GANESH CHATURTHI

SALUTATIONS to Lord Ganesha who is Brahman Himself, who is the Supreme Lord, who
is the energy of Lord Shiva, who is the source of all bliss, and who is the bestower of all virtuous
qualities and success in all undertakings.
Mushikavaahana modaka hastha,
Chaamara karna vilambitha sutra,
Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra,
Vighna vinaayaka paada namasthe
MEANING: “O Lord Vinayaka! the remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a
form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears
and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!”
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular of Hindu festivals. This is the birthday of Lord
Ganesha. It is the day most sacred to Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of
Bhadrapada (August-September). It is observed throughout India, as well as by devoted Hindus in
all parts of the world.
Clay figures of the Deity are made and after being worshipped for two days, or in some
cases ten days, they are thrown into water.
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DATTATREYA JAYANTHI
Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed God. He is worshipped first in any prayers. His Names
are repeated first before any auspicious work is begun, before any kind of worship is begun.
He is the Lord of power and wisdom. He is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and the elder brother
of Skanda or Kartikeya. He is the energy of Lord Shiva and so He is called the son of Shankar and
Umadevi. By worshipping Lord Ganesha mothers hope to earn for their sons the sterling virtues of
Ganesha.
The following story is narrated about His birth and how He came to have the head of an
elephant:
Once upon a time, the Goddess Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva), while bathing, created
Ganesha as a pure white being out of the mud of Her Body and placed Him at the entrance of the
house. She told Him not to allow anyone to enter while she went inside for a bath. Lord Shiva
Himself was returning home quite thirsty and was stopped by Ganesha at the gate. Shiva became
angry and cut off Ganesha’s head as He thought Ganesha was an outsider.
When Gauri came to know of this she was sorely grieved. To console her grief, Shiva
ordered His servants to cut off and bring to Him the head of any creature that might be sleeping with
its head facing north. The servants went on their mission and found only an elephant in that
position. The sacrifice was thus made and the elephant’s head was brought before Shiva. The Lord
then joined the elephant’s head onto the body of Ganesha.
Lord Shiva made His son worthy of worship at the beginning of all undertakings, marriages,
expeditions, studies, etc. He ordained that the annual worship of Ganesha should take place on the
4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapada.
Without the Grace of Sri Ganesha and His help nothing whatsoever can be achieved. No
action can be undertaken without His support, Grace or blessing.
In his first lesson in the alphabet a Maharashtrian child is initiated into the Mantra of Lord
Ganesha, Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah. Only then is the alphabet taught.
The following are some of the common Names of Lord Ganesha: Dhoomraketu, Sumukha,
Ekadantha, Gajakarnaka, Lambodara, Vignaraja, Ganadhyaksha, Phalachandra, Gajanana,
Vinayaka, Vakratunda, Siddhivinayaka, Surpakarna, Heramba, Skandapurvaja, Kapila and
Vigneshwara. He is also known by many as Maha-Ganapathi.
His Mantra is Om Gung Ganapathaye Namah. Spiritual aspirants who worship Ganesha as
their tutelary Deity repeat this Mantra or Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah.
The devotees of Ganesha also do Japa of the Ganesha Gayatri Mantra. This is as follows.
Tat purushaaya vidmahe
Vakratundaaya dheemahi
Tanno dhanti prachodayaat.
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HINDU FASTS & FESTIVALS
Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom and bliss. He is the Lord of Brahmacharins. He
is foremost amongst the celibates.
He has as his vehicle a small mouse. He is the presiding Deity of the Muladhara Chakra, the
psychic centre in the body in which the Kundalini Shakti resides.
He is the Lord who removes all obstacles on the path of the spiritual aspirant, and bestows
upon him worldly as well as spiritual success. Hence He is called Vigna Vinayaka. His Bija
Akshara (root syllable) is Gung, pronounced to rhyme with the English word “sung”. He is the Lord
of harmony and peace.
Lord Ganesha represents Om or the Pranava, which is the chief Mantra among the Hindus.
Nothing can be done without uttering it. This explains the practice of invoking Ganesha before
beginning any rite or undertaking any project. His two feet represent the power of knowledge and
the power of action. The elephant head is significant in that it is the only figure in nature that has the
form of the symbol for Om.
