Ganesha (Hindu god): who he is, his history and the meaning of his symbology

Ganesh

Who is Ganesha?

Ganesha, also known as Ganesh, Ganapati, and Vinayaka, is a Hindu god with the head of an elephant and a human body, son of Shiva and Parvati. He is the god of wisdom, intelligence, prudence, abundance, politics, and new beginnings. Likewise, he is a patron of the arts, letters, and sciences. Ganesha is one of the most popular gods in Hinduism.

The name Ganesha comes from Sanskrit Gana and īśa. Gana means 'group', 'crowd' or 'people'; while īśa is a suffix meaning 'lord', 'master' or 'ruler'. Hence, Ganesha means head of the group of semi-divine beings in Shiva's retinue. He also means lord of the people.

Ganesha is credited with the ability to clear the path of obstacles and bring good fortune to those who do well. For this reason, all Hindu rites and ceremonies, as well as negotiations or significant events, begin by summoning his blessing. Likewise, in all the Temples of India, an image of Ganesha is placed at the door as guardian of the enclosure and protector of the faithful.

The Ganesha festival, called Ganesha Chaturthi, is celebrated annually. The celebration is tied to the lunar calendar. It takes place over ten days between August and September. The festival includes public and private expressions of devotion to Ganesha.

During Ganesha Chaturthi, altars with clay images are prepared in homes and public spaces; concerts, plays, and community service activities are held. On the last day, the images are taken in procession to a water source where a ritual immersion is performed, after which the clay images dissolve. This final ceremony is called Ganesha Visarjan.

Ganesha symbolism and its meaning

Ganesha's Attributes

The image of Ganesha is represented in many different ways. This is partly related to the different stories about its origin and meaning. Therefore, although the physical characteristics of Ganesha remain almost unchanged, the attributes that he carries, the posture, and the scene frequently change.

Physical Characteristics of Ganesha:

Ganesha's physical characteristics include the head of an elephant, the body of a young man with a bulging belly, and a single tusk. This last trait earns Ganesha the name Ekadanta, which means 'one fang'.

The lord of the Ganas is represented with four hands (sometimes two or six) that carry different attributes. One of the hands is extended in a sign of blessing.

The meaning of its physical characteristics is as follows:

• Elephant Head: The elephant represents sagacity and wisdom.
• Big ears: a sign of attentive listening.
• Pronounced eyes: a sign of concentration to see beyond the obvious.
• Trunk: represents efficiency and adaptability.
• Fang Fragment: Sometimes between the fingers of one of his hands, the tip of the broken fang appears. It alludes to the sacrifice Ganesha made by cutting off his tusk and using it as a quill to write the Mahabharata.
• Bulging belly: represents Ganesha's ability to engulf and digest the sufferings of the world in order to protect it and make a life of peace possible.
• Four arms: symbol of the four elements of nature over which it has power.
• Outstretched hand: offers his blessing to those who follow the spiritual path. It may bear an inscription (such as the Om ) or hold the tip of the split fang.

Ganesha's Attributes:

The most popular Ganesha attributes are the noose, the lotus flower, the ax, and the plate with Hindu sweets ( laddu ). Ganesha can also carry a snail trunk or a golden scepter. Also, he can appear accompanied by a rat, which serves as transportation.

The meaning of some of its attributes is as follows:

• Trishula: Shiva's trident that, according to some legends, would have cut off the human head of Ganesha. It is a symbol of time (past, present, and future), as well as the superiority of Ganesha.
• Ax: a tool to cut attachments and destroy obstacles.
• Lotus flower: in Eastern culture, it is considered a symbol of perfection due to its symmetry and beauty. Likewise, it is a symbol of self-knowledge and inner realization due to its harmony and balance.
• Rope: represents that Ganesha is beyond the control of the gunas (passion, goodness, and ignorance) and that he can grant them to whomever he determines. That is why it is believed that the rope helps to approach spiritual goals.
• Sweets ( laduu): Laduu is a Hindu sweet that Ganesha likes very much. It represents the reward or benefits to devotees for their spiritual actions.
• Rat: represents the desires that must be controlled. This rodent is called Kaiamuhan. Legend has it that it was originally a demon that Ganesha defeated and turned into a rat. Since then, when he does not appear to serve her, he uses it as a vehicle.

