Guest guest Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 Pyari_h 's postings about the Lord captivated me. I remained spellbound. Then a silent thanks to pyari came on my lips.Then I felt, why not let us start discussing more about HIM ? We in India, all know that each and every work, tast,project or anything should be started chanting "Sri Ganeshaye Namah". So I humbly start with the following questions:- 1.Why Ganesha is acclaimed to be the first god to whome libations must be offered? Why not any other god ? 2.Why He is said to be "Bhimkaya" (haivng a large body) or elephant's ( the largest animal on earth)? 3.Why with such a heavy body, His means of transtort is a Mouse? Poor tiny little creature ? Are these descriptions, a mere conjucture or does it has any esoteric meaning? Of course I do have my own explainations, but dont wish to be a laughing stock, hence pray all of you to please opinise Love, Satish , pyari_h <no_reply> wrote: > Jaya Sri Radhey! Saint Sri Tulasi dasa has > glorified Sri Ganesh in his famous bhajan: > > gaayeeye ganapati jaga vandana, > shankara suvana bhavaani nandana, > siddhi sadana gaja vadana vinaayaka > kripaa sindhu sundara saba laayaka > > modakapriya muda mangala daata > vidyaa vaaridhi buddhi vidhaata! > > maangata tulasidaasa kara jore, > basahim raama-siya maanasa more!! > > Let us sing glories unto the world-adored > beloved child of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvati. > He is the treasure house of all perfections > and the ocean of Grace. > The supremely benevolent Lord Vinayaka has > a beautiful face of the majestic elephant. > > He is very fond of 'modaka' > (dumplings made of rice flour) and > the giver of joy and auspiciousness. > Lord Ganesh is the ocean of knowledge > as well as the origin of pure wisdom. > > Saint Tulasidas with folded hands > fervently prays to Lord Ganesh for > the kind blessing that his Beloved > Ramacandra along with His Consort Sita > may RESIDE forever in his heart!! > > Jaya Sri Ganesh! > Jaya Siya Rama! > Jaya Sri Radhey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 9, 2002 Report Share Posted September 9, 2002 Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste Satish and all. Here is an excerpt from the article: Ganesha : the Elephant Headed God, Art and Mythology http://www.exoticindia.com/article/ganesha ....The physical attributes of Ganesha are themselves rich in symbolism. He is normally shown with one hand in the abhaya pose of protection and refuge and the second holding a sweet (modaka) symbolic of the sweetness of the realized inner self. In the two hands behind him he often holds an ankusha (elephant goad) and a pasha (noose). The noose is to convey that worldly attachments and desires are a noose. The goad is to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth. With this goad Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles. His pot belly signifies the bounty of nature and also that Ganesha swallows the sorrows of the Universe and protects the world. The image of Ganesha is a composite one. Four animals viz., man, elephant, the serpent and the mouse have contributed for the makeup of his figure. All of them individually and collectively have deep symbolic significance. The image of Ganesha thus represents man's eternal striving towards integration with nature. He has to be interpreted taking into consideration the fact that though millenniums rolled by, man yet remains closer to animal today than he was ever before. The most striking feature of Ganesha is his elephant head, symbolic of auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. All the qualities of the elephant are contained in the form of Ganpati. The elephant is the largest and strongest of animals of the forest. Yet he is gentle and, amazingly, a vegetarian, so that he does not kill to eat. He is very affectionate and loyal to his keeper and is greatly swayed if love and kindness are extended to him. Ganesha, though a powerful deity, is similarly loving and forgiving and moved by the affection of his devotees. But at the same time the elephant can destroy a whole forest and is a one-man army when provoked. Ganesha is similarly most powerful and can be ruthless when containing evil. Again, Ganesha's large head is symbolic of the wisdom of the elephant. His large ears, like the winnow, sift the bad from the good. Although they hear everything, they retain only that which is good; they are attentive to all requests made by the devotees, be they humble or powerful. Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his discrimination (viveka), a most important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The elephant uses its trunk to push down a massive tree, carry huge logs to the river and for other heavy tasks. The same huge trunk is used to pick up a few blades of grass, to break a small coconut, remove the hard nut and eat the soft kernel inside. The biggest and minutest of tasks are within the range of this trunk which is symbolic of Ganesha's intellect and hiss powers of discrimination. An intriguing aspect of Ganesha's iconography is his broken tusk, leading to the appellation Ekdanta, Ek meaning one and danta meaning teeth. It carries an interesting legend behind it: When Parashurama one of Shiva's favorite disciples, came to visit him, he found Ganesha guarding Shiva's inner apartments. His father being asleep, Ganesha opposed Parshurama's entry. Parashurama nevertheless tried to urge his way, and the parties came to blows. Ganesha had at first the advantage, seizing Parashurama in his trunk, and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless; on recovering, Rama threw his axe at Ganesha, who recognizing it as his father's weapon (Shiva having given it to Parashurama) received it with all humility upon one of his tusks, which it immediately severed, and hence Ganesha has but one tusk. A different legend narrates that Ganesha was asked to scribe down the epic of Mahabharata, dictated to him by its author, sage Vyasa. Taking into note the enormity and significance of the task, Ganesha realized the inadequacy of any ordinary 'pen' to undertake the task. He thus broke one of his own tusks and made a pen out of it. The lesson offered here is that no sacrifice is big enough in the pursuit of knowledge. The little mouse whom Ganesha is supposed to ride upon is another enigmatic feature in his iconography. At a first glance it seems strange that the lord of wisdom has been granted a humble obsequious mouse quite incapable of lifting the bulging belly and massive head that he possesses. But it implies that wisdom is an attribute of ugly conglomeration of factors and further that the wise do not find anything in the world disproportionate or ugly. The mouse is, in every respect, comparable to the intellect. It is able to slip unobserved or without our knowledge into places which we would have not thought it possible to penetrate. In doing this it is hardly concerned whether it is seeking virtue or vice. The mouse thus represents our wandering, wayward mind, lured to undesirable or corrupting grounds. By showing the mouse paying subservience to Lord Ganesha it is implied that the intellect has been tamed through Ganesha's power of discrimination. Any attempt to penetrate the depths of the Ganesha phenomenon must note that he is born from Goddess Parvati alone without the intervention of her husband Shiva, and as such he shares a very unique and special relationship with his mother. The sensitive nature of his relationship with Parvati is made amply clear in the following tale: As a child, Ganesha teased a cat by pulling its tail, rolling it over on the ground and causing it great pain, as naughty young boys are wont to do. After some time, tired of his game, he went to his mother Parvati. He found her in great pain and covered with scratches and dust all over. When he questioned her, she put the blame on him. She explained that she was the cat whom Ganesha had teased. His total devotion towards his mother is the reason why in the South Indian tradition Ganesha is represented as single and celibate. It is said that he felt that his mother, Parvati, was the most beautiful and perfect woman in the universe. Bring me a woman as beautiful as she is and I shall marry her, he said. None could find an equal to the beautiful Uma (Parvati), and so the legend goes, the search is still on... In variance with the South Indian tradition, in North India Ganesha is often shown married to the two daughters of Brahma (the Lord of Creation), namely Buddhi and Siddhi. Metaphorically Buddhi signifies wisdom and Siddhi achievement. In the sense of yoga, Buddhi and Siddhi represent the female and male currents in the human body. In visual arts this aspect of Ganesha is represented with grace and charm. No analysis of Lord Ganesha can be concluded without a mention of the mystical syllable AUM. The sacred AUM is the most powerful Universal symbol of the divine presence in Hindu thought. It is further said to be the sound which was generated when the world first came into being. The written manifestation of this divine symbol when inverted gives the perfect profile of the god with the elephant head. Ganesha is thus the ONLY god to be associated in a "physical" sense with the primordial sacred sound AUM, a telling reminder of his supreme position in the Hindu pantheon. This article by Nitin Kumar Editor http://www.exoticindia.com Jaya Sri Ganesh! Jaya Sri Radhey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 10, 2002 Report Share Posted September 10, 2002 pyari_h, I commend you for your