Any Stories on Ganesh? - How he got his name Ganapati

[Guest guest]

The story goes that one day Parvati (the Goddess not the disciple :-) ) wanted

to take a bath and appointed one of Shiva's attendants to guard the house with

strict instructions that he was not to let anyone ANYONE in.

 

She went indoors and after sometime Shiva entered the house. The attendant was

in a dilemma and could not refuse his own lord permission to enter the home. So

when Parvati saw Shiva and understood the reluctance of the attendant, she was

furious.

 

She decided then and there that she needed someone who would obey HER orders and

not take orders from anyone else. So created , a handsome young man out of her

own body - folks , the hows and whys please save for your own introspection, I

am jes telling it as it is .

 

She gave the young man a staff and asked him to guard the house. He took his

appointed post outside and sure enough after a while Shiva walks to the house.

The young man stops Shiva and says that nobody but nobody entered the house

without the permission of Parvati .

 

Now it is Shiva's turn to be furious - he sends a "Gana" - loosely translated as

a "spirit" or "being" to teach the boy a lesson. The Gana gets thrashed by the

boy and runs back to report to Shiva. Enraged, Shiva sends an army, and then

another battalion of Gods and then goodness knows who, but the boy calmly

defeats everyone and goes back to his post by the door.

 

Shiva loses it ... and comes in person and confronts the boy. In a moment of

anger he cuts the boy's head. Everybody that had felt the edge of the boy's

stick stands around the body and then starts dancing wildly.

 

Then Shiva came to his senses "Waitaminute" he sez "if the boy was produced

outta Parv's (the Goddess not the disciple) body, then aint he my son too ?"

 

Well dear readers, "Act in haste repent in leisure" , looks like Lord Shiva knew

he really blew it that time.

 

Parvati (the Goddess not the disciple) comes out and is understandly FURIOUS ...

and Shiva wanting to make amends with his ol lady , asks one of his "Ganas" to

the forest and bring the head of the first animal that he found.

 

The Gana returns with the head of a beautiful white elephant. Shiva fixed the

head on the boy's body and the boy wakes up. (Looks into the mirror and finds

someone else's face - but that is a different story aka The Bourne Identity ...

best left for another time)

 

Shiva blesses the boy and sez "Since you have defeated all my forces , my Ganas,

you will henceforth be their lord . "

 

That is how the boy became known as Ganapati - or Lord of the Ganas.

 

JAI MAA

Jai Ganesh !

[Guest guest]

To me Ganesh is a representation of earthly wisdom.

 

He is the God of the great deal of understanding we develop when we live in

reality. (note reality is the best mis-nomer on the planet in any language)

 

When ever we understand Maya's laws, learn to transcend or utilize them, then we

have made Ganesh happy and have worshiped him.

 

A friend of mine known among other things as Loren Ki Chaya told me that Ganesh

represents transcendance of earthly desires. That's why he guards the entrance

of most Temples. Because people who visit should leave their earthly desires

with him while praying for higher purposes and pick those desires back up (if

they wish) on the way out.

 

Shree Maa gave Krista and I a little Ganesh and he sits by our bed. He reminds

us when we see him that we are not simply creatures living in bodies who reside

in a house. Thus he reminds us to look beyond the physical.

 

Jai Ganesh.

 

Brian

 

 

_____________

No banners. No pop-ups. No kidding.

Make My Way your home on the Web - http://www.myway.com

[Guest guest]

Namaste All,

 

Latha your rendition is quite delightful and up-to-date ( we have the

India comic book version :- ) ).

 

Om Namah Sivaya

 

Kanda

[Guest guest]

Some interesting Ganesha bits:

 

I don't really know very much about Ganesha, but here are some bits I

find interesting.

 

Om gaam Ganeshaaya namahah

 

Ganesha is the ruler of the earth element (hence, I think, the reason

he is described as being made from the dirt of Parvati's body). It

says in the Ganeshatharvashirsham that he abides always in muladhara

(the chakra of the earth element).

 

Ganesha was given the boon that he would always be worshipped first. I

think there is an inner significance to this, beyond the story.

Traditionally (as I understand it), in the path of kundalini Ganesha

is worshipped first in muladhara because He controls access to Divine

Mother as kundalini shakti (just like in the story). Without the

blessing of Ganesha Divine Mother remains asleep in muladhara. He

allows access to muladhara and awakens her.

 

Ganesha is known as the remover of obstacles. Most of the time we

relate this to the external affairs of life, but here, too, there is

an inner significance (also, I think, in his role as guardian of

doors, as someone else pointed out). In order for kundalini to awaken

divine consciousness, she must ascend sushumna nadi, but at the

opening of sushumna there is a block, an obstacle, that must be

removed. Ganesha removes that obstacle, the doorway to sushumna.

 

Chris

 

 

 

, "Latha Nanda" <lathananda> wrote:

> The story goes that one day Parvati (the Goddess not the disciple

:-) ) wanted to take a bath and appointed one of Shiva's attendants to

guard the house with strict instructions that he was not to let anyone

ANYONE in.

>

> She went indoors and after sometime Shiva entered the house. The

attendant was in a dilemma and could not refuse his own lord

permission to enter the home. So when Parvati saw Shiva and understood

the reluctance of the attendant, she was furious.

>

> She decided then and there that she needed someone who would obey

HER orders and not take orders from anyone else. So created , a

handsome young man out of her own body - folks , the hows and whys

please save for your own introspection, I am jes telling it as it is .

>

> She gave the young man a staff and asked him to guard the house. He

took his appointed post outside and sure enough after a while Shiva

walks to the house. The young man stops Shiva and says that nobody but

nobody entered the house without the permission of Parvati .

>

> Now it is Shiva's turn to be furious - he sends a "Gana" - loosely

translated as a "spirit" or "being" to teach the boy a lesson. The

Gana gets thrashed by the boy and runs back to report to Shiva.

Enraged, Shiva sends an army, and then another battalion of Gods and

then goodness knows who, but the boy calmly defeats everyone and goes

back to his post by the door.

>

> Shiva loses it ... and comes in person and confronts the boy. In a

moment of anger he cuts the boy's head. Everybody that had felt the

edge of the boy's stick stands around the body and then starts dancing

wildly.

>

> Then Shiva came to his senses "Waitaminute" he sez "if the boy was

produced outta Parv's (the Goddess not the disciple) body, then aint

he my son too ?"

>

> Well dear readers, "Act in haste repent in leisure" , looks like

Lord Shiva knew he really blew it that time.

>

> Parvati (the Goddess not the disciple) comes out and is understandly

FURIOUS ... and Shiva wanting to make amends with his ol lady , asks

one of his "Ganas" to the forest and bring the head of the first

animal that he found.

>

> The Gana returns with the head of a beautiful white elephant. Shiva

fixed the head on the boy's body and the boy wakes up. (Looks into the

mirror and finds someone else's face - but that is a different story

aka The Bourne Identity ... best left for another time)

>

> Shiva blesses the boy and sez "Since you have defeated all my forces

, my Ganas, you will henceforth be their lord . "

>

> That is how the boy became known as Ganapati - or Lord of the Ganas.

>

> JAI MAA

> Jai Ganesh !