Ganpati Bappa Morya



The elephant god. The leader of the demons. The son of Shiv-Parvati. The non-sectarian deity. The lover of sweets. The benefactor of writers and students. The remover of obstacles. The lord of intellect. The one who brings in prosperity. The most popular god.  The rider of Kroncha. The husband of Riddhi and Siddhi. The bestower of boons.



Amit. Bhupati. Chaturbhuj. Dharmik. Ekadanta. Ganapati. Haridra. Kirti. Lambodara. Manomay. Namasthetu. Omkara. Pramoda. Rudrapriya. Shweta. Tarun. Uddanda. Vinayak. Yogadhipa. If you want anything to begin auspiciously, call him, for he is the Lord of Auspicious Beginnings.



Ganesha’s happy go lucky attitude teaches us a lot about Life. The smile on his face tells us that misfortunes should not worry us. His elephant-head is a lesson for all. He is able to shrug it off so easily and that’s what each one of us should do. Not get worried if things are not working our way. Take the bad with the good and continue.



The most important teaching that we get from this lovable god is respect for parents. When Parshuram, the axe-wielding incarnation of Vishnu visited Mount Kailash to see Shiva, Ganesha stopped him. Shiva had given Parshuram an axe with special powers, which Parshuram had used to defeat his enemies, and thus wanted to thank his benefactor. When Ganesha did not allow him, Parshuram was enraged, and started fighting with him. Ganesha had an upper hand throughout the tussle but when he was almost close to winning, Parshuram threw the axe at him. Ganesha could have easily avoided it but because his father had given it to Parshuram, he let the axe hit his left tusk. He did not want Parshuram to think that the axe was ineffective. He willingly sacrificed a part of his body but did not allow his father’s reputation to be stigmatized.  



There’s another instance from Ganesha’s life that depicts his respect for parents. Once he and his brother Kartikeya decided to see who could circumnavigate the three worlds faster. His brother went off to do just that but Ganesha simply went around his parents Shiv-Parvati. When asked to explain his action, he said that for him, his parents constituted the three worlds.



Jai Ganesh! Jai Ganesh! Jai Ganesh!



-          NZ

2.9.2019



BN: 115  








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