GANESHA

Who is Ganesh*?

The youngest son of hindu deities Shiva and Parvati, Ganesh has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears atop the pot-bellied body of a four-armed man.  He is the deity of auspicious new beginnings and is known to destroy our fears and all our obstacles.  Ganesh is also known as the god of adaptability, intellect and the bestower of success.

Every part of Ganesh’s body is symbolic of a particular attribute:  A small mouth and large ears represent the importance of talking less and listening more. A large belly denotes the digestion of knowledge that has been gained.  We may gather all forms of knowledge, but if we fail to digest that information and turn it into wisdom then it renders that knowledge completely useless. 

Ganesh’s trunk represents discernment.  The trunk is a mighty instrument that can uproot trees but is also able to delicately pick a single straw out of a haystack.  Similarly, an evolved intellect can use its force to solve big problems of our outer world as well as effectively tackle the intricacies of our inner realm. 

The four arms of Ganesh represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body:  mind, intellect, ego and conditioned conscience.  Lord Ganesh represents pure consciousness which enables these four attributes to prevail within all of us.

Ganesh’s vehicle, the rat, chews through any problem, big or small, just as Ganesh helps us overcome anything with steady determination.

In some parts of India Ganesh is depicted as celibate, but in others he is said to be married to not just one, but two consorts: Buddhi (Widsom) and Siddhi (Success).

According to ancient scriptures, Ganesh appeared even before the foundation of sound, nature and pure consciousness.  Therefore, all hindu temple rituals, new business ventures and ceremonies for marriages and births begin with prayers to Ganesh to gain his blessings.

*  Ganesh is the informal name for Ganesha in colloquial language throughout Northern India