| Why is Ganesha always the first God invoked in all | | | | All the Gods and Goddesses assembled to rejoice on |
| religious ceremonies? | | | | his birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was |
| Vakratunda Mahakaya Surya Koti Samaprabha | | | | also present but he refused to look at the infant. |
| Nirvighnam Kurumeydeva Sarva Karyeshu Sarvada | | | | Perturbed at this behavior, Parvati asked him the |
| Vakratunda : Lord with Curved Trunk | | | | reason, and Shani replied that his looking at the baby |
| Mahakaya: Large Bodied | | | | would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's |
| Surya Koti: Million Suns | | | | insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head |
| Samaprabha: With The Brilliance Of | | | | was severed instantly. Parvati and all the Gods |
| Nirvighnam: Free Of Obstacles | | | | assembled there including Shiva, were grief-stricken. |
| Kuru: Make | | | | They all started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu |
| Mey: My | | | | mounted Garuda and rushed to the bank of river |
| Deva: O Lord | | | | Pushpabhadra, brought back the head of a young |
| Sarva Karyeshu: All Work | | | | elephant, and joined it to the baby's headless body, |
| Sarvada: Always | | | | thus reviving it. All the Gods blessed Ganesha and |
| "O Lord Ganesha of Large Body, | | | | wished Him power and prosperity. Shiva made |
| Curved Trunk, | | | | Ganesha the Leader of his Troops (Gana), and also |
| With the Brilliance of a Million Suns, | | | | gave Him the following boon: |
| Make All My Work Free Of Obstacles, | | | | "All obstacles, whatever they may be, will be rooted |
| Always." | | | | out by worshipping Ganesha, even as diseases are |
| Ganesha is revered as the son of the Universal | | | | cured by the worship of Surya and purity results when |
| parents Shiva and Parvati, and is always honored first | | | | Vishnu is worshipped." |
| in most worship services and rituals. All ceremonies, | | | | Ganesha is also very well known for his ready wit and |
| religious or secular, begin with an invocation to | | | | sharp intellect. Another Legend goes that once there |
| Ganesha. 'Om Shree Ganeshaya Namaha', literally | | | | was a competition between Ganesha and his brother |
| meaning "Ganesha, I pray to you". Ganesha has an | | | | Kartikeya (Lord Subramanya) as to who could be the |
| elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big | | | | first one to circum-ambulate the whole world. Ganesha |
| ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He | | | | with his pot-bellied body and mouse as vehicle could |
| is also known as Vighneshvara or Vighnaharta, the | | | | never hope to compete. Kartikeya went off on his |
| Lord of Success and Destroyer of evils and obstacles. | | | | vehicle, the flying peacock to cover the whole world, |
| According to the Narasimha Purana, if he is not | | | | while Ganesha, in loving worshipfulness, asked Shiva |
| worshipped at the beginning of a ceremony, he | | | | and Parvati to be seated down and circum-ambulated |
| creates obstacles for the performers. Therefore, no | | | | his parents. When asked why he did so, he answered |
| matter what the occasion or ceremony be, Ganesha | | | | that to him, his divine parents meant the whole world - |
| is worshipped before all other deities. For this reason, | | | | the entire manifested universe. Thus, Lord Shiva |
| He is called Vighneshwara, the Remover of all | | | | settled the result in favor of Lord Ganesha and |
| Obstacles. Ganesha's Vehicle (Vahana) is the Mouse, | | | | announced him victorious because of his wisdom and |
| symbolic of gnawing its way through everything, thus | | | | presence of mind. |
| depicting the God's ability to cut through all obstacles. | | | | Why Does the Moon Keep waxing and waning ?! And |
| Ganesha is also worshipped as the God of education, | | | | Why isn't every night a Poornima - a full moon night?! |
| knowledge, wisdom and wealth. The devotees of | | | | The Legend goes that once, Ganesha accidentally |
| Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas', and the festival | | | | tripped and fell, breaking one of his tusks in the |
| to celebrate and glorify him is called Ganesh Chaturthi. | | | | process (this is also said to be one of the reasons for |
| The Puranas say that the fourth day of every month, | | | | Ganesha's half or missing tusk). Chandradev (Moon |
