Everybody knows the fascinating tale of Lord Ganesha, the most favourite of all Gods. But, have you ever tried to find the deeper significance of the obstacle remover? There is something much deeper than what actually meets the mind about this fascinating elephant-headed God’s tale.
Ganesha, the cutest of all and one of the most lovable gods, is a formless divinity who is encapsulated in a magnificent form with deep significance of every little peculiarity for the benefits of the devotees. Ganesha is the Lord of all atoms and energies that makes the Universe. He is, ‘Ajam Nirvikalpam Niraakaaramekam,’ which means that he is Unborn (Ajam), Attribute less (Nirvikalpa) and Niraakar (formless).
Everyone is familiar with the fascinating tale of Lord Ganesha who was formed with the paste that Goddess Parvati used in her body before taking birth. She then asked him to guard the entrance of the house and when Shiva returned, he was barred from entering his home and in extreme rage he chopped off his head. On realising that he has chopped off his own son and on request of Goddess Parvati, the figure was back to life, fixing the head of an elephant.
Now, as we are aware of the mythological origin, let’s move on to the deeper meaning of the symbolic representation of Lord Ganesha. He represents the divine self and also the ways to attain that exalted state.
Ganesha’s elephant head symbolises the wisdom that comes out of independent thinking and reflection, i.e., manana.
Elephants have both the principal qualities of wisdom and knowledge and represents both gyan Shakti and karma Shakti. Moreover, they are not stopped by any obstacles and walks ahead, signifying effortlessness. So, the Lord’s big elephant head symbolises these qualities of wisdom, knowledge and effortlessness.
Emerging from the elephant head is the trunk that visually depicts the well-developed intellect of a perfect person that arises out of wisdom. Intellect is of two kinds- the gross and the subtle. The gross intellect helps you to discriminate between the pair of opposites, the black and white, hard and soft, easy and difficult. On the other hand, the subtle intellect is used to discriminate between the right and the wrong, which is colloquially called the conscience. A person who has realised the self is well-developed with both of these intellects and has clarity in his thought.
This clarity of thought makes life simpler, eliminating the confusions, prejudices and preconceptions. The Lord’s well-shaped trunk depicts the well-developed intellect that a person of perfection develops.
As already stated, wisdom comes out of manana, i.e., independent thinking and reflection, which is only possible with the process of shravana or intake of spiritual knowledge. This process is portrayed by Ganesha’s large ears and also symbolises that the wise people are always open to good and fresh hearings and also keep their mind open.
The self-realised people rise above the worldly pair of opposites, and remain calm with whatever the world offers; joys and sorrows or victories and losses. They become sporty enough to take the life as it comes the way and are never give away the sense of peace. They give their best yet understand that ultimately, it’s all a game.
This superiority over the worldly pairs of opposites is beautifully indicated by the Lord’s broken tusk. His one tusk symbolises the retaining of good and throwing away of bad.
It is the most appealing to all his devotees. To stomach the challenges that life throws at us, you need to rise above the play of opposites in the world. This idea is firmly depicted by the Ganesha’s big belly. It represents generosity and total acceptance. It is important to attain the supreme state to be able to set aside the setbacks and move forward with tremendous mental strength.
With one foot on the ground and the other folded up, the Lord conveys that while operating in the world like every other individual, there must be a constant alignment with the Atman (soul) in. there must be an unwavering focus on the higher spiritual goal for spiritual progress.
The food symbolises that the truthful people are rewarded and those with merits are always acknowledged, sooner or later. People who turn spiritual acquire merit in their respective fields of activity and command both respect and wealth even though they may not desire.
- The equipment in the four hands
In his four hands, Lord Ganesha holds an axe, a rope, a modak (sweetened rice ball) and a lotus. All these four things have their own symbolic meaning.
The axe signifies eradication of desire with the axe of spirituality.
The rope depicts spiritual knowledge that removes us from the entrenchment of the material world.
The modak stands for the happiness one gets from spiritual pursuit.
The lotus symbolises that divine state of self-realisation which every human being aspires for, either consciously or unconsciously. It sustains itself in the dirty pound keeping itself above of the dirt, just like a person who has attain the state of self-realisation.
This mode of transport of the Lord magnifies the challenges one has to face when communicating the infinite knowledge of self through the finite equipment of the body. Atman (soul) can’t be touched with the body or felt through emotions. For this, you need to attain spirituality.
Ganesha stands as the true picture of a person of perfection. So, this Ganesh Chaturthi, along with seeking blessing for wisdom, knowledge and removal of obstacles, let’s utilise the opportunity to reignite ourselves in our search for divinity.