beautiful and eloberate reply to Sri Ganeshaye Namah. You amaze me by your knowledge. Now let me know a few more things concerning Ganesha. Let the subject line thread go and make a satisfactory referencial text about "Bappa Moriya". My further questions are as follows:- 1.Even having a Vedic personality, Lord Ganesha is reconed as a Tantric diety too. Why ? assuming that Tantras have protovedic origin (Historically) 2. How Goddesses Laxmi and Saraswati are related to Ganesha? I am posing these questions not to offend anyone, but to reinforce the ancient knowledge with constructive thought process. I do have some convictions relating to Lord Ganesha, but wish to leit be known only we have completed the theological aspect..and the ideas concerning Saadhnaa. Love Satish , pyari_h <no_reply> wrote: > Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste Satish and all. > > Here is an excerpt from the article: > > Ganesha : the Elephant Headed God, Art and Mythology > > http://www.exoticindia.com/article/ganesha > > ...The physical attributes of Ganesha are themselves rich in > symbolism. He is normally shown with one hand in the abhaya pose of > protection and refuge and the second holding a sweet (modaka) > symbolic of the sweetness of the realized inner self. In the two > hands behind him he often holds an ankusha (elephant goad) and a > pasha (noose). The noose is to convey that worldly attachments and > desires are a noose. The goad is to prod man to the path of > righteousness and truth. With this goad Ganesha can both strike and > repel obstacles. > > His pot belly signifies the bounty of nature and also that Ganesha > swallows the sorrows of the Universe and protects the world. > > The image of Ganesha is a composite one. Four animals viz., man, > elephant, the serpent and the mouse have contributed for the makeup > of his figure. All of them individually and collectively have deep > symbolic significance. The image of Ganesha thus represents man's > eternal striving towards integration with nature. He has to be > interpreted taking into consideration the fact that though > millenniums rolled by, man yet remains closer to animal today than he > was ever before. > > The most striking feature of Ganesha is his elephant head, symbolic > of auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. All the > qualities of the elephant are contained in the form of Ganpati. The > elephant is the largest and strongest of animals of the forest. Yet > he is gentle and, amazingly, a vegetarian, so that he does not kill > to eat. He is very affectionate and loyal to his keeper and is > greatly swayed if love and kindness are extended to him. Ganesha, > though a powerful deity, is similarly loving and forgiving and moved > by the affection of his devotees. But at the same time the elephant > can destroy a whole forest and is a one-man army when provoked. > Ganesha is similarly most powerful and can be ruthless when > containing evil. > > Again, Ganesha's large head is symbolic of the wisdom of the > elephant. His large ears, like the winnow, sift the bad from the > good. Although they hear everything, they retain only that which is > good; they are attentive to all requests made by the devotees, be > they humble or powerful. > > Ganesha's trunk is a symbol of his discrimination (viveka), a most > important quality necessary for spiritual progress. The elephant uses > its trunk to push down a massive tree, carry huge logs to the river > and for other heavy tasks. The same huge trunk is used to pick up a > few blades of grass, to break a small coconut, remove the hard nut > and eat the soft kernel inside. The biggest and minutest of tasks are > within the range of this trunk which is symbolic of Ganesha's > intellect and hiss powers of discrimination. > > An intriguing aspect of Ganesha's iconography is his broken tusk, > leading to the appellation Ekdanta, Ek meaning one and danta meaning > teeth. It carries an interesting legend behind it: > > When Parashurama one of Shiva's favorite disciples, came to visit > him, he found Ganesha guarding Shiva's inner apartments. His father > being asleep, Ganesha opposed Parshurama's entry. Parashurama > nevertheless tried to urge his way, and the parties came to blows. > Ganesha had at first the advantage, seizing Parashurama in his trunk, > and giving him a twirl that left him sick and senseless; on > recovering, Rama threw his axe at Ganesha, who recognizing it as his > father's weapon (Shiva having given it to Parashurama) received it > with all humility upon one of his tusks, which it immediately > severed, and hence Ganesha has but one tusk. > > A different legend narrates that Ganesha was asked to scribe down the > epic of Mahabharata, dictated to him by its author, sage Vyasa. > Taking into note the enormity