| known as Chaturthi, is especially auspicious for | | | | God) saw this and laughed. Ganesha, being the |
| Ganesha worship. It is believed that Ganesha was | | | | short-tempered one, cursed Chandradev that anyone |
| born on the chaturthi of the month of Bhadra | | | | who happens to see the moon will incur bad luck. |
| (September), on which the festival of Ganesha | | | | Hearing this, Chandradev realised his folly and asked |
| Chaturthi commences and is celebrated for ten days | | | | for forgiveness from Ganesha. Ganesha relented and |
| esp. in Maharashtra (India), though in some parts of the | | | | since a curse cannot be revoked, only softened, |
| country, this festival is also celebrated for five, seven | | | | Ganesha softened his curse such that the moon |
| or twenty one days. | | | | would wax and wane in size and shape every fifteen |
| Ganesha is also known as Ganapati, the God of | | | | days and anyone who looks at the moon during |
| wisdom, prudence and salvation. Ga means | | | | Ganesh Chaturthi would incur bad-luck. |
| "knowledge", Na means "salvation", and Pati means | | | | It is said that anyone who looks at the moon on the |
| "lord". Ganapati also means 'Lord of the Ganas', Shiva's | | | | night of the Ganesh Chaturthi will be falsely accused |
| multitude of Attendants. His other names are Vinayaka | | | | of theft or crime being reminded that The Moon-God |
| (Prominent Leader), Gajamukha or Gajanana | | | | behaved unbecomingly towards Lord Ganesha. This, in |
| (Elephant-Faced), Gajadhipati (Lord of Elephants), | | | | reality means to avoid the company of all those who |
| Lambakarna (Long-Eared), Lambodara | | | | have no faith in God, who deride God and Religion. |
| (Pendant-Bellied) and Ekadanta (Having One Tusk). | | | | Riddhi-Siddhi and 'Shubha-Labha' |
| The story of the birth of this zoomorphic Elephant-God, | | | | Since Ganesha with an elephant-head was not |
| as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once | | | | beautiful, he had difficulty in getting married, while all the |
| Goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy with her | | | | other Gods were being sought after. In his anger and |
| supernatural powers out of her sweat, scruff and | | | | frustration, He told the rats to dig up holes on any path |
| turmeric paste which she prepared to cleanse her | | | | that the Baraat (wedding-procession) of any God |
| body and assigned him the task of guarding the | | | | would go to the Bride's house, thus making many |
| entrance to her door-less bathroom. She made a | | | | potholes and obstacles in their way. The poor Gods as |
| beautiful boy's idol about the age of 12 years, infusing | | | | Grooms got very rattled and could not go elegantly for |
| life into it, and thus Ganesha was born. For reasons of | | | | their marriage. They all went to Brahma and |
| privacy and protection, Parvati stationed him at the | | | | complained bitterly about Ganesha and his tricks. In |
| entrance to stop anyone from entering, while she was | | | | order to appease Ganesha, Brahma created two |
| bathing. When Parvati's Husband Shiva returned home | | | | beautiful girls named Riddhi (material abundance) and |
| from his mountainous Samadhi (meditation) , he was | | | | Siddhi (intellectual and spiritual prowess), and told |
| surprised to find a young boy denying him access, as | | | | Ganesha he can have two wives instead of one, and |
| he stood firm in his way and wouldn't budge. | | | | Brahma with his consort Saraswati, gave away these |
| Ganesha unaware of Shiva's identity said: "I have | | | | two girls in marriage to Ganesha, thus becoming his |
| never seen you before and I don't recognise you. I | | | | in-laws in the process. |
| have been instructed by my mother - Parvati - to stop | | | | One who pleases Lord Ganesha is invariably blessed |
| anyone from entering her chamber, and I am her son | | | | by his two wives Riddhi and Siddhi, with Prosperity and |
| Ganesha." Shiva was bewildered with shock and told | | | | Progress. After his marriage, Ganesha stopped the |
| him that he had no son by the name of Ganesha. He | | | | rats from digging any more, and hence became the |
| tried to push Ganesha aside several times but the child | | | | Vanquisher of Obstacles, adopting the Rat as his |
| was very strong, and this enraged Shiva all the more | | | | eternal Vahana (Vehicle). Ganesha and his two |
