Who is the Hindu God or Goddess of good luck? Who is the Indian Community’ God or Goddess of good luck? Who is the Nepalese community’s God or Goddess of good luck? What does Ganesha symbolize? Which type of Ganesha is good for home? Which Ganesh mantra is powerful? Why do we bring Ganesha home? Does Ganesha bring good luck?
Ganesha is a God of Good Luck in Hindu
Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, or by many other names, is one of the most famous and revered gods in the Hindu religion.
The image can be found in India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Fiji, Thailand, Mauritius, Bali (Indonesia) and Bangladesh. Hindu denominations venerate it regardless of their affiliation. The devotion to Ganesha is widespread and extends to Jains and Buddhists.
Although known for many attributes, the elephant head of Ganesha facilitates identification. Ganesha is widely worshiped as an elimination of obstacles, as a patron of the arts and sciences, and as a deva of intellect and wisdom.
As the god of beginnings, he is honored at the beginning of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also called as a patron of letters and learning during writing sessions.
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Several texts tell mythological anecdotes related to his birth and deeds. One story says that one day goddess Parvati bathed at home. She did not want anyone to disturb her. She used her powers to create a child and told her to watch and not let anyone in.
When Lord Shiva came home, he wanted to enter, but the boy did not leave him. Lord Shiva asked his army to let him go, but his army failed. Finally, Shiva simply cut off the boy’s head. She asked Shiva to rescue him. Lord Shiva sent his army to find a head for Ganesha. His army returned with an elephant head.
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Ganesha probably already appeared in the second century., but certainly in the twentieth and fifth centuries, during the Gupta period, although he inherited features of the Vedas and precursor precursors.
Hindu mythology identifies him as the restored son of Parvati and Shiva from the tradition of Shaivism, but he is a pan-Hindu god who stands in his various traditions.
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The main texts about Ganesha include Ganesha Purana, Mudgala Purana and Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are two other encyclopedic texts of the genre that deal with Ganesha.
Ganesh is regarded as the benevolent and beneficiary god of good luck. He is the embodiment of wisdom. He is a wise, generous and kind god. He is the favourite son of Lord Shiva. He is supposed to remove all obstacles. So, he is invoked at the beginning of all important enterprises. He is a voracious eater. He is fond of laddus (special kind of round sweets).
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The rat is his vehicle. In one hand he holds a conch, in another a discus, in the third a club, and in the fourth a water lily. He is depicted as a short, pot-bellied god with four hands and a one-tusked elephant head.
The birthday of the elephant-headed god is celebrated on the fourth bright lunar day of Bhadra (August-September). This is called Ganesh Chaturthi in Hindi and Chauth Chand in the local language of the Terai.
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It is celebrated with great gaiety and fervour. He is worshipped on this auspicious day to remove all obstacles. He enjoys such a prestigious position in the hierarchy of gods that his name must be invoked first before any deity is worshipped.
Etymology and other names.
Ganesha has been credited with many other titles and nicknames, including Ganapati (Ganpati) and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri is often added before its name.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit connection that unites the words gana (gaṇa), which means group, crowd or categorical system, which means master or teacher.
The word gaṇa, when associated with Ganesha, often refers to gaṇas, a group of semi-divine beings who are part of Shiva’s surroundings, Ganesha’s father. Ganapati (गणपति; gaṇapati), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound of gaṇa, which means “group”, and pati, which means “ruler” or “ruler”.
100 HD Images Of Hindu Laxmi & Saraswati With Lord Ganesh To Download Free For Your Desktop & Mobile
Although the first mention of the word Ganapati in the hymn of the Rigveda of the millennium BC. It is uncertain that the Vedic term refers specifically to Ganesha.
Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit dictionary, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha: Vinayaka, Vighnaraja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimatura (one having two mothers), Gaṇadhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one having a catch) , Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a belly or literally hanging belly) and Gajanana (Gajanana); Have the face of an elephant.
Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha, which occurs in the Puraṇas and Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the name of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra, known as Ashtavinayak.
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The names Vighnesha and Vighneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) refer to their main function in Hinduism as teachers and obstacle eliminators (Vighna).
ALASKA Narain distinguishes these terms by saying that Pillai means “child,” while Pillaiyar means “noble child.” He adds that the words pallu, pella and pell in the family. Anita Raina Thapan points out that the root word pill in the name Pillaiyar originally means “the breeding of the elephant” because the word pali pillaka means “a young elephant”.
, The first images and the mention of Ganesha’s name as the main God in today’s Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam date back to the centuries and reflect Indian examples of the century or the 20th century Formerly known as Gana Deviyo in the Buddhist areas of Sri Lanka Singhala, it is revered along with Buddha, Vishnu, Skanda and others.
Legend
There is a legend which explains that Parvati once ordered the boy to guard her bathroom as she was taking a bath inside. A visitor named Jalandhar came to see her because he was told that she was more beautiful than Brinda, his wife. He wanted to confirm it but the boy refused his entry inside. Jalandhar lied the boy that he was Parvati’s husband.
The boy informed her of his arrival. Then she appeared with a jug of water to wash her husband’s feet. No sooner had he seen her, he fainted from the glory of her beauty. Lord Shiva came to know this and rushed for his wife’s rescue.