and significance of the task, Ganesha > realized the inadequacy of any ordinary 'pen' to undertake the task. > He thus broke one of his own tusks and made a pen out of it. The > lesson offered here is that no sacrifice is big enough in the pursuit > of knowledge. > > > The little mouse whom Ganesha is supposed to ride upon is another > enigmatic feature in his iconography. At a first glance it seems > strange that the lord of wisdom has been granted a humble obsequious > mouse quite incapable of lifting the bulging belly and massive head > that he possesses. But it implies that wisdom is an attribute of ugly > conglomeration of factors and further that the wise do not find > anything in the world disproportionate or ugly. > > The mouse is, in every respect, comparable to the intellect. It is > able to slip unobserved or without our knowledge into places which we > would have not thought it possible to penetrate. In doing this it is > hardly concerned whether it is seeking virtue or vice. The mouse thus > represents our wandering, wayward mind, lured to undesirable or > corrupting grounds. By showing the mouse paying subservience to Lord > Ganesha it is implied that the intellect has been tamed through > Ganesha's power of discrimination. > > Any attempt to penetrate the depths of the Ganesha phenomenon must > note that he is born from Goddess Parvati alone without the > intervention of her husband Shiva, and as such he shares a very > unique and special relationship with his mother. The sensitive nature > of his relationship with Parvati is made amply clear in the following > tale: > > As a child, Ganesha teased a cat by pulling its tail, rolling it over > on the ground and causing it great pain, as naughty young boys are > wont to do. After some time, tired of his game, he went to his mother > Parvati. He found her in great pain and covered with scratches and > dust all over. When he questioned her, she put the blame on him. She > explained that she was the cat whom Ganesha had teased. > > His total devotion towards his mother is the reason why in the South > Indian tradition Ganesha is represented as single and celibate. It is > said that he felt that his mother, Parvati, was the most beautiful > and perfect woman in the universe. Bring me a woman as beautiful as > she is and I shall marry her, he said. None could find an equal to > the beautiful Uma (Parvati), and so the legend goes, the search is > still on... > > > In variance with the South Indian tradition, in North India Ganesha > is often shown married to the two daughters of Brahma (the Lord of > Creation), namely Buddhi and Siddhi. Metaphorically Buddhi signifies > wisdom and Siddhi achievement. In the sense of yoga, Buddhi and > Siddhi represent the female and male currents in the human body. In > visual arts this aspect of Ganesha is represented with grace and > charm. > > No analysis of Lord Ganesha can be concluded without a mention of the > mystical syllable AUM. The sacred AUM is the most powerful Universal > symbol of the divine presence in Hindu thought. It is further said to > be the sound which was generated when the world first came into > being. The written manifestation of this divine symbol when inverted > gives the perfect profile of the god with the elephant head. > > > Ganesha is thus the ONLY god to be associated in a "physical" sense > with the primordial sacred sound AUM, a telling reminder of his > supreme position in the Hindu pantheon. > > This article by Nitin Kumar > Editor > http://www.exoticindia.com > > > Jaya Sri Ganesh! > > Jaya Sri Radhey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 11, 2002 Report Share Posted September 11, 2002 Jaya Sri Radhey! Namaste Satish. Happy to know that you have enjoyed the informative posts. Lord Krishna makes His teaching CLEAR to all saying - "matkarma kRnmatparamo madbhaktas sanga varjitaH nirvaira ssarva bhUteSu yassamAmeti pAndava" (Gita 11.55) "He, who DOES WORK FOR ME, who LOOKS ON ME AS SUPREME, who is DEVOTED TO ME, who is FREE FROM ATTACHMENT, who is WITHOUT HATRED FOR ANY BEING, he COMES TO ME, O Arjuna." "yo mAM pazyati sarvatra sarvaM ca mayi pazyati, tasyA 'haM na praNazyAmi sa ca me na praNazyati." (Gita 6.30) " He who sees ME everywhere and sees all in ME, he NEVER BECOMES LOST TO ME, NOR DO I BECOME LOST TO him." Lord Krishna says to Arjuna- 'He (She) who is the SAME to the foe and friend and also HONOUR and DISHONOUR, who is the SAME in cold and heat, in PLEASURE and PAIN, who is FREE from ATTACHMENT, To whom CENSURE and PRAISE are EQUAL, who is silent, CONTENT with ANYTHING, HOMELESS, STEADY MINDED, FULL of Loving Devotion for Me - that PERSON is DEAR TO ME.' (Gita- 12. 18,19) Jaya Sri Radhey! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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