MESSAGE ON GANAPATHI CHATURTHI

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Gayathry <agayathry >

Sep 7, 2005 3:42 PM

MESSAGE ON GANAPATHI CHATURTHI

 

>From Sri Datta Jnana Prachara Parishath,

MESSAGE ON GANAPATHI CHATURTHI

 

BY SWAMI

 

It is pitiable to depict Lord Ganapathi with the head of the

elephant and offer grass and leaves treating Him as animal. The

story it self is absurd because the story says that Lord Siva cuts

the head of Ganapathi, who was prepared by Goddess Parvati. It is

said that Lord Siva was ignorant of Ganapathi as the son of

Parvati. How much ignorant is this fabrication?! Lord Siva is said

to be the deity of Knowledge (Jnanam Maheswaraat). He is Sarvajna

or omniscient. Is it not insulting Lord Siva who is the ultimate

Lord? Even in the story of Markandeya, people have fabricated that

Lord Siva killed Yama due to excess of anger and emotion and that

later on He realized His hasty action. Lord Siva really gets anger

and becomes Rudra due to such insulting stories, which denigrate His

divine personality.

 

Ganapathi means the Lord of the devotees of His inner most circles

that are liberated souls only. He is the ultimate Lord who comes

down to this earth in human form to play well here. The ignorance

is maximum on the earth and therefore the earth is an excellent

playground for His divine play or game. He comes down along with

His devotees of inner most circles called Gana (Kridayanta

Maharnisam….Sankara). It is just like a boy calling his closest

friends to play a game. It is just like a person going to see and

enjoy the cinema along with his family members. Therefore, the

ultimate Para Brahman, which descended down in the human form along

with the inner most devotees for the divine play on this earth is

Ganapathi (Gananaantva …Veda). What is the meaning of the elephant

head? It means the nature of the elephant. The word head

represents the intelligence or Bhuddhi of elephant and not the head

of the elephant physically. We scold a fellow as a donkey. It means

that His nature is like the nature of the donkey and not his

physical form. What is the nature of elephant? It is said "Gajaana

mati Bhirutvam', which means that the elephant has enormous strength

but forgets its own strength and always fears for everything.

Similarly, when the Lord comes down He imposes ignorance on Himself

to enjoy the role. The actor should forget himself in the role if

he wants to enjoy fully the role. Therefore, the Lord forgets His

divine strength and acts like Jeeva (Soul) and fears for troubles in

this world. Veda says that fear is the characteristic of the

limited soul (Atha tasya Bhayam Bhavati). Then only the Lord can

fully enjoy and also do full justice to the role. It is said that

Goddess Parvati prepared the body and also introduced the life.

This statement has inner spiritual meaning. Goddess Parvati

represents Maya. When the Lord incarnates, Maya prepares the human

body and also introduces life, which is Para Prakruti. Therefore,

the life or awareness is only a part of the creation and is not

Parabrahman. Ganapathi also shows five faces like Siva. This

indicates that Parabrahman indicated by the word Siva has entered

the human body. Ganapathi is said to be husband of Siddhi and

Buddhi. They are not the two ladies. The symbolic representation

shows the two ladies. Buddhi means knowledge associated with

logical analysis. Siddhi means attainment. You have to attain the

Lord in human form who is Satguru by logical analysis so that you

can eliminate the fraud preachers. Siddhi means attainment of the

Lord in human form.

 

Dravya Yajna means sacrifice of the fruit of your hard work, which

is said as Karmaphala Tyaga in Gita. This sacrifice is praised as

the highest stage of the spiritual effort and is emphasized

everywhere in Gita. Veda also says that one gets the goal only by

the sacrifice of fruit of his hard work (Dhanena Tyagenaikena). But

in Gita it is said that knowledge is higher than sacrifice of the

material (Sreyaan Dravya mayaat). Now this is contradiction. Here

you have to solve like this. When the material is wasted in terms

of sacrifice that is done by ignorance. Such ignorance can only be

removed by knowledge. Therefore, in such case knowledge of the

inner meaning is better. Veda also says that the food or money

should not be wasted (Annam Naparicheksheeta). But when the fruit

of work is properly utilized without wastage, the sacrifice of

material is highest because it is practical sacrifice. Therefore,

instead of purchasing these leaves and branches of trees, you can

use your money to serve Satguru or real devotees or beggars or at

least the hungry animals. You feed the hungry animals with these

leaves. Then the sacrifice is properly done and will give you good

result. Today people are worshipping the earthen Ganapathi. Such

worship is condemned in the scriptures and especially by Sankara as

Parthiva Puja. Ravana used to do this every day and was finally

destroyed. It is actually a sin to establish the Lord in the

earthen statue and you are doing the initiation of life (Prana

Pratistha). On the 10th day you are saying 'Udvasana', which means

removing the life from the body. It means killing Lord Ganapathi.

You can invite the Lord but should never say to Him to get out after

your work is over. You are immersing the dead body in the river on

the 10th day. Therefore, you should have a permanent photo or

statue and worship it every day. You must invite the Lord every day

and should never say to the Lord to go. In fact you should know

that your invitation will never bring the Lord unless it is fully

filled with devotion. Do you think that He is coming on your

invitation and is going out on your Udvasana? Is He your servant?

