Ganesa and milk

[Guest guest]

Dear Indology:

 

Has anyone ever heard of the series of incidents in which Ganesa images

supposedly imbibed milk that was offered to them? One of my students asked

me about this and I didn't know what to make of it. Does anyone know

anything about this?

 

Thanks,

 

Lynken Ghose

 

 

 

_______________

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[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, "Lynken Ghose" <lynkenghose@h...> wrote:

> Dear Indology:

>

> Has anyone ever heard of the series of incidents in which Ganesa

images

> supposedly imbibed milk that was offered to them? One of my

students asked

> me about this and I didn't know what to make of it. Does anyone

know

> anything about this?

 

Few years back, it was a "global phenomenon" with Hindu communities

in India, UK and other countries reporting that Ganesa idol drinks

milk from a pitcher kept near it's mouth

 

It made news stories for several days and died down as quickly as it

erupted. If you serach news archives 3/4 years back, you will get

some info.

[Guest guest]

The incidents, which occured on September 21, 1995 were reported

widely in Indian and International media.

 

See the following URL for related news items and reports.

 

http://www.timbomb.net/buddha/ganesha.html

 

In a nutshell, someone spread the news that an icon of Sri Ganesha

sucked up milk when he offered the same. The news spread like wild

fire all over the world within a matter of hours (via telephone, TV,

faxes, emails) and Hindus (and others) started thronging temples in

India and elsewhere to offer milk to Sri Ganesha icons in temples and

at their homes.

 

There are literally thousands of people who swear that Sri Ganesha

icons drank spoonfulls, and even small saucers/pitchers of milk when

they offered the same to him that day.

 

Apparently, while the throngs of worshippers in India created milk

shortages even in Delhi by purchasing it and rushing to temples,

temples in USA etc. also had to keep open right into midnight to

accomodate worshippers. A few months after the incidents, I visited

Thailand and Indonesia on some work. There are several beautiful icons

of Sri Ganesha especially in Bangkok and my German speaking Swiss

hosts (Roman Catholic by religion) were adamant that the icons did

drink the milk from their hands, despite my appeal to our common

Engineering background.

 

The Rationalist associations in India criticized this mass-hysteria

(in their opinion). I remember that the VHP announced that these

incidents were miracles which indicates that Hinduism is Satya

Sanatana Dharma indeed. Many eminent religious leaders lauded the

incidents as a sign from God to stick to our Dharma, whereas many

others simply refused to comment. Scientists like me were in a clear

minority.

 

For many millions of Hindus (according to newspapers)it was a

vindication of the validity of our religion (vis a vis Islam and

Christianity), a God sent miracle and a divine sign in this Kaliyuga.

Many of my relatives, otherwise nominal Hindus, also maintained the

same. (One of my Aunts was very distraught and blamed herself because

the icon did not accept milk from her in the first attempt, while

another of my Aunts was overjoyed that God had accepted her offering.

Apparently, even my agnostic relatives had queued outside temples with

milk on that day).

 

Many people also took it as a sign of God that the news could spread

amongst millions of Hindus within a matter of a few hours, all over

the world. Some tried to replicate the 'miracle' on other days but

failed to do so, but this was taken as a further proof that that

particular day was special. [i requested an Indian store owner in

Florida to repeat it for me after he swore that he had seen the

miracle. However, when the icon in his shop did not drink the milk, he

said that in business there is a slight measure of dishonesty involved

and therefore the icon in the shop will not drink milk although one at

his him did do so earlier].

 

I am sure that someone in this list might actually have witness the

incidents somewhere.

 

Sincerely,

 

Vishal

 

INDOLOGY, "Lynken Ghose" <lynkenghose@h...> wrote:

> Dear Indology:

>

> Has anyone ever heard of the series of incidents in which Ganesa

images

> supposedly imbibed milk that was offered to them? One of my students

asked

> me about this and I didn't know what to make of it. Does anyone know

> anything about this?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Lynken Ghose

>

>

>

> _______________

> Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at

http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, "Lynken Ghose" <lynkenghose@h...> wrote:

> Dear Indology:

>

> Has anyone ever heard of the series of incidents in which Ganesa

images

> supposedly imbibed milk that was offered to them? One of my

students asked

> me about this and I didn't know what to make of it. Does anyone

know

> anything about this?

>

> Thanks,

>

> Lynken Ghoseelow

 

I've posted below an excerpt of an article called 'Milk Drinking

Idols' from 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine Vol. 20, No. 2 •

March/April 1996, pg. 7 (see: http://www.csicop.org/si/9603/ ).

-David

 

Begin quote:

 

Throughout the Hindu world on September 21, 1995, statues of Indian

deities sipped spoonfuls of milk in supposed fulfillment of a

devotee's dream.

