Ganeshas in Many Names and Forms...

[Guest guest]

Ganesha appears with many different names, and a dazzling array of colors

and forms. His most usual color is orange-red (the color of vermillion

paste), but he has aspects that are blue-black, white, turmeric yellow,

green, smokey grey, and crystal clear! (And in modern devotional

posters, he's often portrayed as a shade of European pink.)

 

It is part of Ganesha's nature to be a trickster. Sometimes this

manifests as his imitating the <lilas> (pasttimes) of other gods. As

<natya-Ganapati>, he may be found dancing like his father, Shiva, or

imating Krishna's dance on the serpent Kaliya. <Dvija> (twice-born)

Ganapati sits dressed like a priest with four faces, imitating Brahma.

He may be found with many weapons in a dozen hands, seated side-saddle on

his rat, the way warrior-goddess Durga rides her tiger. I've seen images

where he reclines sleepily on a serpent, the way Vishnu as Narayan

slumbers during the monsoon season. He even emulates the Narasimha

avatar, with a lion's face and mane (but maintains his elephant trunk!).

 

There's a <shloka> in the Narada Purana which suggests chanting twelve

names of Ganesha at dawn, noon, and dusk, to gain his blessing. These

are the names:

 

Om Vakratundaya namah

I bow to him with the Twisted Trunk

 

Om Ekadantaya namah

... to him with a Single Tusk

 

Om Krishnapingakshaya namah

... to him with Dark Brown Eyes

 

Om Gajavaktraya namah

... to him with an Elephant's Mouth

 

Om Lambodaraya namah

... to him with a Pendant Belly

 

Om Vikataya namah

... to the Outrageous One

 

Om Vighnarajaya namah

... to the King Over Obstacles

 

Om Dhumravarnaya namah

... to the Smokey Grey One

 

Om Balachandraya namah

... to the one Crested with a baby (New) Moon

 

Om Vinayakaya namah

... to the Mischievious Genie

 

Om Ganapataye namah

... to the Lord of Categories

 

Om Gajananaya namah

... to him with Elephant's Face

 

More later!

 

<Ganesha sharanam>

(Ganesha be my refuge)

 

-- Len/ Kalipadma

 

 

______________

GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!

Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!

Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:

http://dl.www.juno.com/get/web/.