The boy did not allow him to enter. Shiva became furious and chopped off his head. When Parvati saw this, she became angry. Shiva consoled her and promised to restore the boy’s life.
Shiva sent a messenger to bring him the head of the first living being that he would come across. The messenger brought back the head of a white elephant. Then Shiva fixed the elephant’s head onto the body of the dead boy. Thus, Ganesh became elephant-headed deity since then.
There is an age-old tradition in Nepal, particularly in the Terai area that no one should see the moon empty handed on the Ganesh Chauth-night. Ganesh Chauth, the fourth clay of the lunar fortnight in September, is celebrated with great pomp and show throughout the Terai to commemorate the legendary birthday of Ganesh. It is celebrated in every school and college because he is regarded as the god of learning and wisdom.
Women celebrate this festival after fasting the whole day. They worship him with utmost reverence and regard and take nothing before the rising of the moon. They regard the moon as the symbol of beauty. The face of a beautiful woman is generally compared with the moon. It has been a long literary tradition in all societies.
So the moon becomes the centre of attraction for women. They worship the moon with fruits and sweets. Dishes of khir (pudding) and puri as well as different fruits and sweets are served.
They also feed their friends, relatives and neighbours. They forget all sorts of malice and jealousy. More than a family festival Ganesh Chauth is a social festival which strengthens communal feeling.
Although man has stepped on the surface of the moon, it is still worshipped as a god. It would not be exaggeration to say that man still has an undying faith in age-old fairs and festivals.
This religious faith still has a profound significance in the life of the people even in this scientific age. The moon is also the symbol of eternal beauty and chastity. It is also considered very soothing and tool.
Everybody loves the moonlit night. Lovers are specially fond of moon light. It is a suitable occasion for dating and dancing for them. I hey also get inspiration, solace and peace from it.
It is supposed to arouse romantic feelings in young boys and girls. Meanwhile, the moon gives pains to the forlorn fair ladies whose husbands are far from their houses. So, they do not like the otherwise romantically appreciated moon.
Ganesh is worshipped with utmost regards by all Hindus of the world. There are various forms of Ganesh like Mahaganesh, Balaganesh, Heramba Ganesh, Veera Ganesh, Vallabai Ganesh, Sampathya Ganesh and Lakshmi Ganesh. Ganesh is offered flowers, fruits, sweets and incense in the Terai whereas he is offered eggs in the Kathmandu valley.
The temple dedicated to Ganesh in Nepal Terai is called Vinayak. There are many temples of Vinayak in Kathmandu Valley such as Surya Vinayak, Jal Vinayak, Kamal Vinayak, etc. Surya Vinayak is very famous. It is situated on a hillside which is a good picnic spot too.
It is very remarkable here to note that Ganesh in Kathmandu Valley is non-vegetarian whereas Ganesh in the Nepal Terai is pure vegetarian.
Ganesh is popularly and widely known as Vignaharta who removes all the ill omens and obstacles. The legend says that it was Ganesh who wrote out the Mahabharata, dictated by the sage Vyasa. That is why writers worship him as the Elephant-headed god greatest author. He is evoked by the Hindu at the beginning of every enterprise.
Ganesh is both the fierce god of nature and the gentle god of culture. Ganesh presides over the process of cultural evolution, integral to which is the awareness that our fate is in dissoluble lined to that of all other beings; we must realize that, in destroying the forest and enslaving their people, we only poison and enfeeble ourselves (Rangit Hoskot, 1997).
Ganesh is the presiding deity of every Hindu religious rite and ritual. The rat is his vehicle which bears a great significance. It is an earthly animal; its head and body almost touch the earth.
It symbolizes the primitive intelligence. The elephant, on the other hand, is regarded as symbol of strength and wisdom. Human beings also exhibit certain characteristics of the rat and those of the elephant. We all inherit and imitate some characteristics of the rat such as restlessness, movements, etc.
Like the rat, we all are guided by our impulses. An elephant, on the other hand, is normally calm and cool, majestic and powerful. In spite of dormant faculties struggling for expression in man, he often prefers to remain in the low consciousness of the rat as an impulsive nervous fearful being. But he has the capacity of growing up in power and wisdom of the higher animal, i.e. the elephant.
Ganesh is also the symbol of the middle path . One of his legs is placed on the earth and the other leg is lifted and placed on the other thigh. This suggests and symbolises that the middle path is the most suitable for further evolution for the majority of mankind. Similarly, it also suggests that man should be able to accept pleasure and pain equally.
Ganesh is the symbol of the deity of obstacle remover. His true devotees, therefore, worship him first to please him. If he is pleased, all the obstacles and difficulties are removed in no time.
In a Nepalese leaf-book of the 5th century, there is a miniature of Ganesh as described above. The priest, after meditating on this image, should recite the Ganapati-hridaya mantra which begins with “Nomao Bhagvate Aryaganapati” The mantra is believed to be powerful when it is recited by the priest or worn as an amulet.
Ganesh causes and removes all sorts of obstacles. He withdraws obstacles or bestows success. He fulfills all desires.
Worship and festivals dedicated Lord Ganesha
Hindus of all denominations call it at the beginning of prayers, important undertakings and religious ceremonies. Dancers and musicians, especially in South India, begin artistic performances such as Bharatnatyam Dance with a prayer to Ganesha.
