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Lord of Success

Posted by: Ajay Gupta in

Ganesha:-

Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश; Ganesha.ogg listen (help·info)), also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India. Hindu sects worship him regardless of other affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.

Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify. Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles (Vighnesha, Vighneshvara), patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom. He is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.

Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya, (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य; gāṇapatya), who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose during this period. The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.
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.

The Lord of Success :-
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.

Significance of the Ganesha Form :-
Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.

How Ganesha Got His Head :-
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

However, there's another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus reviving it.

Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride :-
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."

 Ganesh Chaturthi :-
An annual festival honours Ganesha for ten days, starting on Ganesh Chaturthi, which typically falls in late August or early September. The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when images (murtis) of Ganesha are immersed in the most convenient body of water. In 1893, Lokmanya Tilak transformed this annual Ganesha festival from private family celebrations into a grand public event. He did so "to bridge the gap between the Brahmins and the non-Brahmins and find an appropriate context in which to build a new grassroots unity between them" in his nationalistic strivings against the British in Maharashtra. Because of Ganesha's wide appeal as "the god for Everyman", Tilak chose him as a rallying point for Indian protest against British rule. Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions, and he established the practice of submerging all the public images on the tenth day. Today, Hindus across India celebrate the Ganapati festival with great fervour, though it is most popular in the state of Maharashtra. The festival also assumes huge proportions in Mumbai and in the surrounding belt of Ashtavinayaka temples.
Temples:-
In Hindu temples, Ganesha is depicted in various ways: as an acolyte or subordinate deity (pãrśva-devatã); as a deity related to the principal deity (parivāra-devatã); or as the principal deity of the temple (pradhāna), treated similarly as the highest gods of the Hindu pantheon. As the god of transitions, he is placed at the doorway of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which is analogous to his role as Parvati’s doorkeeper. In addition, several shrines are dedicated to Ganesha himself, of which the Ashtavinayak (Sanskrit: अष्टविनायक; aṣṭavināyaka; lit. "eight Ganesha (shrines)") in Maharashtra are particularly well known. Located within a 100-kilometer radius of the city of Pune, each of these eight shrines celebrates a particular form of Ganapati, complete with its own lore and legend; together they "form a mandala, demarking the sacred cosmos of Ganesha".
A statue of Ganesha carved in wood
There are many other important Ganesha temples at the following locations: Wai in Maharashtra; Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur, Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar; Baroda, Dholaka, and Valsad in Gujarat and Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. Prominent Ganesha temples in southern India include the following: : the Jambukeśvara Temple (Ucchi pillaiyar kottai) at Tiruchirapalli; at Rameshvaram and Suchindram; Karpaka Vinayakar Temple in TamilNadu; Hampi, Kasargod, and Idagunji in Karnataka; and Bhadrachalam in Andhra Pradesh.