Some people say that if Lord Ganapathi stays in the house the food

materials are exhausted quickly. How foolish is this idea? He is

the creator of this universe. He created the food and yourself.

Should you have such idea towards Him? Is this the devotion? You

are treating Him as some human guest because when the guest stays

for more days the food materials are exhausted. In fact the statue

or photo is not eating even a grain of the food. In fact Ganapathi

represents Satguru who is in human form. If Ganapathi i.e., Satguru

stays in your house forever, really the food materials get

exhausted. In the correct sense of this statement Ganapathi means

the human incarnation and not the statue or photo. Thanks! At least

you have recognized that Ganapathi means the human form of the Lord

and not the statue. Again this statement means that you can keep

Satguru in your house for 10 days at the maximum and He should be

sent out by 10th day. Therefore, you are treating the Lord as an

outsider and not even equal to one of your family members, whom you

keep forever and never say this statement. This shows the value you

give to the God!

 

You expect God to protect you in this world in every issue and

finally to give the salvation in the upper world? On this day we

should analyse ourselves and feel ashamed regarding our behaviour to

the Lord who gave us this human birth and created all this cosmic

facilities. The story that the moon is cursed by Ganapathi has also

the inner meaning. Moon represents the mind (Chandrama Manaso –

Veda). This means that when the Lord comes in the human form, the

mind sees the outermost human body only and laughs at the idea

that He is the Lord as said in Gita (Avajananti Mam….). The face of

such a fellow should not be seen by real devotees and this is the

meaning that we should not see the Moon on this occasion.

 

MESSAGE AFTER BHAJAN: You should take the inner sense of the story

which alone is truth. Scholars say the concept in symbolic language

for the sake of illiterate and ignorant people Ganapathi was very

brave and stood against even Lord Siva. This means that when the

Lord is with full knowledge in His original form, He is fully aware

of His divine strength. But when the head of Ganapathi is replaced

by the head of elephant, He forgot all his divine strength and

feared for every thing. This is symbolic story. Actual meaning is

that the Lord in his original form is fully aware of Himself and His

power. But when he comes down in the human form, He forgets His

divine strength and fears like an ordinary soul. This gives the full

enjoyment to the Lord in the human role. The vehicle of big

Ganapathi is the small rat. This means that when you enter the

service of Lord, you need not think about your capacity to do the

service. By the will and power of the Lord you will do service of

the God. You are just an external instrument and the Lord wants to

give you the divine fame. The small rat is carrying the big

Ganapathi and this is not due to the strength of rat. It is by the

power of Ganapathi, the rat is carrying Him.

 

When Ganapathi and His brother Kumara got the competition for the

selection to the post of Ganapathi (The leader of Ganas), the test

was to go round the world and come back at the earliest. Kumara

played the role of an ignorant devotee. Kumara represented the

serpent which is famous for its egoism (Tamas) and jealousy (Rajas),

Kumara went round the world. Ganapathi surrendered to Narada who is

the Satguru. Nara means knowledge and Da is giver. This shows that

if you catch and surrender the Satguru you can achieve the goal very

easily. By the advice of Narada Ganapathi went round His parents.

Siva represents ParaBrahman and Parvathi represents the creation.

Therefore, Ganapathi went round the ParaBrahman and also the

creation. Kumara went round the creation only. The human forms of

Siva and Parvati represent the Lord in human form and His real

devotees. Therefore the service to the Lord in human form and His

devotees is the ultimate path. The rat was a demon and became the

enemy of the Lord. Finally it turned as a servant to the Lord. This

means that even if you misunderstand the Lord in human form for some

time, if you realise the truth in course of time and surrender to

Him, He will accept you as His servant and give a place in His inner

most circle. You need not hesitate about your past behaviour. The

Lord forgets every thing and showers love on you in the same way as

He graces other devotees today you are offering the sugar cane to

the Lord Ganapathi. The sugar cane consists of visible matter of

cellulose and invisible sugar which can be known by experience only.

This represents the human incarnation. The visible cellulose is the

visible human body. The invisible sugar is the unimaginable

ParaBrahman, which can be experienced only. Similarly the leaves

represent the best item of the food, which are green leaf-

vegetables. The sages lived on leaves, which have herbal medicinal

value. Such food develops the quality of Sattvam which pleases the

Lord. It is said that Lord Datta appeared to a sage called Parnada.

Parnada means he who eats green leaf- vegetables. Unless you

understand internal sense and get benefited, what is the use of

celebrating a divine festival simply by wasting the money and by

over eating? His Holiness Shri Datta Swami website address:

 

http://www.universal-spirituality.org

Developed by Smt. Devi & Shri Nikhil, FLORIDA, USA

E-mail address:

[Guest guest]

I am Babitha and this was forwarded to me by a Good Friend of Mine.

I will tell her in regard with your appreciation.I just thought so it would be a

gr8 idea to forward the knowledge.

Pranam,

babitha

 

 

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