II Gaja Vadana Shree Gananatha
Ambika Thanaya Paahi Prabhu ..(Gaja Vadana..) Siddhi
Vinaayaka Kaivalya Daatha Paashaankusha Dhara Paahi
Prabhu Namaami Nithyam Smaraami Nithyam Deena Sharanya
Paahi Prabhu II |
Meaning: O Ganesha with an elephant face, son
of Parvathi, please bestow Your Grace on us. You
are the one to liberate us from the endless cycle
of births and deaths. I shall always pray to You.
I shall ceaselessly chant Your name in my mind.
You have always protected the meek and the humble.
Please guide us.
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Most of us are very well aquainted with the chubby, ever
smiling, potbellied little image, affectionately called the
Ganapati. Sometimes sitting in front of a huge pile of his
beloved ladoos, sometimes lying down in a leisurely manner
and sometimes simply perching on his "vahan", the
loyal mouse, lord Ganesha has carved his own niche in almost
every Hindu household. Known as the lord of Wisdom he is the
son of Ishwara and Parvathi.
Even though all auspicious Hindu ceremonies commence with
the invocation of Lord Ganesha, it is the festival of Ganesha
Chaturthi spread over a period of ten days which is actually
dedicated to Lord Ganesha.Celebrated by Hindus all over the
country, the Chaturthi Vrata is observed on the fourth day
(Shukla Paksha) of every lunar month. This culminates in the
month of Bhadrapada as the Ganesh Chaturthi.
The birth of Ganesha
Unlike other gods of Hindu mythology, Ganesha appears to
have a definite beginning. Legends say that, Ganapati was created
by goddess Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva. Parvati needed a doorkeeper
to keep vigil while she took her bath. So she created Ganesha
out of the dough she used for taking bath. After creating the
image she breathed life into him. This day is celebrated all
over as the birthday of lord Ganesha. But why an elephant head?
Well, legend has it that while Goddess Parvati was taking her
bath, Lord Shiva happened to come there and as Ganesha didn't
know him, he didn't allow him to enter the house. Lord Shiva
became very angry and beheaded Ganesha. When Parvati came to
know of this she was very angry and sad. So Lord Shiva asked
his followers to get the head of the first animal they saw lying
with its head towards the north. The followers found a baby
elephant lying in that posture, so they brought back the head
of the animal. Lord Shiva fixed the elephant head on the body
of Ganesha and infused life into him. Both Shiva and Parvati
accepted him as their eldest son and named him Gajanna, meaning
elephant-faced.
Other
legends
Ganesha - the inherrent
symbolism
Ganesha, is very different from all other Hindu dieties. He
 has
an elephant head and a human body. He is forever holding a ladoo.
He rides a mouse. Well, all these features unique to Ganesha
are actually very important symbols. His head, for instance,
symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme
reality of human existence. It also denotes wisdom and its trunk
represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. His human
body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings.
In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him
propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles
from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement
to capture all difficulties. The broken tusk, that Ganesha holds
like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice.
Legend has it that he broke the tusk for writing the Mahabharata.
The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge
should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk
indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman.
His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition.
The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all
forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures,
a mouse.
Celebrating the Festival
The festival starts off in the hearts of devotees much
before the actual celebration  begins.
Houses are cleaned and white washed, the interiors are decorated
with flowers and paper cuttings, different kinds of sweets
are made, thus preparations go on to usher in the Lord. However,
the most excited of all are perhaps the children who get busy
collecting money from the neighbourhood, inviting people and
friends home, arranging loud speakers, buying different kinds
of flowers, sweets, and finally colourful images of Ganesha,
big or small, depending on their budget, and decorating the
pandals. Colourful images of Lord Ganesha are sold on footpaths
everywhere, flower vendors selling a variety of flowers and
garlands, give the entire city a gala festive look.
The public celebration of the festival traces back to the
period of the freedom struggle. In 1894 the British abolished
all public demonstrations to clamp down the freedom movement
which had just gathered momentum. To circumvent this suppression,
Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the renowned leader, spread the idea
of making the Ganesha festival a focal point for nationalist
activities. Thus was born the idea of the Sarvajanik Ganeshothsav
where people came out in the streets to celebrate not only
the birthday of Ganesha but also to struggle for freedom.
On the festival days, huge processions are t aken
out, people visit different pandals, loud speakers belt out
the recent hindi film numbers and the atmosphere is one of joy
and gaiety. The actual Chaturthi puja is performed at noon.
Twenty-one varieties of flowers, leaves and dhurba grass are
offered to the lord. Ganesha's favourite food, modak and ladoos
are among the main offerings. Devotees read shlokas and the
Ganesha upanishad. Aarti (worship with a holy flame) is performed
and hymns are sung. The singing of hymns has become a popular
event during this festival. As the law of nature would have
it creation is followed by destruction to make way for creation
again. So on the tenth day of this great festival, the images
of Ganapati are immersed in water and the festival comes to
an end.
Some recipes for the
occasion
Lord Ganesha is supposed to be a great connoisseur of food.
So naturally in this festival food assumes a very important
role. People get busy making different kinds of sweets like
ladoos, modak or kadubu, holige, kajjaya, boondi and the list
goes on.
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