Ganesha, the much beloved elephant god of India. He is the son of Shiva, Lord of the Brahmacharis (celibates), remover of obstacles, and the Lord of Success. He is the god of wisdom whose image has become an iconic symbol for Hinduism around the world. He is the god of education with an elephant head, large ears, a curved trunk atop a huge pot-bellied human body. Followers look to him for help with wealth and knowledge. They worship him at the start of a ritual or beginning of a journey. He is the guardian deity of Hinduism.
Ganesha is recognized by his elephant head, symbolic of auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. The largest and strongest animal of India, the elephant is gentle, affectionate and loyal; These are also the qualities of Ganesha. Although he is a powerful god, he is known as a loving, forgiving deity. Ganesha’s large head is symbolic of the wisdom of the elephant. His large ears allow him to hear everything yet able to separate good from bad, reality from the unreal.
He is a short man, usually shown with red or yellow skin, and four to ten arms and a pot belly. It is said his obesity is symbolic of the whole universe for which his belly contains. His trunk, always bent, is a symbol of discrimination. Ganesha uses it to remove obstacles to achieve religious ends. According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesha figures with only two hands are taboo so he is primarily shown with four arms.
Ganesha’s vehicle is the mouse or rat. It is symbolic of a rat’s ability to creep through small holes, to slip unobserved into places not thought possible, a representation of wandering, wayward minds. Idols of Ganesha show the rat or mouse as subservient to the elephant god; an implication that the powers of Ganesha’s discrimination have tamed the rodent.
As many as 57 symbols have been attributed to Ganesha. He is normally shown with one hand in the abhaya pose of protection and refuge and the second holding a sweet (modaka). Sweet balls are symbolic of the sweetness in the realization of the inner self. In the two hands behind him he often holds an ankusha (elephant goad) and a pasha (noose). The noose is to convey that worldly attachments and desires are an illusion, thus a trap. The goad is to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth. The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata (One of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Ramayana).
Multiple tales tell of slightly different origins for Ganesha. The most popular story ( in the most basic form) tells us that Mother Parvati, wife of Lord Shiva, once wanted to take a bath. She created a boy from the dirt of her own body, asking him to stand as a guard outside while she bathed. As this transpired Lord Shiva returned home to find a stranger at his door. As instructed by his mother, the boy prevented Lord Shiva entrance. In anger, Shiva cut off the boy’s head, upon which Parvati was stricken with great grief. In an act to console her, Shiva sent out his troops with instructions to obtain the head of the first living being encountered. They found an elephant sleeping and thus brought back its head. Shiva then attached the elephantine head to the body of the boy and revived him. He named the boy Ganapati or commander of his troops, and granted him a boon that anyone would have to worship him (Ganesha) before beginning any undertaking.
One hundred Eight (108) names are synonymous with the Hindu god Ganesha. Among the most commonly spoken are Ganesh, Ganesha, Ganapati, and Vinayaka. These names are born from the manifestations of Ganesha. According to the Ganesha Purana (Book of Ganesha), Lord Ganesha had four manifestations. Other accounts place 32 other manifestations upon Ganesha.
Devotees of Ganesha are known as Ganapatyas. His images can be found in households, businesses and temples across the country, for he is much admired by all. Tourists with travel around India will also fall in love with the portly man who holds great respect among Indians.