GANESHA, IS HE A MYTH OR MYSTERY DEVATA & THE PURPORT OF HIS WORSHIP

GANESHA, IS HE A MYTH OR MYSTERY DEVATA &  THE

PURPORT OF HIS WORSHIP

(Compilation by N.R. Srinivasan of  E-mails sent on the subject to HR 

Forum Participants)

 

[The gist of this presentation: Parvati needed a sentinel to guard her secrecy and so created Naramukha Vinayaka  exercising her Kriyasakti who is worshiped in a lone temple in Tamil Nadu.  Siva did not like her overstepping and creating a sentinel and so pulled out an Ekadanata battalion leader from the army of Viswaksena that which had all celestial creatures of ekadantas, dwidantas, tridantas, chaturdantas etc., as eulogized in Skand Purana and explained by Chinnajeer.   Creation is the exclusive act of Vidhartara or Purusha stated  in Purushasukta, and not even Rudra’s. Later He was elevated to  Upa-devata status  in order to please Parvati and was also made Vighnaraja, Lord of Obstacles to take care of all our material success on Earth. We all need material stability to focus on spirituality. Therefore  as  Pratahma Vandita we invoke Him in all our material and spiritual endeavors.  Vishwaksena’s army also had ekadanti Ganeshinis or Vinayakis who also served as ganas to Ekadanta Gajanana. Siddhi and Buddhi probably are also ekadantis!  This does not call for a story to project Siva and devata Ganesha as angry persons for  petty  reasons. Divines get angry for Lokasamrakshana or Dharma Paripalana--protection of World and Dharma. In Vishnu Sahasranam you are advised to seek Vishwaksena (Vishwaksenam tamasraye) for your meditation on Him as Avatar to reach Paramapada. That is why his procession precedes that of Venkateswara in  Tirupati.   The abode of Ekadanta is on earth in Mount Kailasa  and you hear about his annual visit to this place along with Parvat!  Lord Skanda runs between Heaven and Earth to live with Devasena and Valli as He is also Sanatkumara (Chandogya Upanishad) and Guru of Narada.   Therefore it is no wonder you see temples of Naramukha Vinayaka, Ganeshini etc. Sankara also eulogized Ekadanta and enekadantas. Of all these group of elephant headed Upadevatas Ekadanta  Captain  identified and crowned as Ganapati became most popular and worshiped in  countless temples all over the globe but not hailed in Vedas being an Earthly God.   The purport of worship of such deities is clearly explained by Srila Prabhupada Chinnajeer has also explained the difference between dwidanta Vishwaksena and Ekadanta Ganesha diplomatically  not to create fiction between Vaishanavites and Saivites without explaining their area of operation. Later Sage  Mudgil brought several forms of this Ekadanta including Ucchishta, Lord of Discarded Food  which He might have used for his mount Rat  or meaning Lord of All Waste Management so vital issue now-a-days. ]

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)

Somewhere down the line in the fight between Saivites and Vaishnavites this group leader was pulled out of Sriman Narayana’s Army and made a devata and Isvaraputra raising him to the status of Parabrahman who finds no place in Vedas whereas Skanda is hailed as Sanatkumara and later worshiped as Venkateswra in Tirupati for some time.  Of course Rudra and Uma hailed in Vedas were brought together making Rudra auspicious Siva and Uma Parvati  of Sola singar (bridal attire) tied in a wed-lock  and hailed as Jagatah Pitarah.  When fight between these two factions escalated there had been an attempt for inclusiveness as we see in the emergence another popular Non-Vedic deity Aiyappa as Hari-Hara Putra born to voluptuous Mohini and Siva. Ganesha as a scribe of Mahabharata was made so popular that he caught the imagination of the people like wild fire as prime deity and  made famous by the people.     No one today dare question anything about this deity   and all facts and history is kept obscure, hidden or dismissed as myth. So also is the case with Aiyappan a Kerala Wonder Creation!

Today  even Sankara’s  famous  sloka on Ganesha  is wrongly projected : He wrote “anekadam tam bhaktaanam ekadm tam upasmahe”--Him who is projected as many I worship  as  ONE;  or  it may mean  Gajanana of multiple tusks! In temples we display prominently this Leftr-handed  Ekadanta  and praise in Bhajans and glorify--Why? You know Jakanacahri, the famous sculptor had to cut off his hand as he sculpted an idol with defect. Defective idols are not acceptable for worship according to Silpasastra—Angaviheena. But Saivites make an exception to the rule, create a story and then glorify.  That is why Vaishnavites worship him as Vishvaksena who is two tusked and group leader of   a divine species known as Gajananas; similarly we have Hayavadanas, Kinnaras- horse bodied human species etc. as part of celestial creation! Please see the description of Ganesha by Chinna Jeer and convince yourself! If wwe worship today Ganesha as Ekadanta today then he is not the mutilated Ganesha but a leader chosen from the male species of  Ekadantas. There are also female Ekadantinees!

