Created Human-faced Ganesha
- Chinna Jeer on Ekadanta Ganesha and Vishwaksena
- Vinayaki
or Ganeshini - Elephant-headed Goddess
Srinivasan Nadipuram commented on Prabha Sridharan's post.
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which tusk Ganesha Broke? Right or
Left? Very confusing!
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Srinivasan Nadipuram commented on Prabha Sridharan's post.
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HOW COME DWIDANTA? THEN WHY NOTa
NARAMUKHA VINAYAKA?"
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This is the unique temple with the God Ganesh without elephant head. This is the ancient form of Vinayagar. In this temple devotees are doing Thila Tharpana ritual which is the Hindu ritual of Pithur Karmas.
Swarnavalli sametha Mukthiswarar temple is located at Thilatharpanapuri 2.6kms from Koothanur. Koothanoor is near Poonthottam which is on Mayavaram — Tiruvarur Road. Here you can see a Vinayakar with a Human face.
Temple address: Sethalapathy, Poonthottam P.O, Nannilam Taluk, Thiruvarur District, Tamilnadu – 609 503.
About Vinakayaka and Vishwaksena
Vishwakse:na and Vina:yaka were not one and the same. Vishwakse:na appears just like Lord Na:ra:yana Himself. Color will be ordinary not blue. Along with Sankha and Chakra he will be holding a long stick in his left hand and showing index finger with right hand, to fear all the evil powers. Several elephant headed (gaja mukhas) gana:dhipathis are in his force, to obey his instructions in removing the hurdles of Vishnu devotees. Vishwak Se:na is the whole and sole to look after the administration of the entire Universe and also the Paramapadam. Here is a verse says that
yad ve:thra sikhara spande: viswam e:thath vyavasthitham ||”
Vinayaka |
Vishwakse:na
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Anyone
who can help you handle a hurdle is called a Vinayaka.
Gane:sa is also called referred as Vinayaka.
He
is the chief commander of all battalions in the army of Siva
He
is with a single-tusked elephant head (and hence he is called E:kadantha)
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He
is the chief commander of all battalions in the army of Lord Vishnu, He is
the alter-ego of Lord Vishnu himself.
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He
is the leader of all double-tusked elephant head lieutenants, single-tusked
elephant head lieutenants, horse headed lieutenants, goat headed lieutenants,
and every other lieutenant.
Among
these lieutenants, a double-tusk elephant headed lieutenant has the power to
impart abilities in us for overcoming all hurdles. All of them represent
valor to conquer any challenge.
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His
consorts are Siddhi and Buddhi
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His
consort is Su:travati
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Mo:dakas
are offered to Vinayaka on this day. All devotees have the prasadam after
the prayer.
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Appam
is offered to Vishwakse:na. All devotees have the prasadam after
the prayer.
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Prayer:
Agaja:nana Padma:rkam
Gaja:nanam aharnisam | Ane:ka damtham bhaktha:na:m E:kadantham upa:smahe: ||
(you
can also chant and read more about Gane:sa and understand the way he supports
you)
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Prayer:
Yasya dwirada vakthra:dya:h
Pa:rishadya:h paras satham | Vighnam nighnanthi sathatham Vishvak se:nam tham a:sraye: ||
Vande: vaikuntta se:na:nyam
De:vam su:travathi: sakham | Yad ve:thra sikhara spande: Viswam e:thath vyavastthitham ||
(you
can also chant and read more about Vishwakse:na and understand the way
he supports you)
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Vinayaki is sometimes also seen as the part of the sixty-four yoginis or the matrika goddesses. However, scholar Krishan believes that Vinayakis in early elephant-headed matrikas, the Brahmanical shakti of Ganesha, and the Tantric yogini are three distinct goddesses.
Vinayaki: The
lesser-known story of the elephant-headed goddess, the female avatar of Ganesha
Vinayaki was also considered as one of the shaktis or yoginis
of Parvati.
This depiction of the elephant-headed goddess in the 1,300-year-old temple is among the few rare representations of the deity. “It is one among many other idols but is special,” said C Santhalingam, a retired archaeologist. “When you go around the temple for pradarshana, you can see the goddess in the north eastern side of the temple. It is an idol of interest, since a similar sculpture is rare to find.”