As the phenomenon progressed, it spread from the deity Lord

Ganesh, the elephant-headed, multihanded, Hindu god, to other idols,

including Nandi the Bull, and statues of Lord Shiva, who is often

depicted in human form with a serpent around his neck. Spreading

across India, the milk-sipping phenomenon soon extended to other

parts of the Asian continent as well as to Europe and North America

where it was duly noted on television and in newspapers.

An Indian psychiatrist explained: "All people are vulnerable to

such credulousness. Hindus were especially susceptible because this

was the season of pitr baksh, when the devout offered milk for the

souls of their ancestors." So many Hindus were cuaght up in the mass

hysteria that milk supplies were depleted and prices soared—even

for

canned and powdered milk, although only "Kachcha," unboiled milk, was

supposed to be accepted by the deities.

Skeptics pointed out that many of the statues were made of baked

clay, which absorbs liquids prodigiously by capillary attraction.

States Julia Higgins, professor of polymer chemistry at London's

Imperical College, "Break a flowerpot, dip it in water, and the water

disapppears like mad." With glazed statues, only a bit of the glaze

need be absent, say from a tooth (as indeed seemed the case in one

statue), for capillary attraction to work.

But what about realtively non-porous materials like marble or

even nonporous ones such as brass and other metals? Some people

noticed milk pooling at the bottoms of such statues but could not

explain how it was getting there. The secret was discovered by the

federal Depaertment of Science and Technology in New Delhi.

Researches there offered a statue milk mixed with a red dye and

observed that while the milk quickly disappeared from the spoon, it

soon coated the statue due to surface tension. Explained the

secretary of the Indian Rationalists' Society, Sanal Edamaruku: When

a spoonful of milk is offered to a "wet idol" (many of the idols had

been ritually washed) the spoon is naturally tilted a bit and the

milk imperceptibaly drains over the idol. In such a think layer it

is virtually transparent, especially on marble or other white or

light-colored surfaces. "The basic principle behind it," says

Edamaruku, "is that when two drops of a liquid are brought together

it leads to the formation of one drop."

Hoaxing was apparently responsible in a few cases. For

example, 'India Abroad' reported, "At a temple in the Bengali Market

area of the capital, canisters with pipes running into them were

found in the backyard. The canisters had gathered the milk fed by

the devotees." And at a temple in Toronto investigated by CSICOP

Fellow Henry Gordon, a well-known magician and author in Canada, the

attendants refused to allow him to lift the small thirsty idol from

its large base. (He was also refused the opportunity to give the

idol water and thus test the claim that it drank only milk.)

Although the widespread phenomenon reportedly ceased after one

day, possibly due to official expectations, it continued in some

homes in New York City for a time. Reported the 'Miami Herald', "It

took 'the miracle' exactly eight days to reach Miami from India." On

the other hand, at certain sites, such as the Ganesh temple in

Toronto's Richmond Hill suburb, nothing ever happened. 'Nature'

magazine reported that "science took a hammering from religion" over

the affair, but it did so only on the propaganda level. 'Nature'

seemed heartened by the statement signed by prominent scientist in

Madras. It called on educated Indians to help ensure "that primitive

obscurantism and superstition did not hold sway over a society on the

threshold of the 21st century".

 

—Joe Nickell

[Guest guest]

The day this news broke out, I was visiting the Hindu temple in Troy,

Michigan, where my wife was going to do a Bhajan concert. As we

reached the temple, there was a long line of people waiting to try

and see if the Ganesh image at the temple would "drink" milk from

their hands. Curious, I patiently waited in the line myself, and

tried with a spoonful of milk. Nothing would happen. So after a

minute or so of trying, I moved away. However, many folks in the

line who tried claimed that Ganesh did drink milk from their hands.

One thing I can assure you is that there was a puddle of milk all

around the Ganesh image. To me it seemed more appropriate to call it

bathing the image with milk, rather than make it drink the milk.

 

Madhav Deshpande

 

INDOLOGY, liberty@p... wrote:

> INDOLOGY, "Lynken Ghose" <lynkenghose@h...> wrote:

> > Dear Indology:

> >

> > Has anyone ever heard of the series of incidents in which Ganesa

> images

> > supposedly imbibed milk that was offered to them? One of my

> students asked

> > me about this and I didn't know what to make of it. Does anyone

> know

> > anything about this?

> >

> > Thanks,

> >

> > Lynken Ghoseelow

>

> I've posted below an excerpt of an article called 'Milk Drinking

> Idols' from 'Skeptical Inquirer' magazine Vol. 20, No. 2 •

> March/April 1996, pg. 7 (see: http://www.csicop.org/si/9603/ ).

> -David

>

> Begin quote:

>

> Throughout the Hindu world on September 21, 1995, statues of Indian

> deities sipped spoonfuls of milk in supposed fulfillment of a

> devotee's dream.

> As the phenomenon progressed, it spread from the deity Lord

> Ganesh, the elephant-headed, multihanded, Hindu god, to other

idols,

> including Nandi the Bull, and statues of Lord Shiva, who is often

> depicted in human form with a serpent around his neck. Spreading

> across India, the milk-sipping phenomenon soon extended to other

> parts of the Asian continent as well as to Europe and North America

> where it was duly noted on television and in newspapers.