Tracing back the history, current isolated worship of deities in ancient temples and wisdom thoughts of Chinnajeer stated below I leave it to your judgement to know how far are  we away in our Devo Ekah concept and dedication in  the Veda mantra we chant in our daily worship:

Om tad Brahma tad vayu tad atma tad satyam tat sarvam tat puror namah|

Omantascharati bhooteshu guhaayaam viswamoortishu | tvam yajnastvam   vishnustvam vashatkarastvagam rudrastvam brahma tvam  prajaapatih||

 Please go through the detailed reporting on:

1. Sri Kapadri Stotram on Vinayaka from Skanda Puranam
2. Face Book postings of Right-Hand Ekadanta and Dwidanta idols presently worshiped in Temples.
3. Adi Vinayaka Temple of Parvati Created Human-faced Ganesha
4. Chinna Jeer on Ekadanta Ganesha and Vishwaksena
5. Vinayaki or Ganeshini - Elephant-headed Goddess​

1.   Sri Kapardi Vinayaka Stotram – Skanda Puranam

The following is a rare hymn on Lord Vinayaka by Goddess Parvati taken from SkandaPuranam,  Prabhasa Khanda, and Chapter 39.  It glorifies Ganesha as one tusked, two tusked, three tusked and four tusked

om namo vighnarājāya namaste'stu kapardine |

namo mahogra-daṁṣṭrāya prabhāsa-kṣetra-vāsine || 3 ||

kapardinaṁ namaskṛtya yātrā-nirvighna-hetave |

stoṣye'haṁ vighnarājānaṁ siddhi-buddhi-priyaṁ śubham || 4 ||

mahāgaṇapatiṁ śūraṁ ajitaṁ jaya-varddhanam |

ekadantaṁ dvidantaṁ ca caturdantaṁ caturbhujam || 5 |

Face Book postings of Ganesha with two tusks as well as left-hand broken tusk Ekadanta Idols worshiped with my comments for which no answer was received.

2.   FACEBOOK POSTINGS BY PRABHA SRIDHAR

November 16

IDOL OF GANESHA WITH LEFTHAND TUSK BROKEN

Srinivasan Nadipuram commented on Prabha Sridharan's post.

which tusk Ganesha Broke? Right or Left? Very confusing!

Srinivasan Nadipuram commented on Prabha Sridharan's post.

HOW COME DWIDANTA? THEN WHY NOTa NARAMUKHA VINAYAKA?"

 November 7, 2019

 

    Adi Vinayakar Temple of Human Faced Ganesha  

   Sankara Yatra Travels

Thilatharpanapuri or Adi Vinayakar Temple or Naramukha Pillaiyar or Human Faced Ganesha

 Adhi Vinayagar Temple is in Muktheeswarar temple at Thilatharpanapuri, TamilNadu which is near by Koothanoor in the Mayavaram Tiruvarur road.
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.

The name Thilatharpanapuri comes from two words thil meaning Gingely and tharpana is the Hindu ritual of performing pithru karmas (ritual of paying tribute to ancestors) to ones ancestors. It is also known as Sethalapathy. There are 7 sthalams for performing these rituals viz. Kasi, Rameswaram, Srivanchiyam, Thiruvenkadu, Gaya, Thiriveni Sangamam and Thilatharpanapuri. It is said that Sri Rama performed tharpanam for Dasaratha at this place. This place is considered equivalent to Kasi or Rameswaram. Performing tharpanam here on Amavasya day is considered special. This is a Mukthikshetram.

The shrine for Aadhi Vinayakar (also known as Nara mukha vinayakar) is just outside the main temple. Here you can see Ganesha with a human head and hence the name Naramukha vinayakar.

The story of Shiva beheading Naramukha Vinayaka who was created by Parvati and then replacing the head with an elephant head is well known. What is less known is, Shiva had instructed his troops to fetch the head of anyone found sleeping with his head placed towards North. They found this elephant sleeping with its head towards North. Shiva named the boy Ganapati – meaning commander of his troops and granted a boon that Ganapati shall be worshipped by everybody before starting anything new.

