Wonderful Ganesha
'Om Gam Ganapataye Namah'
Salutations to Lord Ganesha
Yoga is generally considered to be more spiritual in nature than religious yet many of the images are drawn from Hinduism. The worship of prominent deities - Shiva, Ganesha, Kali, Durga, Lakshmi and Saraswati just to name a few - are thought to represent different aspects of pure consciousness or the One Supreme Divinity (Brahman). Stories of the Gods are found in the sacred scriptures like the Upanishads, or Vedanta (end of the Vedas). Each deity has a multitude of names, specific symbolic expressions, often a cohort and a respected animal mount (vahana).
I
fell in love with Ganesha on my first visit to India years ago in my
twenties (quite some time back now). He was often seen in restaurants and businesses as a sign of
prudence and prosperity. I liked his generous size, big buddha belly and
the way he was usually quietly smiling as if to say 'Everything is
okay".
Ganesha in Bali photo by Margot Porter
What does Ganesha stand for?
Ganesha, often called Ganapati, is the God of wisdom, education, prudence and prosperity. He is a much beloved deity to many in the west and is easy to identify with his elephant's head. Not only can Ganesha remove material or worldly obstacles, he can remove spiritual obstacles, but interestingly he can also place obstacles in the path of those needing a fresh perspective.
The
rotund, generous and jolly Ganesha encourages lateral thinking
thinking outside your usual boundaries to approach situations and find
solutions. Indeed he opens the way to reinforce ideas and approaches
that are emphasise cleverness rather than physical attributes such as
brute strength and speed. He is often depicted riding on a rat (his vahana)
and the rat signifies Ganesha's ability to conquer all hindrances that
could compromise his prosperity
Ganesha in Bali photo by Margot Porter
Storytime
His elephant head is a result of an altercation with his father Shiva. The story goes that Paravati wanted a son and so fashioned one out of clay. One day Paravati and her ladies of the house were bathing and Ganesha was put at the front gate to stand guard and prevent anyone from entering. Shiva weary from figthing came home to find a strapping young man standing guard at his front door. He explained and tried to get Ganesha to let him in but Ganesha stood his ground. In exasperation Shiva chopped off his head (as you do in great historical works) and rushed into the house only to discover that he had chopped of his son's head. Paravati distraught insisted he find a replacement and so Shiva raced off and came back with the head of a young elephant and replaced gave this head to Ganesha. And that my friends is how he ended up with an elephant's head...
In many ways this story speaks to us all as we have all had a moment of anger or rage acting in a reactive or emotional state instead of stepping back and considering a calm and sattvic response. Ganesha reminds us of being present with what is and acting thoughtfully from a place of wisdom not habit.
Your turn...
What obstacle stands in your way of living a more authentic, prosperous and peaceful life?
Would love to hear your thoughts...
Om shanti, Margot XX