Ganesh's story

The Hindu tradition collects more than one version of the story of Ganesha. Therefore, it is not always easy to accurately and clearly determine its origin. The best-known version is the one in the Matsya Purana book, but the Brahmavaivarta Purana and Varaha Purana versions, among others, are also known.

A version of the Matsya Purana

While Shiva was spending a season of meditation in the forest, Parvati felt lonely and wished to have a son obedient to her. So, Parvati created Ganesha and ordered him to protect her from intrusions while she was taking bath. When Shiva returned, Ganesha prevented him from entering. Unaware of who it was, Shiva started a fight and cut off his head.

Parvati explained that this was her son and was only carrying out orders to protect her. Realizing the deadly mistake, Shiva wept bitterly. As nothing calmed Parvati's suffering, Shiva sent for a head to revive her son, and the first one found was an elephant's head.

Before resurrecting him, Parvati asked the gods to bestow their gifts on her son. Her request was heard. And so Ganesha received the gifts of all the gods, such as wisdom from Sarasvati and abundance from Laksmi. For his part, Parvati gave him a sacred bond and Shiva gave him the lordship of the Ganas, from which his name derives.

Version of the Brahmavaivarta Purana

Parvati wanted to have a child, so Shiva advised her to perform the rituals in honor of Vishnu, which lasted several days. Returning, Parvati found in her room a child with the substance of Krishna. Happy for the birth, the other gods went to meet the child, but Sani (planet Saturn) did not dare to look at him, because his wife had cursed him, promising that everything he looked at would be destroyed.

Incredulous, Parvati persuaded Sani that nothing would happen. But when she saw it, Sani severed the head from Ganesha's body, which flew to the sky and rejoined the substance of Krishna, rendering the body lifeless. In dismay, Vishnu went down to the Pushpabhadra river and found an elephant. He cut off her head and brought it to Parvati. Ganesha was resurrected and Shiva named him the chief of the Gana.

Version of the Varaha Purana

The Varaha Purana version tells that the immortal and wise beings were concerned that evil was practiced without any hindrance, so they asked Shiva for advice. While he was listening to them, he looked at Parvati and there was a glow on Shiva's face from which a luminous young man of captivating beauty was generated.

Jealous, Uma cursed him with an elephant's head and a big belly. Faced with this curse, Shiva addressed his son and consecrated him as chief of the Ganas, giving him his name. Likewise, he declared that success would come from him for those who did well and failure for those who did badly, and promised that he would be worshiped before the other gods.

Ganesha's broken tusk

There is more than one story to explain how the son of Shiva and Parvati lost one of his fangs. According to one of the accounts, Vyasa asked Ganesha to write under his dictation a Hindu epic poem called Mahabharata. He also made it a condition that he does not proceed in copying the verses until he truly understood them.

While Ganesha was writing, his pen failed. In order not to interrupt the effort, Ganesha sacrificed his tusk and used it as a feather. Since then, he is considered the protector of understanding and letters.

Another story tells that Parasurama (an avatar of Vishnu) went to visit his master Shiva while he was sleeping, but Ganesha guarded the door. Ganesha and Parasurama clashed, and Parasurama threw his ax at him. As soon as Ganesha recognized that the ax belonged to Shiva, he humbly let it follow suit and cut off his tusk.

Parvati wanted to curse Parasurama, but Krishna dissuaded her, for Brahma's promise to Parvati had been that her son would be worshiped before the other gods.

A third story tells that Ganesha had to face the demon Kaiamuhan, who had taken the path of evil after receiving the blessing of immortality. As the blessing prevented Kaiamuhan from being injured by the weapons of war, Ganesha sacrificed his fang, threw him at the demon, defeated him, and turned him into a rat. Since then, the rat is his servant and his vehicle.

 

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