Walk down any street in Maharastra state and within a few blocks you are likely to come across a small, medium or large enclosure with a familiar elephant-headed god inside. Meet Ganesha, the Lord of Success and the Destroyer of Obstacles. He is one of the five major deities in the Hindu culture, the other four being Shiva, Durga, Surya and Vishnu.
This antique representation above, held in a private collection in Pune, is perhaps one of the most elegant and subdued versions I have seen in my two visits. In smaller roadside enclosures as well as larger temples, the depiction is very colorful...
...and in the larger temples, he is festively adorned, and receives many visitors, offerings and prayers.
Near most temples or enclosures, one can find a stall or two with a vendor making flower garlands to bring and adorn Ganesha or another god.
Ganesha's head symbolizes the atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence. As many of you gentle readers are yoga practitioners, you will recall that the practice of the Eight Limbs of Yoga is geared toward stilling the fluctuations of the consciousness so that the true self or soul can be glimpsed or revealed.
Let's take a pictorial tour of Ganesha's other symbolism. His form is a short, pot-bellied human with the elephant's head, and you'll notice that the trunk doesn't always point in the same direction. When it points left, he is reaching for a sweet treat called a ladoo, which represents the fruits of our labors. Ganesha is telling us that we should enjoy those!
When the trunk is turned to the right, it is reaching for a pot of nectar, representing the bliss attained in the 8th limb of yoga, Samadhi, the ultimate liberation.
Ganesha may have as few as two and as many as 18 arms, but most commonly has four in which he holds a noose, a goad, as tusk and a ladoo.
- Noose or rope to pull one nearer their highest goals
- Goad or axe to cut the bonds of attachments
- Broken tusk a reminder to retain the good and discard the bad
- The ladoo the rewards of our hard work
His big belly is to "digest" all the good and bad in life, and the large ears and small mouth to remind us to listen more and talk less! Love that one!
Ganesha can also be seen, but rarely, in other poses, like this graceful dancing version...
...Or this protective version defeating an enemy.
The remover of obstacles, the god of beginnings, patron of the arts and sciences, of letters and learning, surely Ganesha has been with me on this journey here and watching over my blog.
No comments:
Post a Comment