| and he with his trident, struck off the boy's head in | | | | consorts, Riddhi and Siddhi, have two sons named: |
| rage. | | | | Shubha (Auspiciousness) and Labha (Profit), thus the |
| Parvati on hearing the commotion, came out and on | | | | association of the twin words Shubha-Labha. |
| seeing Ganesha's lifeless body, broke down in utter | | | | Ganesha's daughter is Santoshi (Goddess of |
| grief. She angrily told her husband that having left her | | | | Satisfaction), worshipped by Hindus on Fridays, with |
| alone, making her suffer his absence, then to return | | | | offerings of Jaggery and a taboo on sour food. |
| without notice and kill their own son was unforgivable. | | | | Ganesha is also believed to have been the legendary |
| Realizing his grave mistake, Shiva sent out his squad | | | | scribe who wrote down the text of the Indian Epic |
| troops (Gana) to fetch the head of the first sleeping | | | | Mahabharata as it was recited by the sage Ved |
| being who was facing the north. A sleeping elephant | | | | Vyasa. When the sage asked Ganesha to write down |
| was found and its severed head was brought and | | | | the epic, the playful learned God agreed on condition |
| attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored his life | | | | that his pen should not stop moving until the story was |
| and made him the Leader/Commander (Pati) of his | | | | completed i.e. Vyasa must recite the Epic non-stop. |
| troops, in compensation for the loss of his human head. | | | | Vyasa agreed but imposed a counter-condition that |
| Hence his name 'Ganapati' - Commander/Leader of | | | | Ganesha understand each verse completely before |
| Troops. | | | | transcribing it. So whenever Ganesha stopped to |
| Even this revival act of Shiva did not placate Parvati, | | | | consider Vyasa's complex compositions, the sage |
| who seeing her once beautiful son look like an | | | | would use the time to compose more verses. Thus |
| elephant, was all the more upset. She said to Shiva in | | | | the great epic of Mahabharata is said to have been |
| tears: "Nobody will worship my son as a God, you | | | | written by Lord Ganesha. |
| have made him look like an Elephant." Shiva declared | | | | Any sculpture of Ganesha with his elephantine trunk |
| there and then that Ganesha should be worshipped | | | | pointing to the left is used for home decoration, as |
| first, before any form of worship was offered to any | | | | symbolically it is associated with Grihasthas |
| other manifestation of divinity. And Shiva's bestowed | | | | (Householders) and points to the direction for success |
| boon holds true to this day that people worship | | | | in the world. Any image with Ganesha's trunk pointing |
| Ganesha and invoke his name before undertaking any | | | | to the right is used for worship and prayers, as the |
| new venture or important task. In all auspicious religious | | | | direction symbolizes the ultimate path of life: Moksha or |
| and social ceremonies, Ganesha's holy name is first | | | | Salvation through renunciation of the world. When one |
| invoked, except in funeral rites. | | | | chooses a Ganesh sculpture that is proper for their |
| The legends narrated about Lord Ganesha are | | | | own spiritual path, the position of the trunk is good to |
| recorded in the 'Ganesha Khanda' of the Brahma | | | | keep in mind. |
| Vivartha Purana. Another story of his origin, found in | | | | In many homes and temples, the image of Goddess |
| the Brahma Vivartha Purana is as follows: Shiva | | | | Lakshmi is often flanked by the images of Goddess |
| asked Parvati to observe the Punyaka Vrata for a | | | | Saraswati and Lord Ganesha, indicating the arrival of |
| year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. On | | | | prosperity where there is knowledge and no obstacles. |
| completion of the Vrata by Parvati, it was announced | | | | Perhaps the most ancient of Ganapati shrines in India, |
| that The Lord of Gopikas, the Lord of all Creatures - | | | | is the well known Karpaka Vinayakar temple in the |
| Krishna, would incarnate Himself as her son as a result | | | | town of Pillaiarpatti near Karaikkudi in Tamilnadu. This |
| of the Vrata. Accordingly, Krishna was born as a | | | | temple with a rock cut shrine, bearing a collossal form |
| charming infant, delighting Parvati and Shiva who | | | | of Vinayakar, is over 1600 years old. |
| celebrated the event with great enthusiasm. | | | | |