Mantras such as Om Shri Gaṇeshaya Namah are commonly used (Om, greeting the famous Ganesha). One of the most famous mantras associated with Ganesha is Om Gaṃ Ganapataye Namah (Om, Gaṃ, Greetings to the Lord of the Armies).
Followers offer Ganesha sweets like Modaka and sweet little balls called Laddus. He is often shown with a bowl of sweets called Modakapatra. Because of its identification with the color red, it is often worshiped with red sandalwood paste (raktachandana) or red flowers. Durva grass (Cynodon Dactylon) and other materials are also used for his worship.
The festivals associated with Ganesh are Ganesh Chaturthi or Vinayaka chaturthī in Suklapakṣa (fourth day of the Crescent) in the month of Bhadrapada (August / September) and Ganesh Jayanti (Ganesha’s birthday), which is celebrated in the Cathurthī of Suklapakṣa (fourth day) Day of the Hemispherical ) in the month of Magha (January / February) “.
Ganesha Chaturthi
An annual festival honors Ganesha for ten days and begins in Ganesha Chaturthi, which usually takes place in late August or early September. The festival begins with people bringing Ganesha Tonidole, symbolizing God’s visit.
The festival culminates on the day of Ananta Chaturdashi, when idols (Murtis) dive into the most comfortable waters. Some families have a tradition of dipping on days. In, Lokmanya Tilak turned this annual Ganesha festival of private family gatherings into a great public event.
He did it “to close the gap between Brahmins and non-Brahmins and to find a suitable context in which to build a new base unit” in their nationalist efforts against the British in Maharashtra. Due to Ganesha’s great attraction as “the god for all,” Tilak chose him as the venue for the Indian protest against British rule.
Tilak was the first to install large public images of Ganesha in pavilions and established the practice of sinking all public images on the tenth day. Today, Hindus from all over India celebrate the Ganapati Festival with great zeal, although it is the most popular in the state of Maharashtra.
Temples Of Lord Ganesha
In Hindu temples Ganesha is represented in several ways: as a subordinate God; as a God akin to the chief God; or as the main God of the temple. As the God of Transitions, he is placed at the door of many Hindu temples to keep out the unworthy, which corresponds to his role as gatekeeper of Parvati.
In addition, Ganesha itself are dedicated to several shrines, including the Ashtavinayak. Especially well known are “Eight Ganesha (Shrines)” in Maharashtra.
The hotel is within a kilometer of the city Each of the eight sanctuaries in Pune celebrates a special form of Ganapati, complete with its own tradition. The eight sanctuaries are: Morgon, Siddhatek, Pali, Mahad, Theur, Lenyadri, Ozar and Ranjangaon.
There are many other important Ganesha temples in the following places: Wai in Maharashtra; Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh; Jodhpur, Nagaur and Raipur (Pali) in Rajasthan; Baidyanath in Bihar; Baroda, Dholaka and Valsad in Gujarat and the Dhundiraj Temple in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
TA Gopinatha points out: “Every little town has its own image of (Vigneshvara) with or without a temple, at the entrances of villages and fortresses under (sacred fig trees) trees … in a niche … in temples of Vishnu (Vishnu) as well as (Shiva) and also in separate shrines built especially in temples of Shiva … the figure of Vighnesvara is always to be seen.
“Ganesha temples were also outside India, including Southeast Asia, Nepal (including the four Vinayaka sanctuaries in the Kathmandu Valley) and in several western countries.
Iconography
Ganesha is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike some deities, Ganesha’s depictions show big differences and different patterns that change over time. He can be standing, dancing, heroic against demons, playing with his family as a child, seated on a booster seat, or portrayed in various contemporary situations.
In the 18th century, Ganesha images prevailed in many parts of India. The 20th century statue pictured is typical of Ganesha’s statues after Ganesha established herself as an independent God with her own sect.
This example shows some of the most common iconographic elements of Ganesha. An almost identical statue was dated by Paul Martin-Dubost, and another similar statue dates from the year c. Century of Pratapaditya Pal. Ganesha has an elephant head and a big belly.
This statue has four arms, which is common in Ganesha’s depictions. He holds his own broken Fang in the lower right hand and holds a delicacy, which he tests with his suitcase, in the lower left hand. A particularly archaic feature is Ganesha’s motive to turn the hull sharply to the left to enjoy a candy in the lower left hand.
A more primitive statue in one of the caves of Ellora with this general shape dates from the 20th century. The details of the other hands are difficult to recognize in the depicted statue. In the default configuration, Ganesha generally holds an ax or spike in one upper arm and a pasha (rope) in the other upper arm. In rare cases, it can be visualized with a human head.
The influence of this ancient constellation of iconographic elements can still be seen in Ganesha’s contemporary depictions. In a modern way, the only variation of these ancient elements is that the lower right hand does not hold the broken catch, but turns to the viewer with a gesture of protection or courage (Abhaya mudra).
The same combination of four arms and attributes occurs in Ganesha’s dance statues, which is a very popular theme.
Common attributes
Ganesha was depicted with the head of an elephant from the early stages of his appearance in Indian art. Puran myths provide many explanations of how he came to his elephant head.
