Finding Nemo

The series cannot be completed without mentioning the reach of Lord Ganesha to cultures outside of India. In this last post for this year’s series, I shall try to present some more lesser known facts about the spread of the Lord Ganesha’s influence in Indian and non Indian cultures. During the early medieval period, both Jains and Buddhists incorporated Ganesh into their pantheon. The Ganesha cult thus travelled with the Mahayana Buddhism to distant lands, including Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, Tibet, China, Mongolia and Japan. Ganesha’s worship spread in all the regions rapidly. Manjangan ( Ganesha ) temple in  Bali ,  Indonesia Ganesha in Ta Prohm, Angkor For the Jains, Ganesha appears to have taken over certain functions of Kubera. The earliest reference to Ganesha in Jainism is in the Abhidhanacintamani of Hemachandra. It refers to several appelations of Lord Ganesha such as Herama, Ganavgnesa and Vinayaka and visualizes him as elephant headed, po...

Just like the various stories of Ganesha’s playfulness the stories of his marriage are also a subject of fascination. While there are scholars who believe Ganesha to be a brahmachari, there are others who believe he has two wives – Riddhi (or Buddhi) and Siddhi and also has sons from them – Shubha and Kshema (or Labha).   In one of the stories that builds the case for his stay at the Kailasha, Parvati requested Shiva to marry the two sons – Ganesha and Karthikeya before returning to meditation. Shiva agreed on the condition – one who goes around the universe three times first shall get married first. Karthikeya with a slender form and a peacock as his ride immediately went of the task. Ganesha with his potbelly and a rat as his ride did not flinch. Karthikeya felt bad for his brother in his thoughts while travelling. Meanwhile, Ganesha mounted the rat and encircled his parents thrice and explained that to him they were the universe. Satisfied by Ganesha’s explanation, Shiva...

Lord Ganesha has been the subject for fascination of many over the time. Be it any period, any region or even religion his distinct form – elephant head and pot belly has attracted innumerable stories. Compared to other gods who are usually seen as handsome and well built, Lord Ganesha has always been a representation of accumulation. He has been associated with wisdom and knowledge – the two features that grant him fluidity even in moments of distress. There are so many stories linked to Lord Ganesha displaying his prowess over others – even Lord Shiva and Vishnu. There are stories in the Ganpatya texts and Ganapati Purana that are full of Ganesha’s playfulness and supremacy over others. One such story goes like this – Once Ganesha passed by the Kshirasagar – the abode of Lord Vishnu. Being a kid, he was fascinated by the ocean of milk. He decided to drink it and used his trunk to suck it all. Such was the force that he drank everything including Lakshmi, Sheshnag, Brahma an...

We have all heard so many names for Lord Ganesha. Each name signifies the form and a particular characteristic of the god. Some times, the god is referred to by a name that connects with the culture and the mindset of the people. Hence the demographics of the devotees plays an important role in naming the god himself who is above and beyond the divisions of the human mind. This is mostly done for the sole reason of being able to connect with him and internalize him within ourselves. A small synopsis of 108 names of Ganesha and their meaning is thus provided below to be able to understand a little more -  Akhurath: One who has mouse as his charioteer Alampata : Ever eternal lord Amit : Incomparable lord Anantachidrupamayam: Infinite and consciousness   personified Avaneesh: Lord of the whole world Avighna: Remover of obstacles Balaganapati: Beloved and lovable child Bhalchandra: Moon-crested lord Bheema: Huge and Gigantic Bhudhividhata: God of knowledge ...

There have been multiple rather innumerable incarnations of Lord Ganesha. However, as per the GaneshaPurana, there is an important incarnation in every epoch. In the Treta yuga or the golden age, Ganesha is known to be golden-hued and ten-armed mounted on a lion. In the Dwayapa yuga associated with silver, Ganesha appeared as white-colored and six-armed riding a peacock.  In the copper age or the Dwapara yuga which is the cosmic age prior to the present Kaliyuga, Ganesha defeated the red demon Sindura. The copious outpouring of blood turned the elephant headed deity red, daubed with the essence of Sindura.  The fourth manifestation that is yet to come in this present Kaliyuga or iron age. The form of Ganesha, expected to return as a black two-armed horse rider to destroy the confusion, terrorism, negativity and all dark powers. His name will be Dhumraketu.  Despite his many names and forms, Ganesha is regarded above all as an asp...

When we talk about Lord Ganesha, how can we miss the multitude of stories linked with his birth? I did touch upon the same topic in my last series on Ganesha, but the interest just keep growing with the day and the stories associated with the same. There are multiple stories putting Shiva and Parvati in different situations resulting in the birth of Lord Ganesha. Some stories indicate that Shiva and Parvati were in such compassion that the entire universe was afraid. Due to their fear, they allowed the offspring to have a mixed feature set - a human and an elephant. The other story says that Parvati was so moved by the elephants that she requested Shiva to take the form of an elephant and this lead to Ganesha. In yet another story, Pavati is said to be attracted to her own son - Ganesha and hence Shiva punishes him just like Brahma by chopping his head off, later replacing the same with that of an elephant at the behest of Parvati. In another version, Parvati yearns for a baby and...

On the fourth day of the celebration and the series, I want to reflect upon the symbolism emanating from the form of Ganesha. Of all the gods, Ganesha has been adored like a baby, respected as a king and is also revered as a great scribe. Lord Ganesha has so much to offer that the various philosophers have deduced different ideas for him. The above image, though displays quite a comprehensive understanding of the meaning of Ganesha in our lives.

While we are all celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi in the month of Bhadrapada, there is another festival - Ganesha Jayanti which is celebrated much in the same way int he month of Magha. Both the festivals fall on the fourth day of the waxing moon. India being an agricultural land, all the festivals have a relation with the cultivation seasons. Ganesh Chaturthi marks the start of the new vegetation - Kharif, and the Ganesha Jayanti marks the start of the other season - Rabi. In addition to the Ganesha Jayanti and Ganesh Chaturthi, a their important season for the Ganesha devotees was established recently in 1985 as a Hindu alternate to Christmas and Jewish Hannukah in the month of December. The festival known as Pancha Ganapati is celebrated from December 21 to December 25. The festival was initiated by  Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (born Robert Hansen), a Western convert to Hinduism who founded the magazine Hinduism Today and the Saiva Siddhanta Church, headquartered in Hawaii. Du...