Ganapatyas and Ganesh Chaturthi

Fellow Ganapatyas Rejoice! I am here to confess. I* The Laddus tray near him shows his generosity to
am a Lord Ganesha devotee. I am indeed a truethose devoted to him.
follower of his and therefore I am a Ganapatya. How* His lower right hand is in a pose of blessing he
can anyone not love this Hindu Deity? If you arebestows on his devotees.
unfamiliar with this God please allow me to introduce to* The human body with red and yellow clothing
you this most beloved figure.represents honesty, purity, and peace.
If you are familiar with Lord Ganesha you probably* The big stomach indicates he can process all
knew what the words Ganapatyas and Ganeshexperiences both good and bad.
Chaturthi meant. A Ganapatya is a follower of Lord* The mouse at his feet indicates this God has
Ganesha. Ganesh Chaturthi is the name of the festivalconquered his ego.
that honors him.You will find other items in different representations
Lord Ganesha is a Hindu Deity that has human formwith different meanings.
with four arms and hands and the head of an elephant.The Lord Ganesha is held in such high reverence that
He is quite colorful and carries many items that helpwhen undertaking any major task you invoke his
him with his many responsibilities.blessing first. His image enters all new homes first. You
He is the son of Lord Shiva and Divine Mother Parvati.ask for his blessing before entering or starting any
It is said that Parvati made a young man out of dirtnew business. He is considered one of the five prime
and assigned him to guard the door while she bathed.Hindu Deities.
When her husband Shiva returned and was deniedThe Mantra chanted for Lord Ganesha is:
access to the bathroom where Parvati was bathing"Om Parvati Putaaye, Hara Hara Hara Mahadev
he got upset and cut off the boy's head. When ParvatiGajaananam Bhoota Ganaadhi Sevitam Kapitta
learned of the beheading she became distraught. ShivaJamboophaala Saara Bhakshitam Umaasutam Shoka
sent out some men to bring back the head of anyVinaasha Kaaranam Namaami Vighneswara Paada
sleeping being that was faced to the north. TheyPankajam"
brought back the head of an elephant which ShivaGanesha Chaturthi is celebrated by Hindus all over the
attached to the body of the boy and brought him backglobe. It is considered the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It
to life.is celebrated during Bhadra (middle of August through
When you look at his image take note of all the detailsthe middle of September). In some areas the festival
that you see:can last as long as ten days.
* His wide mouth shows that he enjoys life.A clay image of the Deity is made ahead of time. The
* His trunk shows the ability to be strong and yetimage can be very small or at times very large. Some
gentle.of his renderings have exceeded 25 feet tall. The
* His large ears show a willingness to listen to youimages are displayed at the start of the festival either
when you speak.on raised platforms in the home or in outdoor venues.
* Wisdom and emotion are represented by the twoPeople pay homage to the idols.
elephant tusks.During the ten days the image of Lord Ganesha is on
* The broken left tusk indicates that one conquersdisplay there are continuous ceremonies and
emotion with wisdom.worshiping that takes place. On the eleventh day the
* The four arms represent the aspects ofimage is taken through the streets accompanied with
omnipresence and omnipotent qualities.dancing and singing of those celebrating. Eventually the
* His left side is the symbol of emotion and his rightimage is immersed in the river.
side reason.I hope the terms Ganapatyas and Ganesh Chaturthi
* He has an axe in his upper left hand and a lotus in hisare now more meaningful to you. Are you a
upper right hand. This basically indicates that:Ganapatya?
** To gain spiritual perfection one has to learn to cutPlease stay safe and healthy and enjoy Sheng Chi!
off worldly attachments by conquering emotion.