July 1988
GaneshaLord of Beginnings Remover of Hurdles
Tanuja, Yamuna
At the start of any project,
prayers are offered to Vignesvara, the Lord of Beginnings. It is in
keeping with the Hindu tradition to seek the help of this benevolent God
to remove all hurdles and bless the project. From among thousands of
verses that appeal to Lord Ganesha, two will be presented here as
invocation. Both are translated from the Sanskrit.
"Let the Lotus
Feet of Lord Ganesha, from whom scriptures sprout, confer on us unmixed
blessings. Like thunderbolts, let them shatter away hurdles that are
heaped like mountains."
"Night and day, let us worship this God
with the face of an elephant. He brings joy to Parvati, the daughter of
the mountains; Her face lights up just as the lotus blooms with the rising
sun. He has a single tusk and rewards us with many
blessings."
Ganesha Scholars
Ganesha is one of the most
popular of the Hindu Gods and much has been written about him in the
ancient Vedas and Upanishads, in the Puranas and in numerous stories that
are part of written and oral traditions. There is currently an enormous
amount of scholarly work that has attempted to examine Ganesha in all his
aspects and from every conceivable angle. The scholars come from a wide
range of disciplines. Typically, the following are some of the questions
they ask: "When did Ganesha emerge as a God of the Hindus?" "Was He an
Aryan God or was He originally a Dravidian God later assimilated by the
Aryans?" "How and when did Ganesha acquire all the attributes by which He
is known today?" "How can we resolve the differences in the details of the
Ganesha stories scattered in works of varying antiquity and belonging to
different traditions?" "How does Ganesha relate to other Gods of India and
elsewhere in the world?" "Is the Ganesha 'myth' linked to deep and hidden
human emotions and urges?" "Do the stories of Ganesha portray the tension
among humans - among fathers, mothers, sons, brothers?" "What is the
underlying philosophy of Ganesha worship and all associated
rituals?"
While all the questions posed above may be burning issues
for scholars, they are hardly relevant to devotees. To them Ganesha is a
real, benign presence, not an abstraction. He is the Lord of Beginnings.
No work can succeed that does not start with a prayer of appeal of help to
this kindly Deity. Whether or not Ganesha was a sectarian God in the past,
he is almost universally worshipped today by all devout Hindus. In
southern India, for instance, thousands of temples have been dedicated to
Ganesha and newer ones are constantly springing up. Many of these temples
are nothing more than little stone murthis of Ganesha installed under
trees with no enclosures. The devotees long for Ganesha's benevolent
presence everywhere, within reach - on the road, near places of work, near
schools, hospitals, wherever there is significant human activity. Deep
within everyone lurks the recognition that things can go wrong and that
the outcome of one's actions is governed by a larger scheme of things -
beyond one's own wishes and immediate concerns. So it is that devotees
turn to Ganesha for guidance and help.
The Story of
Ganesha
In a popular story, a young boy was created by Goddess
Parvati from rubbings from her limbs. The boy stood at the threshold,
guarding the privacy of his mother. Lord Siva sought entrance to His
wife's quarters, but was barred by the boy. Annoyed, Lord Siva beheaded
the youthful guard. Parvati was in anguish over the loss of her son. So
God Siva restored him to life - with the head of an elephant. The son
became Ganesha (Lord of the Assembly) and Vignesha (Remover of Hurdles).
He is known as Gajanana (Elephant-Faced) and Vinaya (Leader). Before
composing the great epic Mahabharata, the sage Vyasa prayed to Lord
Ganesha, who agreed to be his scribe. Ganesha used one of his own tusks to
write the verses as they were dictated by the sage. Ganesha is worshipped
as Ekadanta (One-Tusked). Ganesha is fond of sweet modakas. He has a pot
belly and is known as Lambodhara (with a distended belly). Ganesha has
chosen the mouse for his vehicle and hence is known as
Mushikavahana.
Among many other variants of the story of Ganesha
some will be mentioned here for illustration.
Creation: (1) Ganesha
is created by Siva. (2) He is created by both Siva and Parvati.
His
elephant head: (1) Ganesha is born with an elephant head. (2) The loss of
his original head is due to Saneesvara (Saturn). (3) Ganesha's head
belonged to famous elephants - Airvata (Indra's mount), Gajendra (who was
rescued from the jaws of a crocodile by Vishnu) or Gahasura (killed by
Siva).
His tusk: (1) Ganesha lost one of his tusks when it was hit
by Parasurama's axe. (2) Ganesha pulled one of his tusks to kill Gahasura
- who became a mouse and a mount for Ganesha. (3) Ganesha pulled his tusk
and hit the moon for making fun of him.
His consorts: (1) According
to traditions in most of South India, Ganesha is a bachelor. (2)
Sometimes, Ganesha is a worshipped with two wives, Siddhi and
Buddhi.
The well-known Ganapathi Hymn of the Rig Veda, now
associated with Ganesha, is said to have been originally associated with
Rudra. Cam, often translated as "group" or "assembly" is used to denote
divine beings serving Siva.
The Deeper Significance
Prayers
addressed to Ganesha often represent him as the first principle - the
Pranava, the mystic syllable, AUM. The form in which Ganesha is
worshipped, with the face and trunk of an elephant, is believed to
resemble the syllable AUM as it is written especially in the South Indian
script of the Tamil language. He is thus known as Pranavasvarupa (in the
nature or form of the Pranava). The theme of creation, sacrifice,
restoration and final elevation to a glorious state, as in the story of
Ganesha occurs again and again in Hindu Puranas in so many different
contexts. It is no surprise that such stories are often treated as
allegories.
Devotees, however, are not concerned with the
wide-ranging conflicts in the details of the Ganesha story and their
varied interpretation. Coupled with a simple faith, the beautiful rituals
that are part of the worship of this helpful Deity are all that they need
to face a seemingly rough world beset with
uncertainties.
Benediction
This article will now conclude
with a song in Sanskrit by the great composer Muthuswami Dikshitar, who
lived during the eighteenth century. This song, a prayer to Lord Ganesha,
describes most of the attributes by which he is known and worshipped
today.
"He, the elephant-headed one, awards to his devotees
fulfillments of every kind. The Gods Brahma, Indra and Vishnu, worship him
with praise. The shore of the sacred Kamalalaya is where he dwells. His
hands are tender and lovely. He is the elder brother of Subramaniya. He is
known as the Pillaiyar (noble son) who attracted gold. He wears white silk
around his limbs. The moon decks his forehead. His belly is enormous. He
wears a black flower. He holds the noose, the sweet modaka and the goad.
He is the boat that can take us across the ocean of life. He is the root
and substance of all things. He is the embodiment of bliss. His body
shines like a thousand suns. He rides the mouse and is accompanied by Gods
who sing his praise. May this God Ganesha protect us."
Article
copyright Himalayan Academy.
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