This is the only type of Vinayagar where He has a human face. This is supposed to be the First Vinayagar that Goddess Parvathi created.


Temple address: Sethalapathy, Poonthottam P.O, Nannilam Taluk, Thiruvarur District, Tamilnadu – 609 503.

 4.   CHINNA JEER ON VISHWAKSENA AND VINAYAKA

About Vinakayaka and Vishwaksena

vinayakuniki muudu naamaalu petti viswaksenuluga chupistunnaru, vishwaksenula nija roopam telupagalaru! venkatesh nyayapati

(Translation: “We observed that people put three namas on Vinayaka and show it as Vishwaksena. Can you please tell us the real form of Sri Vishwaksena ? “)

Jai Srimannarayana! 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

“vande: vaikuntta se:na:nyam, de:vam su:travathi:sakham |
yad ve:thra sikhara spande: viswam e:thath vyavasthitham ||”

Whatever draft he prepares with regard to running the vibhuties or Universes, will be accepted by Lord Srimannarayana, without any alteration or addition, it seems. A:lawanda:r Stho:tram reveals this in its verse” priye:na se:na:pathina: nyave:di thath, thattha:nuja:nantham uda:ra vi:kshanaihi”.

This is the greatness of Sri Vishwak Se:na. As Gajamukhas are so many in the Pariva:ra of Vishwak Se:na, in some occassions if devotees worship a Gajamukha in the place of Vishwakse:na, as a representative of him, will also be accepted. Because all the pariva;ra:s pass on the result to their boss always.

But then that Gajamukha will be having four hands with sankha and chakra and also with U;rdhwa pundram on his fore-head. There may not be rats as his chariot. These Gajamukhas are not mu:shika Va:hanas. We are sure you understood the subject.

What is the difference between Vinayaka and Vishwakse:na?

Vinayaka	Vishwakse:na
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)	He is the chief commander of all battalions in the army of Lord Vishnu, He is the alter-ego of Lord Vishnu himself.
	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.
His consorts are Siddhi and Buddhi	His consort is Su:travati
Mo:dakas are offered to Vinayaka on this day. All devotees have the prasadam after the prayer.	Appam is offered to Vishwakse:na. All devotees have the prasadam after the prayer.
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)	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)

--Chinnajeeyar

Vinayaki or Ganeshini - Elephant-headed Goddess​

Vinayaki is an elephant-headed Hindu goddess. Her mythology and iconography are not clearly defined. Little is told about her in Hindu scriptures and very few images of this deity exist. Due to her elephantine features, the goddess is generally associated with the elephant-headed god of wisdom, Ganesha. She does not have a consistent name and is known by various names, Stri Ganesha (female Ganesha), Vinayaki, Gajanani (elephant-faced), Vighneshvari (Mistress of obstacles) and GaneshIni, all of them being feminine forms of Ganesha's epithets Vinayaka, Gajanana, Vighneshvara and Ganesha itself. These identifications have resulted in her being assumed as the shakti - feminine form of Ganesha. Nagaraja yajnopaveeta  of  Ekadanta Ganesha becomes mangalya sutra for Enkadantini Ganeshini

In a Buddhist text called Aryamanjusrimulakalpa, the goddess is called the siddhi of Vinayaki. She inherits many of Ganesha’s characteristics. Like Ganesha, she is the remover of obstacles and has an elephant's head with only one tusk. She is also called the daughter of the god Ishana, an aspect of Shiva.

However, the upapurana (lesser Purana) Devi Purana explicitly identifies Gajanayika or Vinayaki as the shakti of Ganesha, characterized by her elephant head and ability to remove obstacles like Ganesha, and includes her as the ninth Matrika. Though generally the number of Matrikas is seven in sculpture and literature, nine Matrikas became popular in Eastern India. Apart from the classical seven, Mahalakshmi or Yogeshvari and Ganeshani or Gajanani were added as eighth and ninth Matrika respectively. 

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.

 In the Jain and Buddhist traditions, Vinayaki is an independent goddess. In Buddhist works, she is called Ganapatihridaya (heart of Ganesha).

                                                                                                         

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.

Tucked away in one of the shrines of the Thanumalayan temple in Kanyakumari district is the stone sculpture of a little-known goddess. Seated cross-legged in Sukhasana, the slender, four-armed goddess has a battle-axe in her upper-left hand and a conch in the lower left hand. In her two right hands, she carries a vase and a staff, around which she entwines her long trunk. This is the female elephant-headed goddess, Vinayaki or Ganeshini, whose origins have been ignored by most writings on Hindu mythology.

