Ganesh

Let us start with a personal, poetic invocation to Ganesh to bless our activities.

Yes Lord Ganesha ...

blood may drip from palms,

the sweat and labor of scars.

So here, help us with this psalm

to right each crooked wrong,

heal shadows and uplift with song

praising God to break through the haze.

Please make actions proficent today

letting go haste, waste and distaste.

Yes God Ganesha,

fill us with your superior grace.

Yes, let us overcome each obstruction

rope fear until it disappears,

then carry us up moutaintops

where your endless Om opens doors

motivates, until we supplicate

and sweetness sends blissful shivers

atop our lotus slivered scalps

that radiate as spines of sunshine,

until we can find oneness  

again and again, so divine.

________________

Again, Ganesh is popular with almost all Hindus. Ganesha can we seen at household altars, doorways, shrines beneath trees, in shops, cars, and everywhere worshippers seek to remove obstacles in life. As a divine energy force able to confer blessings, many Hindus could share their stories how Ganesha has, can, and will continue to bless various undertakings. As with all spirituality associated with religious practices, true intentions and sincere focus can best actualize God’s power into one’s various activities.  

A school child can seek assistance from Ganesha before an exam. Tests, especially multiple choice, are meant to distract and trick. In a test, the truly prepared and focused can succeed. The question is if God, through Ganesha can bring fortune. Many distractions can stem of friends, energies from parents, siblings or neighbors from the very morning before the test. Culture fills kids with television or computer game distractions. Yes, a student can totally hope for help from Ganesha, cutting through all the obstructions that hinder one’s potential to succeed.

In another common example, worshipers seek to renew their relationship with God in their local temples. They step into the temple precinct, leaving the hustle and bustle hassles on the street. They pause, rub the elephant truck of Ganesha, touch their forehead, and enter inside the inner chambers to worship God. Distraction, worry and outside obstacles dissipate. The powers of Ganesha protect, allowing worshippers to focus on those significant moments of their day, always providing purpose in life.

Like with many deities, saints, or supportive religious stories, Ganesha is thought to begin as a local tribe-village deity; however, Ganesha rises in statue. All can see his popularity today. Yes, Ganesha combines strength, cleverness and humor. Various stories surround how Ganesha gets an elephant head, yet all agree on divine origins, accompanied by a stunning visual representation of his symbolic form.

Shiva and Parvati are typically said to be the parents of Ganesha. (Depending on the particular Hindu worship, Shiva or Parvati can considered as the sole creator of Ganesha. In fact one denomination of Hinduism, the Ganapatya worship Ganesha as the supreme representation of God.) In one story, Shiva and Parvati show Ganesha to the other gods. Due to jealousies, the other gods sever the head of child. Shiva replaces the head with the head of an elephant. In another story, Ganesha disrupts the relationship between Shiva and Parvati, causing Shiva to sever his son’s head. Another story shows the planet Saturn (Shani) looks with an “evil eye,” turning the head of Ganesha to ash.

Ganesh is typically shown in red, having power to direct God’s spirit hosts (Shiva’s Ganas) to either bless or curse. He is mainly shown with his elephant head, one tusk, and four arms usually holding a mace weapon, a shell (or lotus), a rope (or Om on his palm), and a disc or bowl of sweet rice balls. Ganesh is shown to ride a rat or mouse as his vehicle (Vahana). The earliest images show a rat. His later Vahana changes into the mouse.

[Note some might think that Elephants fear mice and therefore an Elephant riding mouse could symbolize overcoming fear. It has been shown that Elephants fear the "unknown" sounds of a hidden mouse. Elephants fear no animals. With the symbol, even the small can carry the large. A small act of kindness can have lasting ramifications, a small prayer can transform negative perceptions to a positive outlook. The unknown is always "known" to those with awareness. Yes, awareness is the great vehicle (Vahana) in life.]

Popularized writings (Puranas) highlight more details on Ganesha. Overall, Ganesha can provide success to various endeavors, inner peace, and wisdom.

Note we will later update this Ganesha page with future links and imagery. Also, feel free to create a page and share a personal, memorable experience where you feel blessed by Ganesha.