The significance of riding on a mouse is the complete conquest over egoism. The holding of
the ankusha represents His rulership of the world. It is the emblem of divine Royalty.
Ganesha is the first God. Riding on a mouse, one of nature’s smallest creatures and having
the head of an elephant, the biggest of all animals, denotes that Ganesha is the creator of all
creatures. Elephants are very wise animals; this indicates that Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of
wisdom. It also denotes the process of evolution—the mouse gradually evolves into an elephant and
finally becomes a man. This is why Ganesha has a human body, an elephant’s head and a mouse as
His vehicle. This is the symbolic philosophy of His form.
He is the Lord of Ganas or groups, for instance groups of elements, groups of senses, etc. He
is the head of the followers of Shiva or the celestial servants of Lord Shiva.
The Vaishnavas also worship Lord Ganesha. They have given Him the name of Tumbikkai
Alwar which means the divinity with the proboscis (the elephant’s trunk).
Lord Ganesha’s two powers are the Kundalini and the Vallabha or power of love.
He is very fond of sweet pudding or balls of rice flour with a sweet core. On one of His
birthdays He was going around house to house accepting the offerings of sweet puddings. Having
eaten a good number of these, He set out moving on His mouse at night. Suddenly the mouse
stumbled—it had seen a snake and became frightened—with the result that Ganesha fell down. His
stomach burst open and all the sweet puddings came out. But Ganesha stuffed them back into His
stomach and, catching hold of the snake, tied it around His belly.
Seeing all this, the moon in the sky had a hearty laugh. This unseemly behaviour of the
moon annoyed Him immensely and so he pulled out one of His tusks and hurled it against the moon,
and cursed that no one should look at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day. If anyone does, he will
surely earn a bad name, censure or ill-repute. However, if by mistake someone does happen to look
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GANESH CHATURTHI
at the moon on this day, then the only way he can be freed from the curse is by repeating or listening
to the story of how Lord Krishna cleared His character regarding the Syamantaka jewel. This story
is quoted in the Srimad Bhagavatam. Lord Ganesha was pleased to ordain thus. Glory to Lord
Ganesha! How kind and merciful He is unto His devotees!
Ganesha and His brother Lord Subramanya once had a dispute as to who was the elder of the
two. The matter was referred to Lord Shiva for final decision. Shiva decided that whoever would
make a tour of the whole world and come back first to the starting point had the right to be the elder.
Subramanya flew off at once on his vehicle, the peacock, to make a circuit of the world. But the
wise Ganesha went, in loving worshipfulness, around His divine parents and asked for the prize of
His victory.
Lord Shiva said, “Beloved and wise Ganesha! But how can I give you the prize; you did not
go around the world?”
Ganesha replied, “No, but I have gone around my parents. My parents represent the entire
manifested universe!”
Thus the dispute was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha, who was thereafter acknowledged
as the elder of the two brothers. Mother Parvati also gave Him a fruit as a prize for this victory.
In the Ganapathi Upanishad, Ganesha is identified with the Supreme Self. The legends that
are connected with Lord Ganesha are recorded in the Ganesha Khanda of the Brahma Vivartha
Purana.
On the Ganesh Chaturthi day, meditate on the stories connected with Lord Ganesha early in
the morning, during the Brahmamuhurta period. Then, after taking a bath, go to the temple and do
the prayers of Lord Ganesha. Offer Him some coconut and sweet pudding. Pray with faith and
devotion that He may remove all the obstacles that you experience on the spiritual path. Worship
Him at home, too. You can get the assistance of a pundit. Have an image of Lord Ganesha in your
house. Feel His Presence in it.
Don’t forget not to look at the moon on that day; remember that it behaved unbecomingly
towards the Lord. This really means avoid the company of all those who have no faith in God, and
who deride God, your Guru and religion, from this very day.
Take fresh spiritual resolves and pray to Lord Ganesha for inner spiritual strength to attain
success in all your undertakings.
May the blessings of Sri Ganesha be upon you all! May He remove all the obstacles that
stand in your spiritual path! May He bestow on you all material prosperity as well as liberation!