One of its popular forms, Heramba-Ganapati, has five elephant heads, and other, less common variations in the number of heads are known. While some texts say that Ganesha was born with an elephant head, she later buys her head in most stories. Because Shiva saw Ganesha as too attractive, she gave him the head of an elephant and an excellent belly.
Ganeshas first name was Ekadanta (One Tusked) and referred to his only whole catch, the other one was broken. Some of Ganesha’s first pictures show him holding his broken catch.
The importance of this peculiarity is reflected in the Mudgala Purana, which states that the name of Ganesha’s second incarnation is Ekadanta. Ganesha’s prominent belly appears as a characteristic feature in her first statue from the Gupta period.
This trait is so important that according to Mudgala Purana, there are two different incarnations of Ganesha names that are based on it: Lambodara (Pot Belly or literally Hanging Belly) and Mahodara (Great Belly). Both names are Sanskrit compounds that describe your belly.
The number of Ganesha’s arms varies; The most famous forms have between two and sixteen arms. Many representations of Ganesha have four arms, which are mentioned in Puranesque sources and encoded in some iconographic texts as a standard form.
His first pictures had two arms. Forms with and weapons emerged on days in central India. The snake is a common feature in Ganesha’s iconography and comes in many forms. According to Ganesha Purana, Ganesha wrapped the Vasuki serpent around her neck.
Other representations of snakes include use as a sacred thread wound as a belt around the abdomen, held in one hand, rolled at the ankles, or used as a throne. On Ganesha’s forehead there may be a third eye or the sect sign, which consists of three horizontal lines.
Ganesha Purana prescribes a tilaka mark and a crescent on her forehead. Many examples of color associations with certain forms of mating are described in the treatise on the Hindu iconography Sritattvanidhi.
For example, White is associated with his portrayals as Heramba-Ganapati and Rina-Mochana-Ganapati (Ganapati freed from bondage). Ekadanta-Ganapati is displayed in blue in this way during the connection.
Lord Ganesha Vahanas
The first pictures of Ganesha are without Vahana (mountain / vehicle, his incarnation as Vakratunda, a peacock in his incarnation as Vikata and Shesha, the divine serpent in his incarnation During Vighnaraja Mohotkata Using a lion, Mayuresvara) uses a peacock, Dhumraketu a horse, and Gajanana a mouse, in the four incarnations of Ganesha contained in Ganesha Purana.
Ganesha’s Jain depictions show her vahana as a mouse, elephant, turtle, ram or peacock.
Ganesha is often mounted or maintained by mice, shrews or rats. Martin Dubost says the rat appeared in the 20th century as the main vehicle in Ganesha’s sculptures in the Central and West Indies.
The rat always stood near her feet. The mouse as a mount appears for the first time in sources written in Matsya Purana and then in Brahmananda Purana and Ganesha Purana, where Ganesha uses them as a vehicle in their latest incarnation.
The Ganapati Atharvashirsa contains a mation verse about Ganesha describing the mouse appearing on its flag. The names (mouse assembly) and (rat banner) appear in Ganesha Sahasranama.
The mouse is interpreted in different ways. According to Grimes, “many, if not most, of the Gaṇapatis mouse interpret this negatively, symbolizing Tamoguṇa and desire.”
In this sense, Michael Wilcockson says it symbolizes those who want to overcome desires and be less selfish. Krishan notes that the rat is destructive and a threat to the crop. The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) derives from the root mūṣ (stealing, stealing).
It was important to consider the rat as a devastating plague, a kind of vighna (obstacle) that had to be overcome. According to this theory, showing Ganesha as a rat teacher demonstrates his role as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives some clue to his potential role as a people (God of the people), which later became more important.
Martin Dubost notes that the rat is a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat, penetrates even the most secret passages.
Features
Ganesha is Vighneshvara (Vighnaraja, Marathi – Vighnaharta), the master of material and spiritual obstacles. It is popularly revered as an obstacle-killer, although traditionally it also places obstacles in the way of those who need to be controlled.
That’s why he is often worshiped by people before they start something new. Paul Courtright says that Ganesha’s Dharma and its raison d’être are to create and remove obstacles.
Krishan notes that some of Ganesha’s names reflect shadows with multiple roles that have evolved over time.
Buddhi (intelligence)
Ganesha is considered the master of letters and learning. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is translated in various ways, such as: Eg intelligence, wisdom or intellect.
The Buddha’s concept is closely related to Ganesha’s personality, especially in the Puran period, when many stories emphasize his intelligence and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha’s names in Ganesha Purana and Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya.
This name also appears in a list of names at the end of Ganesha Sahasranama, of which Ganesha says they are especially important. The word priya can mean “sweet,” and in a marriage context, it can mean “lover” or “husband,” so that the name can mean “intelligent” or “husband of Buddhi.”
Om
Ganesha identifies with the Hindu mantra Om, also written Aum. The term oṃkārasvarūpa (Om is its form), when identified with Ganesha, refers to the idea that it embodies the primary sound. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa confirmed this club. Chinmayananda translates the relevant passage as follows:
(Oh Lord Ganapati!) They are (the Trimurti) Brahma, Vishnu and Mahesa. You are Indra. You are Agni Fire and Vayu Air. You are the Surya Sun and the Chandrama Moon. You are Brahman.
