Ganesh, the Vighneswar

Ganesha is the most widely worshipped deity of the Hindus. Ganesha is known by many attributes. He is easily identified by his elephant head. The other name by which he is known is Vighneswara, which means, the’ Lord of Obstacles’. He can remove as well as create obstacles in ones’ life. Today before any venture is undertaken, it is Ganesh who is invoked and whose blessings are sought

Ganesha is the Lord of intellect and wisdom. At the start of every puja, ritual and ceremony Ganesh vandan is done to honour him so that the functions go well without any obstacles.

Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. He has a brother, Skanda. A competition between Ganesha and his brother was held as to see who could circumambulate the three worlds faster and hence win the fruit of knowledge. Skanda went off on a journey to cover the three worlds while Ganesha circumambulated his parents. When asked why he did so, he explained that his parents Shiva and Parvati constituted the three worlds and thus he won the fruit of knowledge.

Ganesha is also known as Ekadanta, referring to His one whole tusk and the other broken. Devotees say that his single tusk indicates his ability to overcome all forms of dualism. They also believe the single tusk is a symbolism to retain the good and throw away the bad. Devotees interpret his elephant head as indicating intelligence, discriminative power, and think big. The large elephant ears are said to denote wisdom and listen more. It is easy to please Ganesha. A handful of roasted rice would satiate Ganesha, if it were offered with humility and love.

The scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Ganesha is often shown riding on a mouse, it symbolizes Tamoguna, as well as desire.Desire unless it is controlled can cause havoc. ‘You ride the desire and keep it under control, and don’t allow it to take you for a ride’ is the message. Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of letters and learning. Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum. Omkaraswaroopa is Ganesha which refers he personifies the primal sound ‘AUM’

Hinduism believes the kundalini shakti, the great spiritual potential, waiting to be aroused and brought back up to the source from which it originated, Brahman. Muladhar is a subtle abode of Ganapati. In Ganapati Atharvashirsha, it is mentioned that “one who worships Lord Ganapati would easily grasp the concept and realize Brahman.”