The significance of offering grass to Lord Ganesha. Anlasur was a ferocious demon whose thirst for blood letting spared none – powerful sages and strong men included. Lord Indra engaged him in battle several times and retired defeated. Weary of his rampage, all the celestials retreated to Lord Shiva for a solution. Lord Mahadev advised that they approach Lord Ganesha, whose huge pot belly alone could contain Anlasur. Ganesha agreed to help and approached the demon. In the battle that ensued, Ganesha suddenly assumed enormous proportions and gulped down the demon. This was somewhat akin to our swallowing a plate full of chillies. Sri Ganesha was in agony and a burning sensation resulted in his belly. The panicked Gods offered several remedies but nothing worked. Finally, relief came in the form of 88,000 sages, each of whom performed healing rituals with 21 blades of Durva grass. Ganesha declared that henceforth, anyone worshiping Him with Durva grass would be the recipient of his benevolence. Durva grass has played an important role in Hindu rituals since ancient times. It is believed to have purifying and healing properties. When plucked, it grows back rapidly. It is thus an enduring symbol of renewal, regeneration and fertility leading to associations with prosperity. For this reason, Durva is linked to a household god like Sri Ganesha. Durva is derived from two words – duhu, the first word means “that which exists afar” while avam is “that which pulls closer”. Interpreted in the context of Ganesha, the use of Durva during worship draws His great power, which in turn dispels the negativity within our bodies. The Durva’s three blades symbolize the essence of Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha and also is symbolic of the 3 Gunas. At a more basic level, the ritual exemplifies how easy it is to please Lord Ganesha with the simple offering of this grass. It places further emphasis that God does not look at the size of ones tray or the variety of its contents but the purity of devotion, that even a few blades of grass that are offered with humbleness and humility could please Lord Ganesha so abundantly.
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 17:49:09 +0000
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