You are (the three worlds) the Bhuloka Earth, the Antariksha Loka Space and the Swargaloka Sky. You are om (I mean, you are all that).
First chakra
According to Kundalini Yoga, Ganesha lives in the first chakra, which is called Muladhara. Mule means “original, client”; Adhara means “base, foundation”.
The muladhara chakra is the principle upon which the manifestation or outward extension of the original divine power rests. This club is also occupied in the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Courtright translates this passage as follows: “They live uninterruptedly in the sacral plexus at the base of the spinal cord.”
That is why Ganesha is a permanent resident of every being in Muladhara. Ganesha supports, supports and guides all other chakras and “governs the forces that drive the wheel of life”.
Family and companions
Although it is generally believed that Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati, the puristic myths give different versions about his birth.
In some it was created by Parvati, in another by Shiva and Parvati, in another it mysteriously appeared and was discovered by Shiva and Parvati or was born by the elephant-headed goddess Malini after drinking the bathwater of Parvati in the river.
In northern India, Skanda is generally considered the oldest, while Ganesha is considered the firstborn in the south. In northern India, Skanda was an important war God from about ECB to about CE, after which the veneration of him significantly decreased.
When Skanda fell, Ganesha stood up. Several stories speak of sibling rivalry between siblings and may reflect sectarian tensions.
Ganesha’s marital status, which is the subject of extensive academic research, is very different in mythological stories. A lesser known and unpopular myth pattern identifies Ganesha as a single Brahmachari. This vision is widespread in South India and parts of North India.
Another commonly accepted dominant pattern links it to the concepts buddhi (intellect), siddhi (spiritual power), and riddhi (wealth); These qualities are embodied as goddesses, they are supposed to be Ganesha’s wives.
It can also be viewed with a single consort or an unnamed server. Another patron joins Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati (especially in Maharashtra).
It is also associated with the goddess of happiness and prosperity, Lakshmi. Another pattern, mainly in the Bengal region, connects Ganesha with the banana tree Kala Bo.
Shiva Purana says Ganesha has fathered two sons: Ksema (prosperity) and Labha (gain). In the variants of this story in North India it is often said that the children are Subha (auspicious) and Labha.
The Hindi movie Jai Santoshi Maa features Ganesha, married to Riddhi and Siddhi and a daughter named Santoshi Ma, the goddess of satisfaction. This story has no pure foundation, but Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen cite the cult of Santoshi Ma as evidence of Ganesha’s further development as a folk God.
First impression
Ganesha appeared in the early twentieth century in its classical form as a clearly recognizable God with well-defined iconographic attributes. Some of Ganesha’s first known images contain two images found in eastern Afghanistan.
The second picture found in Gardez bears an inscription on the Ganesha pedestal, which dates it in the 20th century. Another sculpture of Ganesha is embedded in the walls of the cave of the Udayagiri Caves in Madhya Pradesh. This is dated in the th century.
In the ruins of the Bhumara Temple in Madhya Pradesh, an early iconic image of Ganesha with an elephant head, bowl of sweets and a goddess sitting on her lap was found.
This picture is from the Gupta period of the 12th century. Other recent discoveries, such as one from Ramgarh Hill, also date back to the 3rd or 4th century. An independent cult with Ganesha as the main god was established around the 20th century. Narain summarizes the lack of evidence about Ganesha’s story before the 20th century as follows:
The inscrutable is the somewhat dramatic appearance of Gaṇeśa in the historical scene. His background is not clear. Its wide acceptance and popularity, which crosses sectarian and territorial boundaries, is truly amazing.
On the one hand, there is the pious belief of the Orthodox followers in the Vedic origins of Gaṇeśa and the pure explanations in the confusing but equally interesting mythology.
On the other hand, there are doubts about the existence of the idea and the icon of this God “from the fourth century to the fifth century AD In my opinion, there is actually no convincing evidence in the ancient Brahmin literature that this exists before the fifth century,
The evidence of older Ganesha, Narain suspects, may be outside of Brahman or Sanskrit traditions or outside the geocultural boundaries of India.
Ganesha turns up in China in the twentieth century, says Brown, and his artistic images on the temple stage as “obstacle removers” in South Asia emerge around CE. He becomes, says Bailey, recognized as the son of the goddess Parvati and integrated into the theology of Shaivism for the first centuries of the common era.
Possible influences
Courtright reviews several speculative theories about Ganesha’s early history, including alleged tribal traditions and animal cults, and rejects them all in this way:
In search of a historical origin for Gaṇesa have suggested some exact places outside the brahman tradition. These historical places are undoubtedly fascinating, but the fact is that they are all speculations, variations of the Dravidian hypothesis, which argue that everything in the Vedic and Indo-European sources, it was not observed that the Brahmin religion of the Dravidian or Native Indians had entered as part of the process that brought Hinduism out of the interactions of the Aryan and non-Aryan peoples.
There is also no archaeological data suggesting a tradition before what we already see in Puran literature and Ganesa iconography.
