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Lord Ganesha Ganesha — the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.   Click here to see our Lord Ganesha Statues has for sale

 

 

Lord Ganesha the remover of obstacles

The chubby, gentle, wise, elephant-headed Ganesh, or Ganesha, is one of Hinduisms most popular deities. He is the remover of obstacles, the deity whom worshippers first acknowledge when they visit a temple. He is also patron of letters and of learning; he is the legendary scribe who, using his broken tusk, which he often holds, wrote down parts of the Mahabharata epic. Ganesh is usually depicted colored red; he is pot bellied, has one tusk broken, and has four arms that may hold a pasam, a goad, and a pot of rice or sweetmeats. The sweet meats are held in a type of bowl known as a laddus. His appetite for these sweets is legendary and offerings of them are often left at his shrine.

  

Statues of Ganesh can be found in most Indian towns. his image is placed where new houses are to be built; he is honored at the start of a journey or business venture, and poets traditionally invoke him at the start of a book

 

Ganesha Walk around the universe

Ganesha become the lord (Isha) of all existing beings (Gana) after winning a contect from his brother Kartikay. When given the task to race around the universe, the ganesha did not start the race like kartikay did, but simply walked around shiva and parvati, both his father and mother as the source of all existence. This beautiful story illustrates the spiritual insight that is so typical of Ganesha. Ganesha and kartikay, both sons of shiva and parvati, enter a contact and is thus the most befitting to temporarily replace shiva and shakti while kartikey rushes off on his peacock, Ganesha walks around his parents at lea sure, b\declaring the universe to be nothing more or less than shiva and parvati. All deities appload him and Ganesha wins.

 

Many stories describe how Ganesha got the elephant head. One tells how parvati created ganesha in absence of shiva to guard her quarters. When shiva wanted to see her ganesha forbid it, at which point Shiva cut of his head. Later Shiva restored Ganesha to life and provided home with the head of an elephant, because not other was available. In another story, Ganesha’s head is burned to ahes when Saturn is forced by parvati to look at her child and bless him.

 

Ganesha rides a rat that represents the subjugated demon of vanity and impertinence. The conch represents the sound that creates akash. The laddu (sweet) represents sattva. The snakes represent control over the poisons of the passions and refer to shiva, rather of Ganesha. The hatchet cuts away the bondage of desires. The mudra grants fearlessness. The broken tusk is the one with which Ganesha wrote the mahabaratha.

 

Legend Ganesha:

Perhaps the most popular story regarding Ganesha's origin is the one derived from the Shiva Purana. Mother Parvati once wanted to take a bath and created a boy from the dirt of Her own body, asking him to stand as a guard outside while She bathed. In the meantime Lord Shiva returned home to find a stranger at His door, preventing Him from entering. In anger, Shiva cut off the boy's head, upon which Parvati was stricken with great grief. In order to console Her, Shiva sent out His troops (gaNa) to fetch the head of anyone found sleeping with his head pointing to the north. They found an elephant sleeping thus and brought back its head.

 

Shiva then attached the elephantine head to the body of the boy and revived him. He named the boy Ganapati or commander of His troops, and granted Him a boon that anyone would have to worship Him (Ganesha) before beginning any undertaking.

 

The Brahma vaivarta Purana narrates a different story regarding the origin of Ganapati. Shiva instructed Parvati, who wanted to have a son, to observe the puNyaka vrata for a year to propitiate Vishnu.

 

O Beautiful Goddess! Perform the worship of Hari by observing the punyaka vrata for a year. The Lord of Gopikas, the Lord of all creatures, Krishna Himself will be born as your son, as a result of the vrata.

 

 On completion of the vrata by Parvati, it was announced that Krishna would incarnate Himself as Her son in every kalpa. Accordingly, Krishna was born as a charming infant, delighting Parvati who celebrated the event with great enthusiasm.

 

All the Gods arrived to have a look at the baby. But Shani, the son of Surya, did not look at him and stared at the ground instead. Upon Parvati's questioning regarding his behaviour, Shani said that his look would harm the baby. Parvati, however, insisted that he should look at the baby. In deference to Her wish Shani cast his eyes on the baby. Due to his malevolent glance, the baby's head was severed and flew to Goloka, the abode of Krishna. Parvati and all the Gods assembled there, including Shiva, were grief-stricken.

 

Thereupon, Vishnu mounted Garuda and rushed to the banks of the Pushpa-bhadra river and brought back the head of a young elephant. The head of the elephant was joined with the headless body of Parvati's son, reviving him. All the Gods blessed Ganesha and wished Him power and prosperity. Vishnu blessed Ganesha thus:

 

O Excellent God! O dear one! May Your pUjA be performed before that of any other God. May You be situated in all venerable beings and may You be the best among Yogis. This is My boon to You.

 

Shiva made Ganesha the leader of his troops (gaNa), and also gave Him the following boon:

 

All obstacles, whatever they may be, will be rooted out by worshipping Ganesha, even as diseases are cured by the worship of Surya and purity results when Vishnu is worshiped.

 

 

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