Loving Ganesha: Chapter 5 (Section 1) - Forms of Ganesha--Ganapateh Svarupani; The 32 Forms of Lord Ganesha, Ganesha Iconography

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Namaste all,

 

This chapter of Loving Ganesha is pretty big as it includes images of the 32

forms of Lord Ganesha. As with other big chapters it seems best to post them

in smaller sections.

 

Om Shanti,

 

Neil

 

 

 

GanapatehSvarupani

Forms

of Ganesha

VERYWHERE IN THE MACROCOSM IS OUR BELOVED, benevolent deity Ganesha, at every

point in time, in the forces of family, community, commerce and dharma that

shape our lives, as well as in our culture -- indeed all cultures of the world

-- in the physical universe and within our hearts. Of course, He is most

present in the consecrated temple or roadside shrine, from which His grace

radiates out from the world of the Gods. Ganesha is the Lord of beginnings,

guiding the practical aspects of our lives that we may best fulfill dharma. For

the Hindu, Ganesha is easily contacted, and He is thought of as lenient of our

errors and shortcomings, most understanding of our humanness. So vast is

Ganesha's Being that He cannot be contained by any single concept, and

therefore He is portrayed in many forms. He is each of them, and He is all of

them.

Ganesha is a word compounded from the Sanskrit word gana, meaning "the hosts,"

"multitudes" or "troops" of demigods, especially the retinue of Lord Siva under

the rule of Ganesha, and Isha, "ruler,lord" or "sovereign." This is virtually

synonymous with the name Ganapati, "master of the hosts." As Ganapati, Lord

Ganesha is the leader of the ganas, ruling over the celestial hosts, over the

benign as well as the malevolent inner-plane beings. He controls them not as

Lord Murugan does, through bravery and forcefulness, but by strategy and

intelligence. We follow the path of Lord Ganesha when we resort to

discrimination and sagacity to resolve our difficulties, when we proceed past

obstacles in a slow, prudent and well-planned manner. Lord Ganesha is not in a

hurry. He is cautious. He is patient, willing to await the right time for

events to take place.

As Vighneshvara, Lord Ganesha is Lord of Obstacles, creating difficulties and

obstructions if the time is wrong for us to proceed and removing those same

obstacles when our success is assured. It is to Vighneshvara that we supplicate

before we undertake a task, plan a change in our life or begin the worship any

of the other Gods.

As Ekadanta, Lord Ganesha is the Single-Tusked One, the Patron of Literature

who, when all others failed, Himself undertook to scribe the great epic,

Mahabharata, dictated to Him by sage Vyasa. He offers us here the lesson in

life that knowledge and dharma are of utmost importance, worth sacrificing even

pride and beauty to attain.

As Siddhidata, Lord Ganesha is the Giver of Success associated with bountiful

harvests and general abundance in life. It is said that Lord Ganesha is the

material manifestation of the manas, or mind, of Lord Siva, and that He

embodies the five elements -- earth, air, fire, water and ether -- and guides

the elemental forces that produce and maintain order in the universe.

The Mudgala Purana, an ancient text on Lord Ganesha, cites eight forms of

Ganesha, prevailing over eight human weaknesses or demons. Ekadanta is the

Conquerer of Moda, arrogance. Dhumravarna (smoke colored) overcomes Abhimana,

pride; Vakratunda (curved trunk) is the Vanquisher of Matsarya, jealousy;

Mahodara (big belly) is Lord of Moha, infatuation; Gajanana (elephant face)

conquers Lobha, greed; Lambodara (corpulent belly) overcomes Krodha, anger;

Vikata (deformed) conquers Kama, lust; Vighnaraja (King of Obstacles) prevails

over Mamata (egotism). So now we can see that our Loving Ganesha is "there" for

even the lowest of the low, that there is hope for everyone, and that there

really is "no intrinsic evil," only a seeming variation of the past containing

all that has to be learned to live and grow from a young soul to an older one

and then mature into rishi consciousness. He is "there for us." Yes, there is

hope for all, and none are damned forever. It is our loving Ganesha who

eventually introduces us to His brother, our Loving Murugan, the God Who sits

upon the manipura chakra, center of willpower.