Goddess in obscurity
Goddess
lore in Hinduism
We are repeatedly told Ganesha is Vighnaraja and we therefore start all our worship with Ganesha Puja for success in all our material endeavors at the base level (prathama vandita). We all need material stability and peace to focus on spirituality. Vishnu Sahasranama says Vighnam nighnanti satatam Vishvaksenam tamaasraye. Start Visnusahasrama japa meditation with the worship of Vishawaksena, an Avatar of Vishnu. We need a higher level approach to start our spiritual worship and therefore a higher level devata! Please go through the explanation of Srila Prabhupada the nature and consequent level of success in our approach to material as well as spiritual success. He also explains the divine hierarchy and exclusive areas of operation of devatas when someone asked why we worship so many devatas. Have we not extended temple worship to still lower level devatas like Saibaba, Swami Narayan, Santoshimaa etc?
The controlling demigods (devas) possess a life span that is equal to one day of Brahma (1,000 divya-yugas, or 4,320,000,000 earthly years). This category includes most of the elemental controllers as well as most of the demigods within the court of Indra. Various demigods such as Ganesha, Karttikeya, etc., are actually posts that are occupied by a particular living entity for one day of Brahma. At the end of the day of Brahma, when the dissolution waters fill the universe, they leave their respective posts and allow other living entities to fill them. For example, it is described in the Puranas that in the present day of Brahma, the post of Karttikeya (Skanda) is being occupied by Sri Sanat-kumara, the great liberated son of Lord Brahma--Srila Prabhupada.
Just as we are an eternal spirit soul, covered by a human body due to illusion, in a similar way, even Indra, Ganesha and Brahma are eternal spirit souls covered by a devata body due to illusion. The only difference is the quality of illusion that is conditioning us. We are conditioned more by the lower gunas of rajas (passion) and tamas (ignorance) whereas they are conditioned by the higher quality of sattva guna (goodness).
Everyone within this material world (including the devatas), up to the topmost planet of Brahma Loka must ultimately face death. In the Gita this is described as follows:
Why these people are described as alpa-medhasam (of small intelligence) is because the fruits they attain are temporary. The devatas whom they are worshiping are themselves temporary, what to speak of their benedictions and blessings.
The popular Devata we are worshiping today is Ekadanta Ganesha, a gana picked up by Siva from the army of Vishwaksena (devasenapati) and anointed as Vighnaraja and is neither a mythological Ganesha of human body with transplanted elephant head nor Naramukha Vinayaka Parvati created as sentinel. That is why we sing in popular Bhajans “Iswaraputram Vinayakam” and not “Parvatiputram Vinayakam”. Devatas have limited powers and grant us material success, peace and prosperity, mentally preparing us for spiritual thinking and advancement
GANESH CHATURTHI MESSAGE FROM DAVID FRAWLEY
Ganesha is presented to us Ekadntam, Dwidantam, Tridantam and Chatutdantam. Let us confine to Dwidantam as Visahwaksena Clan, forgetting about all stories and myths and focus as Ekadam+tam getting out of our Kindergarten level of understanding Him. He is the gate-keeper who leads our souls to the Supreme Consciousness!
"Sri Gaṇeśa chaturthī or Vināyaka chaturthī celebrates श्रीगणपति Gaṇapati’s sacred day the fourth tithi of the (śuklapakṣa bright half) of the month of Bhadra (August-September). Oṃkārasvarūpa His sacred form is Oṃ as Sri Gaṇeśa personifies the primal sound. Sri Gaṇeśa is the personification of our greater universe in all its abundance and transcendence.
Sri Gaṇeśa is revered and worshipped in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand, Bali Indonesia, Fiji, Mauritius, and Trinidad and Tobago Bangladesh and in the hearts of Seekers worldwide. We invoke Sri Gaṇeśa as the great Lord of time and karma, the cosmic intelligence working behind all the planets. He grants us wisdom and skill to overcome our obstacles, fear and tribulations guiding us to achieve our heartfelt goals.
Sri Gaṇeśa as the cosmic guru reveals our unity with the entire cosmos, arising through Devi Parvati as Mother Nature and is bestowed an Elephant head by Shiva Maheshvara, symbolizing the transcendent truth and reality of the cosmic mind or Mahat Shakti. Sri Ganesha sadhana draws the knowledge of the Self or Atman Vidya creating sthira shakti for our spiritual life.
Sri Gaṇeśa sustains and grounds us in the Muladhara or Root Chakra where we hold all our insecurities, fear, vanity and emotional turbulence. Propitiating Sri Gaṇeśa we are able to ground ourselves with Mother Earth as he represents the element of earth. This Chaturthi or fourth lunar day has powers to remove all our karmic blockages which inhibit our prosperity, harmony and well-being.