Thapan’s book on Ganesha’s development is devoted to speculation about the role of elephants in early India, but concludes that “the Yakṣa form with an elephant’s head already exists in the 2nd century AD, but this cannot be There is no evidence of a God with this name having an elephant form or an elephant’s head at this early stage, Gaṇapati-Vinayaka has not yet made his debut. ”
Some have noted the roots of the Ganesha cult, which dates back to the ECB since the time of the Indus Valley civilization. In a metal shield representation of an interpreted as Ganesha figure with elephant head in the Iranian province of Lorestan was discovered, which goes back to the ECB.
The first terracotta images of Ganesha date back to the 20th century AD and were found in Ter, Pal, Verrapuram and Chandraketugarh. These figures are small, with an elephant head, two arms and a clumsy body. The first Ganesha icons in stone were carved in Mathura during the time of Kushan (II-III century AD).
One theory about Ganesha’s origins says that he gradually became prominent in relation to the four Vinayakas. In Hindu mythology, the Vinayakas were a group of four problematic demons that created obstacles and difficulties, but were slightly cheap.
The name Vinayaka is a common name for Ganesha in both the Puraṇas and Buddhist Tantras. Krishan is one of those academics who accept this view and quote Ganesha directly: “He is a non-Vedic god, whose origin goes back to the four Vinayakas, evil spirits, from Manavagŗhyasutra (4th-5th century BC) that cause several kinds of evil and suffering.
“Representations of human figures with elephant heads, some of which identify with Ganesha, appear in India’s art and coins as early as the second century. According to Ellawala, the elephant-headed Ganesha was known to the people of Sri Lanka as Lord of the Ganas in the early pre-Christian era.
Vedic and epic literature
The title “Gruppenleiter” (Sanskrit: gaṇapati) appears twice in the Rig Veda, but in no way refers to modern Ganesha. The term appears in RV. as title for Brahmanaspati, so the commentators.
While this verse certainly refers to Brahmanaspati, it was later adopted to worship Ganesha and is still used today. Ludo Rocher rejects any claim that this passage is proof of Ganesha in the Rig Veda, saying that “she clearly refers to Bhaspati, the God of the hymn, and only to Bhaspati.”
Just as clearly, the second passage (RV.) refers to Indra, nicknamed “gaṇapati”, translated “Lord of the Companies (the Maruts)”. However, Rocher points out that Ganapatya often quotes Rhaetian verses in his recent literature to give seriousness to Ganesha Vedic.
Avvaiyar (2nd century BC), the Tamil poet of the Sangam period, refers to Ganesha as he prepares the invitation to the three Tamil kingdoms to marry Angavay and Sangavay of Ceylon in conjunction with the King of Tirucovalur.
Two verses in texts by Black Yajurveda, Saṃhita (..) and Taittiriya Araṇyaka (.), Appeal to a God like “the fang” (Dantiḥ), “elephant face” (Hastimukha) and “with a curve trunk”. (Vakratuṇḍa) These names suggest that Ganesha and the fifth-century commentator, Sayana, give explicit reasons for this identification: the description of Dantin, who has a twisted trunk (vakratuṇḍa) and a sheaf of corn, a sugar cane, holds in his hand and a club is so characteristic of Puranic Ganapati that Heras says that “we cannot resist accepting his full identity.
Ganesha does not appear in Indian epic literature from the Vedic period. A late interpolation to the epic poem Mahabharata states that the wise Vyasa (Vyasa) has asked Ganesha to serve as a scribe to transcribe the poem as he had dictated.
Ganesha agreed, but only on the condition that Vyasa recites the poem without interruption, that is, without a break. The sage agreed, but found that he had to recite very complex passages to rest, so Ganesha had to ask for clarification.
The story is not accepted as part of the original text by the publishers of the critical month of the Mahabharata, in which the twenty-line story is referenced in a footnote in an appendix. The story of Ganesha as a scribe emerges in the manuscripts consulted during the preparation of the critical month.
Ganesha’s association with mental agility and learning is one of the reasons why he is shown how to write the Vyasa dictation on the Mahabharata in this interpolation. Richard L. Brown goes back to the history of the 20th century, and Moriz Winternitz concludes that it was already known around the 20th century. but it was not added to the Mahabharata a few years later.
Winternitz also points out that a peculiarity in the South Indian manuscripts of the Mahabharata is that he omits this legend of Ganesha. The term Vinayaka is used in some reviews of Santiparva and Anuśāsanaparva, which are considered interpolations.
It is also assumed that a reference to Vighnakartṛiṛam (“Obstacle Creator”) in Vanaparva is an interpolation and does not appear in the critical ion.
Puran period
Stories about Ganesha often occur in the Purnic body. Brown points out that while the Puranas “contradict a precise chronological order,” the most detailed accounts of Ganesha’s life are found in the final texts, C. Yuvraj Krishan says that the purest myths about Ganesha’s birth and how he got the head of an elephant can be found in the later Puranas, which were composed of C. He continues the matter to say that references to Ganesha in the previous Puranas, such as the Puranas Vayu and Brahmanda, are later interpolations made during the twelfth and twentieth centuries.
In his study of Ganesha’s rise to fame in Sanskrit literature, Ludo Rocher points out that:
Above all, it is impressive that the numerous stories about Gaṇeśa focus on an unexpectedly limited number of incidents. These incidents are mainly three: his birth and fatherhood, his elephant’s head and his only catch. Other incidents are mentioned in the texts, but to a much lesser extent.