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.”

 

Wikimedia Commons

 Goddess in obscurity

Every year, Hindus across the country celebrate the birth of their beloved elephant-headed god Ganesh in the Bhadrapada month of the Hindu calendar, which usually begins at the end of August. Revered as the remover of all obstacles, countless songs, stories and imagery celebrate him as one of the most popular deities in Hindu mythology. But the same level of adulation has never been given to Vinayaki, who was often regarded as Ganesh’s consort.

From the beginning, the goddess’ entry in myths is so overshadowed by the popularity of her consort Ganesh that she is frequently ignored or known by various Puranic names,” wrote Balaji Mundkur in his research paper on the goddess, titled The Enigma of Vainayaki. “In contrast to the immense popularity of the images of Ganesh, she is not often represented by an icon, not even in human form. She is at no historical period given as much personal adoration as is accorded to Devi as Shiva’s shakti.”

According to Mundkur, Vainayaki is one of the least encountered deities in religious literature. She is not even known by a consistent name – her names are all feminine versions of the elephant god – Gajanani, Vighneshi, Gajarupa. “Though the origins of this goddess are mysterious, there is little doubt that her lineage parallels that of the many theomorphic divinities and god lings of Hinduism whose roots go back to pre- vedic times,” he wrote.

Mundkur also wrote that the earliest mention of Vinayaki occurred in the Matsya Purana compiled in 550 AD, where she is listed among 200 other goddesses as Shiva’s various forms.

The earliest representation of the elephant goddess was found in Rairh in Rajasthan, a damaged terracotta sculpture, dated to have been made earlier than the 5th century. The rest of the representations appeared only after the 10 century BCE.

Another representation of the goddess is found in the tantric temple Chausath Yogini in Hirapur, Odisha. Here, she is one of the 64 Yoginis, a sacred feminine force. According to Prithvi K Agrawala in the book Goddess Vinayaki: The Female Ganesa, the figure of the goddess stands in a rare dance pose. “She is dancing in the Cantura pose with her legs bending inside in dance movements on the toes,” he wrote.

Though the figure has eroded over time, such that the emblems in her hands are no longer visible, the graceful posture of the pot-bellied goddess standing on a boar is discernible. Some other rare sculptures of Vinayaki have been found in temples in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

But the most commonly acknowledged version of Vinayaki’s significance, was the she was the female form, or shakti, of Ganesha.

Goddess lore in Hinduism

According to Devdutt Pattnaik’s narration, a demon named Andhaka wanted Parvati to be his wife. Shiva attempted to kill him, but the only way he could die was if not a drop of blood fell to the ground. Parvathi then called for help from the shaktis of every divine being, including Vaishavi, who was Vishnu’s shakti, Indrani who is Indra’s shakti and Brahmini, who is Brahma’s shakti. Here, Ganesh’s shakti also emerged to drink the blood of Andhaka before it touched the ground. 

In other interpretations, the images are said to represent Malini, who was Parvati’s elephant-headed companion and Ganesh’s nursemaid. 

The fourth day after every new moon is celebrated as Vinayaki chaturthi, a day significant for Lord Ganesha but named after his female form.

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With so little literature on this female deity, it is unsurprising that many have not heard of the female representation of Ganesh. When Janaki Srinivasan posted about the female avatar of Ganesha on Facebook last week along with photos of the goddess, she received several astonished reactions. Her post was shared over 500 times. “In these times when a single form of tradition is forced down our throats, let us remind ourselves of the wonderfully diverse cultures that form our inheritance,” wrote Srinivasan.

Vyaghrapada Ganesheeni, of Meenakshiamman temple of Madurai, has tiger feet. Courtesy: Madhu Shetty via Facebook
 

WORSHIP OF DEVATAS LIKE GANESHSA

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.

WORSHIP OF DEVATAS LIKE GANESHSA

Vedas say Om ityekaksharam Brahma |   Om ityaatmmanam yunjeeta--The Supreme is meditated upon by the mono sacred syllable OM. All other deities we worship are devatas only.  It is not meaningless or purposeless to worship deities or devatas like Ganesha. But we should know why we worship devatas and we can achieve by such a worship. 

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:

antavat tu phalam tesam tad bhavaty alpa-medhasam| \ devan deva-yajo yanti mad-bhakta yanti mam api

“Men of small intelligence worship the devatas, for their fruits are limited and temporary. Those who worship the devatas go to the planets of the devatas, but My devotees ultimately reach My supreme abode.”
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