Ganesha

Hello again, it’s time for yet another article here on TBGTTH, and today is going to be a little more educational. Yes I know, you already need to remember enough stuff at school and all, but this might help you understand certain things about India. Like “Why are there people outside yelling and dancing?” or “Why does that statue have the head of an elephant?”

A big part of Indian culture is their deities and the festivals surrounding these Gods. Today, I’m going to talk about Ganesha, the elephant-headed Deity. The problem with talking about this sort of thing is that there is a lot to say, since each God in Hinduism has multiple roles and various stories associated to them. This means that this article will be made up of multiple parts. Each week I’ll upload more info on the God, and my brother is taking care of explaining the festivals of Ganesha.

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 worshiped 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.