The Story of Ganescha

Ganesha (also Ganesh or Ganapati Tantra) is a much beloved and frequently invoked divinity, since he is the Lord of Good Fortune or of the ‘good beginnings’ who provides prosperity and fortune. It is for this reason that his grace is invoked before the undertaking of any task ; traveling, taking an examination, conducting a business affair, a job interview, performing a ceremony…. Throughout India and the Hindu Culture, Lord Ganesha is the first icon placed into a new home or abode. Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati. He is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse or a rat. 

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 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 the attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader 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.

The Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand he holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in his left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties. The broken tusk that he holds like a pen is 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. He is also worshipped as the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.

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 DN Singh in A Study of Hinduism. ‘He is the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus.’