Ganesha’s rise to fame was codified in the twentieth century when it was officially accepted as one of the five main deities of Smartism. The twelfth century philosopher, Adi Shankara, popularized the system of “worship of the five forms” (Panchayatana puja) among the orthodox Brahmins of the Smarta tradition.
This worship practice evokes the five deities Ganesha, Vishnu, Shiva, Devi, and Surya. Adi Shankara founded the tradition mainly to unite the main deities of these five major sects in a state of equality. This formalized Ganesha’s role as a complementary God.
Scriptures
After Ganesha was recognized as one of the five major deities of Hinduism, some Hindus chose Ganesha as their chief God. They developed the Ganapatya tradition, as seen in Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana.
The creation date of Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana and their relationship between them has triggered an academic debate. Both works were developed over time and contain layers according to age strata.
Anita Thapan reviews comments on quotes and gives her own opinion. “It’s likely that the core of Ganesha Purana appeared around the twelfth and thirteenth centuries,” he says, “but then it was interpolated.” Lawrence W. Preston believes that the most favorable date for Ganesha Purana lies between and, which coincides with the apparent age of the sacred sites mentioned in the text.
R.C. Hazra suggests that Mudgala Purana is older than Ganesha Purana and dated between and. However, Phyllis Granoff finds problems with this relative relationship and concludes that Mudgala Purana was the last of the philosophical texts to refer to Ganesha.
She bases her argumentation on the fact that Ganesha Purana in the Mudgala Purana, along with other internal tests, is explicitly mentioned as one of the four Puranas (Brahma, Brahmanda, Ganesha, and Mudgala Puranas) that deal with Ganesha in depth.
While the core of the text must be ancient, it was interpolated into the 10th and 10th centuries, as the cult of Ganapati gained in importance in certain regions. Another highly respected typeface, the Ganapati Atharvashirsa, was probably written during the 20th century.
Ganesha Sahasranama is part of the puran literature and a litany with a thousand names and attributes of Ganesha. Each name in Sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolizes another aspect of Ganesha. Versions of Ganesha Sahasranama can be found in Ganesha Purana.
One of the most important Sanskrit texts enjoying authority in the Ganapatya tradition, says John Grimes, is the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.
Beyond Nepal and Hinduism
Commercial and cultural contacts extended Nepal’s influence in West and Southeast Asia. Ganesha is one of several Hindu deities who thus came to foreign lands.
Ganesha was especially loved by merchants and merchants who left Nepal for commercial ventures. From around the twentieth century on, new stock exchanges were set up, including the creation of unions and the revival of monetary circulation.
During this time, Ganesha became the chief God of the merchants. The first inscription that Ganesha called before any other God associated with the trading community.
Hindus emigrated to Southeast Asia and took their culture with them, including Ganesha. Ganesha statues are located throughout the region, often alongside Shiva shrines. The forms of Ganesha in the Hindu art of Java, Bali and Borneo show specific regional influences.
The spread of Hindu culture throughout Southeast Asia established the cult of Ganesha in modified forms in Burma, Cambodia and Thailand. In Indochina, Hinduism and Buddhism were practiced side by side and mutual influences can be seen in the Ganesha iconography in the region.
In Thailand, Cambodia and among the Hindu classes of Chams in Vietnam, Ganesha was mainly as an obstacle remover. Today, Ganesha is considered a hindrance eliminator in Buddhist Thailand, the god of success.
Before the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India and the worship of Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced. Examples of sculptures from the 4th to 5th centuries have been preserved, suggesting that the cult of Ganesha was fashionable in the area.
Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vinayaka, but also as a form of the Hindu demon of the same name. His picture appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late period of Gupta.
Like the Buddhist god Vinayaka, he is often shown dancing. This form, called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, then it was adopted in Nepal and then in Tibet. He has five heads and rides a lion. Ganesha’s Tibetan depictions show ambivalent visions of him.
A Tibetan representation of Ganapati is tshogs bdag. In the Tibetan way he is trampled by (Shiva) a popular Tibetan God. Other depictions show him as the obstacle destroyer and sometimes dance. Ganesha appears in China and Japan in a way that has a pronounced regional character.
In northern China, the first known Ganesha stone statue bears a dated inscription. In Japan, where Ganesha is known as Kangiten, the cult of Ganesha was first mentioned.
The cult of Ganeshas is not mentioned in the canonical literature of Jainism. However, Ganesha is revered by most Jains, for whom he has apparently taken over certain functions of the god of wealth, Kubera. Jain’s ties to the commercial community support the idea that Jainism absorbed the cult of Ganesha as a result of commercial ties.
The first known statue of Jain Ganesha dates from the 20th century. A Jain text lists the procedures for installing your images. Ganesha’s paintings appear in the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
Powerful Ganesh mantra for removing obstacles
Master Ganesha is the child of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and the indistinct Divinity – exemplified in a wonderful shape, for the advantage of the fan. He is God of information and the remover of obstacles. Lord Ganesha somehow additionally symbolizes insight in the body.