108 Names Of Lord Ganesh :-
   

  1. Akhuratha :- One who has Mouse as His Charioteer
  2. Alampata :-  Ever Eternal Lord
  3. Amit :- Incomparable Lord
  4. Anantachidrupamayam :- Infinite and Consciousness Personified
  5. Avaneesh :- Lord of the whole World
  6. Avighna :- Remover of Obstacles
  7. Balaganapati :- Beloved and Lovable Child
  8. Bhalchandra :- Moon-Crested Lord
  9. Bheema :- Huge and Gigantic
  10. Bhupati :- Lord of the Gods
  11. Bhuvanpati :- God of the Gods
  12. Buddhinath :- God of Wisdom
  13. Buddhipriya :- Knowledge Bestower
  14. Buddhividhata :- God of Knowledge
  15. Chaturbhuj :- One who has Four Arms
  16. Devadeva :- Lord! of All Lords
  17. Devantakanashakarin :- Destroyer of Evils and Asuras
  18. Devavrata :- One who accepts all Penances
  19. Devendrashika :- Protector of All Gods
  20. Dharmik :- One who gives Charity
  21. Dhoomravarna :- Smoke-Hued Lord
  22. Durja :- Invincible Lord
  23. Dvaimatura :- One who has two Mothers
  24. Ekaakshara :- He of the Single Syllable
  25. Ekadanta :- Single-Tusked Lord
  26. Ekadrishta :- Single-Tusked Lord
  27. Eshanputra :- Lord Shiva's Son
  28. Aath Gadadhari :- One who has The Mace as His Weapon
  29. Gajakarna :- One who has Eyes like an Elephant
  30. Gajanana :- Elephant-Faced Lord
  31. Gajananeti :- Elephant-Faced Lord
  32. Gajavakra :- Trunk of The Elephant
  33. Gajavaktra :- One who has Mouth like an Elephant
  34. Ganadhakshya :- Lord of All Ganas (Gods)
  35. Ganadhyakshina :- Leader of All The Celestial Bodies
  36. Ganapati :- Lord of All Ganas (Gods)
  37. Gaurisuta :- The Son of Gauri (Parvati)
  38. Gunina :- One who is The Master of All Virtues
  39. Haridra :- One who is Golden Coloured
  40. Heramba :- Mother's Beloved Son
  41. Kapila :- Yellowish-Brown Coloured
  42. Kaveesha :- Master of Poets
  43. Kirti :- Lord of Music
  44. Kripalu :- Merciful Lord
  45. Krishapingaksha :- Yellowish-Brown Eyed
  46. Kshamakaram :- The Place of Forgiveness
  47. Kshipra :- One who is easy to A! ppease
  48. Lambakarna :- Large-Eared Lord
  49. Lambodara :- The Huge Bellied Lord
  50. Mahabala :- Enormously Strong Lord
  51. Mahaganapati :- Omnipotent and Supreme Lord
  52. Maheshwaram :- Lord of The Universe
  53. Mangalamurti :- All Auspicious Lord
  54. Manomay :- Winner of Hearts
  55. Mrityuanjaya :- Conqueror of Death
  56. Mundakarama :- Abode of Happiness
  57. Muktidaya :- Bestower of Eternal Bliss
  58. Musikvahana :- One who has Mouse as His Charioteer
  59. Nadapratithishta :- One who Appreciates and Loves Music
  60. Namasthetu :- Vanquisher of All Evils and Vices and Sins
  61. Nandana :- Lord Shiva's Son
  62. Nideeshwaram :- Giver of Wealth and Treasures
  63. Omkara :- One who has the Form Of OM
  64. Pitambara :- One who has Yellow-Coloured Body
  65. Pramoda :- Lord of All Abodes
  66. Prathameshwara :- First Among All
  67. Purush :- The Omnipotent Personality
  68. Raktamra :- One who has Red-Coloured Body
  69. Rudrapriya :- Beloved Of Lord Shiva
  70. Sarvadevatman :- Acceptor of All Celestial Offerings
  71. Sarvasiddhanta :- Bestower of Skills and Wisdom
  72. Sarvatman :- Protector of The Universe
  73. Shambhavi :- The Son of Parvati
  74. Shashivarnam :- One who has a Moon like Complexion
  75. Shoorpakarna :- Large-Eared Lord
  76. Shuban :- All Auspicious Lord
  77. Shubhagunakanan :- One who is The Master of All Virtues
  78. Shweta :- One who is as Pure as the White Colour
  79. Siddhidhata :- Bestower of Success and Accomplishments
  80. Siddhipriya :- Bestower of Wishes and Boons
  81. Siddhivinayaka :- Bestower of Success
  82. Skandapurvaja :- Elder Brother of Skand (Lord Kartik)
  83. Sumukha :- Auspicious Face
  84. Sureshwaram :- Lord of All Lords
  85. Swaroop :- Lover of Beauty
  86. Tarun :- Ageless
  87. Uddanda :- Nemesis of Evils and Vices
  88. Umaputra :- The Son of Goddess Uma (Parvati)
  89. Vakratunda :- Curved Trunk Lord
  90. Varaganapati :- Bestower of Boons
  91. Varaprada :- Granter of Wishes and Boons
  92. Varadavinayaka :- Bestower of Success
  93. Veeraganapati :- Heroic Lord
  94. Vidyavaridhi :- God of Wisdom
  95. Vighnahara :- Remover of Obstacles
  96. Vignaharta :- Demolisher of Obstacles
  97. Vighnaraja :- Lord of All Hindrances
  98. Vighnarajendra :- Lord of All Obstacles
  99. Vighnavinashanaya :- Destroyer of All Obstacles and Impediments
  100. Vigneshwara :- Lord of All Obstacles
  101. Vikat :- Huge and Gigantic
  102. Vinayaka :- Lord of All
  103. Vishwamukha :- Master of The Universe
  104. Vishwaraja :- King of The World
  105. Yagnakaya :- Acceptor of All Sacred and Sacrficial Offerings
  106. Yashaskaram :- Bestower of Fame and Fortune
  107. Yashvasin :- Beloved and Ever Popular Lord
  108. Yogadhipa :- The Lord of Meditation

Vakrtund Mahakaya Surya Koti Samaprabha |
Nirbhignam Kurumedaya Sarva Karyashu Sarvada |

This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 05, 2009 and is filed under . You can leave a response and follow any responses to this entry through the Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom) .

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