SRI GANESHA Ganesha literally means the Lord of all beings. Sri Ganesha is the first son of Lord Siva. He is worshipped as the remover of all obstacles, and as the God of wisdom and success before the start of any Hindu ritual or ceremony. The for of this elephant headed deity denotes great physical strength tempered by gentleness, wisdom and peace. His vechile, the mouse, represents the ego which is controlled by the clam and wise Ganesha. Just as little mouse can eat away a silo of grain, similarly ones ego can destroy ones will to follow the path of knowledge. One must control ego to achieve salvation(Moksha). The large ears and head of Ganesha symbolize that he had gained wisdom listening to and mediating upon the eternal truths of spirituality - Vedanta. The trunk which springs from his head represents the intellect, the faculty of discrimination. Ganeshas large belly is meant to convey that a man of Perfection can consume and digest whatever experience he undergoes. The four arms represents the four inner equipments of the subtle body-(1)manas-mind,(2) buddhi -intellect, (3) ahankara -ego,and (4) chitta-unconditioned consciousness. In one hand, he holds an axe and in another, a rope. The axe symbolizes the destruction of all desires and attachments. The rope is meant to pull the seeker out of his worldly entanglements and bind him to the everlasting and enduring bliss of his own Self. In the third hand, he holds a modaka - sweet rice ball which represents the joyous rewards of spiritual seeking. In the fourth, he holds a padma-lotus which represents the supreme goal of human evolution.
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 10:27:55 +0000
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