YOGIC SECRET OF GANESHA
Ganesha is said to be the remover of obstacles, which he is most energized to accomplish on Ganesh Chaturthi.
Lord Ganesha is one of the oldest and most revered Hindu deities, as well as the most distinctive. His head of an elephant, enigmatic stories and rich symbolism popularizes him and make him recognized worldwide. But what is the hidden truth behind his mystic image? Few seem to know.
Psychologists project their neuroses on Ganesha, turning him into repressed sexuality, missing his power of transcendence altogether. Mythologists turn him into a quaint folklore image of tribal people, failing to discern his universal connections.
Great yogis know Sri Ganesha as the lord of the universe, the underlying cosmic intelligence that links us to the supreme reality beyond all name and form.
Ganesha’s guiding power
Ganesha is the first of the gurus who guides us. He is invoked at the beginning of all Hindu rituals, as he aligns us with the beneficial powers of the universe. Ganesha’s vehicle, the mouse, indicates his respect for all living entities grat and minute! Gana means a group and Isha or Pati means the lord, Ganesha, Ganapati. The Ganas on an outer level are all the animalsee of which Ganesha as the elephant is the ruler or chieftain, but this is just the surface.
The animals indicate the different souls and energies bound to the world of Samsara. Ganesha gathers them together under his guidance and offers them to Lord Shiva as the highest awareness.
The Ganas are the letters or mantras of Sanskrit and Ganesha as OM is their ruler. The Ganas are the pranas and sense organs, and Ganesha as the inner self is the foremost. The Ganas are the tattvas, or universal truth principles, starting with the five elements, of which Ganesha as the inner self is the pivot.
The Ganas are the events and rhythms in time as the movement of karma. Ganesha is the lord of karma, the cosmic intelligence that dispenses the fruits of our actions.
If we allay our actions with Ganesha, all that we do will achieve the best results.
Ganesha, Shiva and Shakti
Ganesha is Shiva’s son and representative. Shiva is Pashupati, or the lord of animals. Ganapati is the foremost of the animals, Shiva incarnate as the ruling principle in the manifested worlds.
Both Ganesha and Shiva are Om. Shiva is Om in its transcendent state. Ganesha is Om in its state as underlying and ruling all other forces.
Yet, Ganesha’s relationship with Shiva is controversial. Shiva cuts off Ganesha’s head as a little boy and then replaces it with the head of an elephant. This strange story has been the subject of much misinterpretation and distortion.
Lord Shiva represents the unbounded consciousness beyond the limits of the dualistic mind. Shiva turns the individual soul into Ganesha by taking it beyond the individual mind to the universal consciousness embracing the whole of existence.
When we surrender to Shiva as the non-dual state, we align ourselves with Ganesha and are no longer bound to our human conditioning. This requires the difficult sacrifice of the ego represented by the human head.
Ganesha is also the son of Shakti as Devi Parvati. Only Ganesha can take the supreme Shakti energy and direct it along the necessary currents for its complete manifestation.
Ganesha dwells in the Muladhara, or root chakra, that rules over the earth element and holds the Kundalini Shakti, our individual power of transcendence.
Ganesha provides us with the stability to wield the Shakti force that rises out of the earth and takes us to the infinite light.
Ganesha is the unity of Shiva and Shakti, holding the highest awareness of Shiva while displaying all the powers of Shakti.
His two consorts are Siddhi, the power of accomplishment, and Buddhi, the power of knowledge (May be represented by two tusks)
On Diwali, he is combined with Lakshmi and Sarasvati, who reflect these two forces. Ganesha is darling of all the Goddesses.
Ganesha is said to be the remover of obstacles, which he is most energized to accomplish on Ganesh Chaturthi, the main day of the year for his worship.
Surrender to the cosmic intelligence of Ganesha and he will manifest the best of all possibilities without your need to worry, turning all difficulties into grace.
These are but a few glimpses of the yogic secrets of Sri Ganesha. Yet if you are willing to join his group of ganas, which is your true family, Ganesha will lead you to unqualified bliss and the combined presence of Shiva and Shakti.
Gaṇeśa Chaturthi is an auspicious day for every seeker to set a Sankalpa or sacred intent! Sri Gaṇeśa gives us the wisdom to remove all obstacles in our Yogic path of inner growth. Create a personal sankalpa and one for Universal peace and harmony.
Our sankalpas unfold our spiritual paths and sadhana. The sankalpa forms the spiritual basis of our dharma, kama, artha and moksha goals with clarity and grace. Sadhakas who have been with us during our Yoga Shakti Retreats are guided into this beautiful ritual. A mantra must be chanted and offered to Sri Gaṇeśa for the removal of all obstacles in our sacred path and the bestowal of wisdom.