The Two Shaktis of Lord Ganesha

There is a confusion regarding the two consorts of Lord Ganesha: Buddhi and

Siddhi, with whom He is often represented. Buddhi is wisdom, or more precisely

sagacity, the intelligent and discriminating use of knowledge. Siddhi is

success, or more precisely fulfillment, accomplishment or attainment. While in

North India Ganesha is conceived as having two consorts, in the South He is

looked upon as a brahmachari, or bachelor. Esoterically, it must be stressed

that none of the Gods has a wife. Their consorts are not to be considered as

separate from them, but as aspects of their being, as their shakti, or power.

The Mahadevas, who live in the inner Third World, cannot be likened to men and

women who live on the earth, known as the First World. They exist in perfectly

evolved soul bodies, bodies which are not properly differentiated by sex. They

are pure beings made of pure consciousness and light; they are neither male nor

female. To better understand these divine Gods, we sometimes conceive of them as

being the man if they are strong in expression or the woman if they are gentle

and compassionate. In truth, this is a misconception. There are no husbands and

wives in the vast superconscious realms of the Third World, or Sivaloka. Thus,

Buddhi and Siddhi are properly seen as the two shaktis -- wisdom and success --

of the great Ganesha, and not as His so-called consorts. These two represent

benefits or boons accrued by His worshipers. In an inner sense, Buddhi and

Siddhi are the ida and pingala nadis, the female and male currents, both of

which are embodied within the being of Ganesha, corresponding to Valli and

Devayani, the mythological consorts of Lord Murugan.

Thirty-Two Forms of Ganesha

In temples and shrines around the planet, from Moscow to London, from Durban to

Kuala Lumpur, Ganesha's worshipful image, or murti, appears in many forms. The

Mudgala Purana, in addition to the above eight, lists thirty-two. We present

sketches here of these on the following pages. Children will enjoy coloring

them. It may interest you to know that the first sixteen murtis, the Shodasha

Ganapati, are installed in an eight-sided, chariot-shaped structure at the Shri

Shankara Mandapam of Rameshvaram, South India, established by the late Shri la

Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, 68th preceptor of the Kanchi Kamakoti

Pitham.

The Quiet Within

Our Loving Ganesha's a powerful GodYet, He is so quiet you might think it

oddThat such a meticulous, intricate soulWould care to guide all of our karma

so old.

Indeed it is fortunate that He is so nearFor if He were not we would hardly be

here,For He holds the base chakra so firmly in placeThat we may thus live in

this one time in space.

Pray to Him dearly, and truth you'll be seeingThat the quiet inside is the cave

of your Being,To attain through your striving, to be quiet within,That the

heritage of all happy births you will win.

1

Bala Ganapati

Bala Ganapati is "the Childlike" God of golden hue. In His hands He holds a

banana, mango, sugar cane and jackfruit, all representing the earth's abundance

and fertility. His trunk garners His favorite sweet, the modaka.

2

Taruna Ganapati

Eight-armed, Taruna Ganapati, "the Youthful," holds a noose and goad, modaka,

wood apple, rose apple, His broken tusk, a sprig of paddy and a sugar cane

stalk. His brilliant red color reflects the blossoming of youth.

3

Bhakti Ganapati

Shining like the full moon during harvest season and garlanded with flowers,

Bhakti Ganapati, dear to devotees, is indeed pleasant to look upon. He holds a

banana, a mango, coconut and a bowl of sweet payasa pudding.

4

Vira Ganapati

The "Valiant Warrior," Vira Ganapati, assumes a commanding pose. His 16 arms

bristle with weapons, symbols of mind powers: a goad, discus, bow, arrow,

sword, shield, spear, mace, a battleaxe, a trident and more.

 

 

 

 

 

Loving Ganesha by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

 

Web sites: http://www.hindu.org/ & http://www.himalayanacademy.com/

email: contact (AT) hindu (DOT) org

Himalayan Academy Kauai's Hindu Monastery107 Kaholalele RoadKapaa, HI 96746-9304

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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