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The beloved Elephant-faced deity
Ganesh Chathurthi
Ganesha festival
Vinayaka Chaturthi
Celebrated on Bhadrapada Shukla
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God of Wisdom Prosperity and Fortune
Festival falls in August-September
Son of Shiva-Parvathi
Celebrated all over India…more in
Maharastra/Karnataka/Andhra
Pradesh/Goa/Tamil Nadu/Gujrath
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Lord Ganesh is the First God invoked in
all Hindu rituals.
Called Vigneshwara or Vinayaka
Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord
ganesh
He is the Chief of all Gana-isha ’General’
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The festival lasts for over 21-30 days
Huge idols of Ganapathy are made out of
clay and kept at public areas
Several mythological stories of Ganesh
How did he get an Elephant head
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His vehicle is Mooshak or rat
He loves modak a specialty of the festival
The festival started by Shivaji the Maratha
Ruler for Culture and Nationalization
Later it was revived during independence
by Loka Manya Tilak during English
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On the day of Festival elaborate
decorations are made home and public
places
Some times the making of Ganapathy Idol
starts long before the Festival
Final day of procession
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On Ganapathi festival the Idol of Lord
Ganesha is installed and invoked.
Pooja ritual is completed with all the pooja
articles
Specially made food is offered for his
blessings
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Story of Ganapathy…
Parvathi-Shiva’s son…The name
Ganpathy is given by Shiva after
breathing life into him
Has only one Tusk…called Ekadantha
The other Tusk half broaken
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Four hands of Ganesh signify Divinity
There are Ganesh’s Idols depicted up to
14 hands.
Each hand carrying symbol which differs
from the symbol of other hand
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There are 57 symbols in all according to
research findings
One hand is always shown as symbol of
protection & refuge…Abhayahastha
The second hand with Modaka is the
sweetness of the realized inner self
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In the two hands which are behind he
often holds an ankusha (elephant
goad) and pasha a noose
The noose is to convey the worldly
attachments/desires
The goad to prod to path of righteousness
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With the goad Ganesh can strike and
repel obstacles
Pot belly signify the bounty nature and big
mouth to swallow sorrows to protect
Ganesh has 4 animals in the
picture…man-elephant-snake-mouse
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This symbolizes collectively the striving
towards integration with nature
And coexistence harmony and symbiosis
The elephant head is symbol of
auspiciousness/strength/intellectual
power
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The elephant is the largest and the
strongest animal
Yet is gentle and amazingly vegetarian
and does not kill to eat
Loyal affectionate to the keeper
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Loving and forgiving but at the same time
can destroy when provoked – one
Large head of Ganesh is symbolic of
wisdom
The big ears hear all retain only good
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The trunk is symbolic of discrimination –
viveka an important quality for spiritual
progress
It can push massive trees/logs or can pick
small blades of grass/coconut whole
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Two legends related to the broken
tusk…Parashurama story..Vyasa’s
Ramayana story writing
The little mouse Ganesh sits to travel is a
special feature of iconography
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A lord of wisdom so huge on a obsequious
mouse
Implies that mouse escapes to
unthinkable places compared to
wandering wayward mind controlled by
the intellect
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Story of Ganesh and Moon
Why does the snake is used as a belt..
Story of Siddi and buddi..two daughters of
Lord Bramha
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSRz6H
Dymys
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHkJB5g0P0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2TSeR
E8AXI
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Swastika the emblem of Lord Ganesh
Derived from Sanskrit meaning conducive
to well being
Su meaning Well and Asti mean to be
The symbol has been used in several
cultures
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Hindu Swastika has dot in the squares
Symbol of good luck
Also the symbol of Ganapathy
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