Sri Gaṇeśa Chaturthī celebration
Sri Gaṇeśa’s energies permeate our human earth on this day entering into his physical representations, allowing us to tap into his powerful force. India’s diverse traditions and sacred festivities lead to diverse celebrations where each region or state has its own way of celebrating the auspiciousness of the divine. Sri Gaṇeśa Chaturthī is celebrated mainly in Bharata especially Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and other Southern states with much fanfare. The home is cleaned and decorated with banana and mango leaves, flowers and Rangoli designs on the floors. The sacred space or temple in the home is beautifully decorated and lit up.
Sri Gaṇeśa Chaturthī Puja
The central vigraha of this puja is Sri Ganesha, where a beautiful vigraha is made of clay, decorated and consecrated at the place of worship. The festivities carry on from four to ten days. On the fifth or eleventh day after all the pujas and ceremonies consecrating Sri Gaṇeśa, his vigraha is taken in a grand procession through the streets to be immersed in flowing water. Devotees offer their praise as well as their hardships, impediments obstructing their worldly success and unhappiness. The immersion symbolizes a taking away of all our tribulations, guiding us in embracing our higher aspirations and soul purposes.
We must be aware of the ecology and the purity of our rivers when creating the Murtis to ensure that we are not polluting our environment and sacred waters. Everyone celebrates with making offerings and prayers, seeking His blessings. During these sacred rituals we chant praises to Sri Gaṇeśa. The sacred ceremony involves offering red flowers, durva grass, coconut, red chandan (sandalwood), modak (jaggery filled sweets), incense and lighting a ghee lamp. The offerings vary in different traditions usually representing the qualities of prosperity, abundance and wisdom. It is also most auspicious to visit temples and make simple offerings of a coconut, bananas, milk and ladoos (Sri Gaṇeśa’s favourite sweet). Chanting Sri Gaṇeśa mantras is most auspicious.
The symbol or vigraha of Sri Gaṇeśa is consecrated through the Prana-Prathistha where we invoke the divine form of the Devata into the image with sacred mantras. We then offer Arati and light a ghee lamp. We offer 21 blades of Durva grass, 21 ladoos, red flowers, red sandal tilak and we break a coconut as an offering to Sri Gaṇeśa. Breaking the coconut is very profound in that we release all our obstacles, ego, an offering of our inner self to the Divine. The number 21 signifies - the five organs of perception, five organs of action, five vital pranas, five elements, and the mind.
While performing Gaṇeśa Puja at home, one can always be flexible as most important is the shraddha (deep faith) and devotion. It is an auspicious time to internalize and work through our worldly karma and symbolically surrender everything to Sri Gaṇeśa. His grace gives us both Budhhi or great wisdom and intuitive intelligence and Siddhi where we are able to manifest this wisdom in our lives through sadhana.
Ganesha Mantra:
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah
Om srim hrim klim glaum gam ganapataye svaha! "
Sri Gaṇeśa Stuti -Invocation of Sri Gaṇeśa
॥ Shri Vakratunda Mahakaya Suryakoti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Kaaryeshu Sarvada ॥
Sri Gaṇeśa Aadipujyam
Aadipujyam ganadhyaksham uma putram vinayakam
Mangala paramam rupam shri Ganesha namamyaham
--August 21, 2020
Comments:
Many thanks for explaining the concept of Sri Ganesha on the occasion of Vinayaka Chaturthi.Today, Sama Upakarma also coincides with Ganesh Chaturthi. On this auspicious occasion, I offer my prostrations to you as an elder guide and seek your blessings!! Namaskkarams.
--A.N. Saptagireesha
I am honered and humbled. Please treat me asyour brother who is just sharing what he has learn with others who are often more knowledgeable than I just to cross check. It always bothered me to visualize a dutiful guard created by Parvati as Naramukha Vinayaka and being worshiped became a victm at the hands of Siva in a fit of anger for no reason that musicians and others push as Ekadanta so much and also make auspicious and kind-hearted Siva subject of human emotions like senseless anger giving a bad picture of both and many more. I therfore hesitated to forward this against popular myths and beliefs that may buy the hate from others dismissing me as atheist. I am glad you have taken it in the right spirit and not as an unpardonable offence against lord Ganesha who is worshiped by millions!--NRS
This would be a best thesis for a Masters Degree.
--Prof. G. Nagarajan