> An Indian psychiatrist explained: "All people are vulnerable

to

> such credulousness. Hindus were especially susceptible because

this

> was the season of pitr baksh, when the devout offered milk for the

> souls of their ancestors." So many Hindus were cuaght up in the

mass

> hysteria that milk supplies were depleted and prices soared—even

> for

> canned and powdered milk, although only "Kachcha," unboiled milk,

was

> supposed to be accepted by the deities.

> Skeptics pointed out that many of the statues were made of

baked

> clay, which absorbs liquids prodigiously by capillary attraction.

> States Julia Higgins, professor of polymer chemistry at London's

> Imperical College, "Break a flowerpot, dip it in water, and the

water

> disapppears like mad." With glazed statues, only a bit of the

glaze

> need be absent, say from a tooth (as indeed seemed the case in one

> statue), for capillary attraction to work.

> But what about realtively non-porous materials like marble or

> even nonporous ones such as brass and other metals? Some people

> noticed milk pooling at the bottoms of such statues but could not

> explain how it was getting there. The secret was discovered by the

> federal Depaertment of Science and Technology in New Delhi.

> Researches there offered a statue milk mixed with a red dye and

> observed that while the milk quickly disappeared from the spoon, it

> soon coated the statue due to surface tension. Explained the

> secretary of the Indian Rationalists' Society, Sanal Edamaruku:

When

> a spoonful of milk is offered to a "wet idol" (many of the idols

had

> been ritually washed) the spoon is naturally tilted a bit and the

> milk imperceptibaly drains over the idol. In such a think layer it

> is virtually transparent, especially on marble or other white or

> light-colored surfaces. "The basic principle behind it," says

> Edamaruku, "is that when two drops of a liquid are brought together

> it leads to the formation of one drop."

> Hoaxing was apparently responsible in a few cases. For

> example, 'India Abroad' reported, "At a temple in the Bengali

Market

> area of the capital, canisters with pipes running into them were

> found in the backyard. The canisters had gathered the milk fed by

> the devotees." And at a temple in Toronto investigated by CSICOP

> Fellow Henry Gordon, a well-known magician and author in Canada,

the

> attendants refused to allow him to lift the small thirsty idol from

> its large base. (He was also refused the opportunity to give the

> idol water and thus test the claim that it drank only milk.)

> Although the widespread phenomenon reportedly ceased after one

> day, possibly due to official expectations, it continued in some

> homes in New York City for a time. Reported the 'Miami

Herald', "It

> took 'the miracle' exactly eight days to reach Miami from India."

On

> the other hand, at certain sites, such as the Ganesh temple in

> Toronto's Richmond Hill suburb, nothing ever happened. 'Nature'

> magazine reported that "science took a hammering from religion"

over

> the affair, but it did so only on the propaganda level. 'Nature'

> seemed heartened by the statement signed by prominent scientist in

> Madras. It called on educated Indians to help ensure "that

primitive

> obscurantism and superstition did not hold sway over a society on

the

> threshold of the 21st century".

>

> —Joe Nickell

[Guest guest]

INDOLOGY, Amit Khare <akhare_01> wrote:

 

> The capillary effect can take place within the

> confines of a porous material due to the forces of

> adhesion, cohesion and surface tension of the liquid.

[...]

> Another point also to be noted here that this happens

> only with milk and not with other liquids (e.g.,

> honey/water) the reason must that only in milk is

> there a perfect balance of forces required for

> capillary action to take place.

>

 

Honey is too visco-elastic to initiate the capillary action,

while water is non-viscous. Interesting that Ganesha idols

made of white marble, plaster-of-paris could suck the milk upward,

but the ganeshas made of hard granite as we find in temples

of south india couldn't do it. The porosity of the ganesha

idols due to its material and the milk's viscous properties have

to match. This drinking of milk never happened on black granite

ganeshas made in the south.

 

There is a medieval story that Ganapati in the TirunAraiyUr

temple (TN) ate up the naivedhyam offered to him by NambiyANDaar

Nambi. N. Nambi was in his early teens, his father (the archaka at

that temple and from Saiva Sivacharyar priestly family) had to

leave the town on an emergency. The elder archaka instructed

his son to do the pUjA. When the boy asked why we give food to

Ganesh, the father told him that the God will be hungry. When

the boy Nambi (Cf. NambUtiri) offered the fruits, modaka and pongal,

nothing would happen. Nambi started crying worried of any mistakes.

Lord ganesh showered his grace and started eating what Nambi gave.

Later on, N. Nambi advised the Chola king (Rajaraja I?) to

recover the Tevaram verses from ruin, got them inscribed on

copper plates, and compiled the Saiva tirumuRai canon. It's

Nambi's verse order that's followed to this day among the Saivaites.

 

Regards,

N. Ganesan