As indicated by Hindu dharma, he speaks to Mahat, the most elevated type of Prakriti during the time spent creation. In the cutting edge speech, knowledge speaks to the higher personality and is urgent for thinking and discernment. He is additionally prevalently known as Ganapati. Gan implies gathering.
- Vakratunda Ganesh Mantra
A standout amongst the most vital and furthermore a standout amongst the most widely recognized Ganpati Mantras, this is the Ganesh mantra for riches and is devoted to Lord Ganesha, Goddess Riddhi (Hindu Goddess of Prosperity) and Goddess Siddhi (Hindu Goddess of profound edification).
वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ ।
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा ॥
Vakratunda Maha-Kaaya Surya-Kotti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Me Deva Sarva-Kaaryeshu Sarvadaa ||
Signifying: “Gracious god with bended trunk, the extensive body whose quality resembles a light of numerous suns, please makes my whole work snag free, until the end of time.”
Advantage: Chanting of this Ganesh mantra will help evacuate each deterrent somewhere in the range of one and one’s prosperity and accomplishes riches, shrewdness, good fortunes, flourishing and achievement in every one of the undertakings.
- Ganesh Gayatri Mantra
Aum Ekadantaya Viddhamahe, Vakratundaya Dhimahi,
Tanno Danti Prachodayat॥
Signifying: “We appeal to the one with the single-tusked elephant tooth who is ubiquitous. We think upon and petition God for the more prominent acumen of the Lord with the bended, elephant-molded trunk. We bow before the one with the to light up our brains with intelligence.”
Ekadanta alluding to one tusk in the elephant confront implies that God broke the duality and influenced us to have an entire one-pointed personality.
Advantage: This Ganesh Mantra empowers humility, nobility and top of the line shrewdness in the individuals who serenade it.
- Basic Ganpati Mantra
ॐ गम गणपतये नमः
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha
Which means: It implies bowing down to Ganapati with all our reality and tolerating all his incredible characteristics in our self-being.
Advantage: It avoids every one of the negativities from one’s life before starting any work. Droning of this mantra guarantees achievement in all the new pursuits that one wishes to embrace.
- Om Gajkarnakaya Namah
ॐ गजकर्णकाय नमः।
Which means: Gaj implies Elephant and Karnikay mean ears. With the elephant’s head and elephant ears, Ganesh was not able tune in to everything from all sources.
Advantage: This Mantra enables us to be much the same as him, and hear and acknowledge just that which is great. Droning the mantra shields us from outer pessimism and encourages us beat the pressure caused by it.
- Om Vikataya Namah
ॐ विकटाय नमः।
This means: Here ‘Vikat’ signifies ‘troublesome’.
Advantage: The world is loaded with troublesome circumstances, and regularly one may end up dispirited and unfit to center. This Mantra advises him that his definitive objective is salvation, and regardless of what happens, he ought not to dismiss it. This Ganpati Mantra will keep his eyes on this long haul objective and persuade him towards salvation.
- Om Vinayakaya Namah
ॐ विनायकाय नमः।
Signifying: ‘Vinayaka’ is the name of Ganesha in the brilliant age. Vinayaka signifies ‘something under control’ and furthermore signifies ‘the Lord of settling issues’.
Advantage: So by understanding this mantra, one’s life will have a brilliant age.
- Siddhi Vinayak Mantra
Which means: The word ‘Siddhi Vinayak’ signifies ‘the God of Achievement and Enlightenment’. The Mantra in English, hence, implies – “O Lord of Wisdom and Happiness, just you make each undertaking and everything conceivable; You are the remover all things considered and you have charmed each being in the Universe, you are the Lord all things considered and all men, so be it.”
Advantage: This Sanskrit Ganesha mantra is discussed 108 times in the best possible approach to accomplish peace, flourishing, and Siddhi (Achievement) of otherworldly edification, material satisfaction, and solid social impact.
- The Shaktivinayak Mantra
Om Hreeng Greeng Hreeng
Which means: In Nepali, Shakti implies power and Vinayak signify ‘the Supreme ace’.
Advantage: The Shaktivinayak Ganesh mantra is incanted for monetary achievement and thriving. It is a ground-breaking mantra for good wellbeing and good fortunes. This mantra is commonly prescribed to be rehashed 108 times in the correct way.
Advantages of Chanting Ganesh Mantra
- Goddess Lakshmi is Ganesha’s progression mother; with her he concedes thriving, plenitude, wealth, bliss, cash, riches, good fortunes and every single material achievement.
- With Goddess Saraswati, Ganesha stipends grant, instructive achievement, insight, sharp personality, information, center, personality forces, and otherworldliness.
- In Hinduism Lord Ganesha is worshiped toward the start of each propitious event. Droning of Ganesh Mantra is viewed as extremely favorable and divine.
- Chanting Ganesh Mantra evacuates every single adversary of the aficionado’s life and he/she gets center and clearness. Droning of his mantras likewise expels fears and fear.
- Chanting Ganesh Mantra gives compensates for one’s endeavors as well as quickens one’s advance and improves as a man throughout everyday life.
By Shishir Acharya & Rakesh Sah
- God of Good Luck Hindu
- God of Good Luck India
- God of Good Luck Nepal
- God of Good Luck Hinduism
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