Namaste all,

This chapter of Loving Ganesha is pretty big as it includes images of the 32
forms of Lord Ganesha. As with other big chapters it seems best to post them
in smaller sections.

Om Shanti,

Neil



GanapatehSvarupani
Forms
of Ganesha
VERYWHERE IN THE MACROCOSM IS OUR BELOVED, benevolent deity Ganesha, at every
point in time, in the forces of family, community, commerce and dharma that
shape our lives, as well as in our culture -- indeed all cultures of the world
-- in the physical universe and within our hearts. Of course, He is most
present in the consecrated temple or roadside shrine, from which His grace
radiates out from the world of the Gods. Ganesha is the Lord of beginnings,
guiding the practical aspects of our lives that we may best fulfill dharma. For
the Hindu, Ganesha is easily contacted, and He is thought of as lenient of our
errors and shortcomings, most understanding of our humanness. So vast is
Ganesha's Being that He cannot be contained by any single concept, and
therefore He is portrayed in many forms. He is each of them, and He is all of
them.
Ganesha is a word compounded from the Sanskrit word gana, meaning "the hosts,"
"multitudes" or "troops" of demigods, especially the retinue of Lord Siva under
the rule of Ganesha, and Isha, "ruler," "lord" or "sovereign." This is virtually
synonymous with the name Ganapati, "master of the hosts." As Ganapati, Lord
Ganesha is the leader of the ganas, ruling over the celestial hosts, over the
benign as well as the malevolent inner-plane beings. He controls them not as
Lord Murugan does, through bravery and forcefulness, but by strategy and
intelligence. We follow the path of Lord Ganesha when we resort to
discrimination and sagacity to resolve our difficulties, when we proceed past
obstacles in a slow, prudent and well-planned manner. Lord Ganesha is not in a
hurry. He is cautious. He is patient, willing to await the right time for
events to take place.
As Vighneshvara, Lord Ganesha is Lord of Obstacles, creating difficulties and
obstructions if the time is wrong for us to proceed and removing those same
obstacles when our success is assured. It is to Vighneshvara that we supplicate
before we undertake a task, plan a change in our life or begin the worship any
of the other Gods.
As Ekadanta, Lord Ganesha is the Single-Tusked One, the Patron of Literature
who, when all others failed, Himself undertook to scribe the great epic,
Mahabharata, dictated to Him by sage Vyasa. He offers us here the lesson in
life that knowledge and dharma are of utmost importance, worth sacrificing even
pride and beauty to attain.
As Siddhidata, Lord Ganesha is the Giver of Success associated with bountiful
harvests and general abundance in life. It is said that Lord Ganesha is the
material manifestation of the manas, or mind, of Lord Siva, and that He
embodies the five elements -- earth, air, fire, water and ether -- and guides
the elemental forces that produce and maintain order in the universe.
The Mudgala Purana, an ancient text on Lord Ganesha, cites eight forms of
Ganesha, prevailing over eight human weaknesses or demons. Ekadanta is the
Conquerer of Moda, arrogance. Dhumravarna (smoke colored) overcomes Abhimana,
pride; Vakratunda (curved trunk) is the Vanquisher of Matsarya, jealousy;
Mahodara (big belly) is Lord of Moha, infatuation; Gajanana (elephant face)
conquers Lobha, greed; Lambodara (corpulent belly) overcomes Krodha, anger;
Vikata (deformed) conquers Kama, lust; Vighnaraja (King of Obstacles) prevails
over Mamata (egotism). So now we can see that our Loving Ganesha is "there" for
even the lowest of the low, that there is hope for everyone, and that there
really is "no intrinsic evil," only a seeming variation of the past containing
all that has to be learned to live and grow from a young soul to an older one
and then mature into rishi consciousness. He is "there for us." Yes, there is
hope for all, and none are damned forever. It is our loving Ganesha who
eventually introduces us to His brother, our Loving Murugan, the God Who sits
upon the manipura chakra, center of willpower.
The Two Shaktis of Lord Ganesha
There is a confusion regarding the two consorts of Lord Ganesha: Buddhi and
Siddhi, with whom He is often represented. Buddhi is wisdom, or more precisely
sagacity, the intelligent and discriminating use of knowledge. Siddhi is
success, or more precisely fulfillment, accomplishment or attainment. While in
North India Ganesha is conceived as having two consorts, in the South He is
looked upon as a brahmachari, or bachelor. Esoterically, it must be stressed
that none of the Gods has a wife. Their consorts are not to be considered as
separate from them, but as aspects of their being, as their shakti, or power.
The Mahadevas, who live in the inner Third World, cannot be likened to men and
women who live on the earth, known as the First World. They exist in perfectly
evolved soul bodies, bodies which are not properly differentiated by sex. They
are pure beings made of pure consciousness and light; they are neither male nor
female. To better understand these divine Gods, we sometimes conceive of them as
being the man if they are strong in expression or the woman if they are gentle
and compassionate. In truth, this is a misconception. There are no husbands and
wives in the vast superconscious realms of the Third World, or Sivaloka. Thus,
Buddhi and Siddhi are properly seen as the two shaktis -- wisdom and success --
of the great Ganesha, and not as His so-called consorts. These two represent
benefits or boons accrued by His worshipers. In an inner sense, Buddhi and
Siddhi are the ida and pingala nadis, the female and male currents, both of
which are embodied within the being of Ganesha, corresponding to Valli and
Devayani, the mythological consorts of Lord Murugan.
Thirty-Two Forms of Ganesha
In temples and shrines around the planet, from Moscow to London, from Durban to
Kuala Lumpur, Ganesha's worshipful image, or murti, appears in many forms. The
Mudgala Purana, in addition to the above eight, lists thirty-two. We present
sketches here of these on the following pages. Children will enjoy coloring
them. It may interest you to know that the first sixteen murtis, the Shodasha
Ganapati, are installed in an eight-sided, chariot-shaped structure at the Shri
Shankara Mandapam of Rameshvaram, South India, established by the late Shri la
Shri Chandrasekharendra Saraswati, 68th preceptor of the Kanchi Kamakoti
Pitham.
The Quiet Within
Our Loving Ganesha's a powerful GodYet, He is so quiet you might think it
oddThat such a meticulous, intricate soulWould care to guide all of our karma
so old.
Indeed it is fortunate that He is so nearFor if He were not we would hardly be
here,For He holds the base chakra so firmly in placeThat we may thus live in
this one time in space.
Pray to Him dearly, and truth you'll be seeingThat the quiet inside is the cave
of your Being,To attain through your striving, to be quiet within,That the
heritage of all happy births you will win.
1
Bala Ganapati
Bala Ganapati is "the Childlike" God of golden hue. In His hands He holds a
banana, mango, sugar cane and jackfruit, all representing the earth's abundance
and fertility. His trunk garners His favorite sweet, the modaka.
2
Taruna Ganapati
Eight-armed, Taruna Ganapati, "the Youthful," holds a noose and goad, modaka,
wood apple, rose apple, His broken tusk, a sprig of paddy and a sugar cane
stalk. His brilliant red color reflects the blossoming of youth.
3
Bhakti Ganapati
Shining like the full moon during harvest season and garlanded with flowers,
Bhakti Ganapati, dear to devotees, is indeed pleasant to look upon. He holds a
banana, a mango, coconut and a bowl of sweet payasa pudding.
4
Vira Ganapati
The "Valiant Warrior," Vira Ganapati, assumes a commanding pose. His 16 arms
bristle with weapons, symbols of mind powers: a goad, discus, bow, arrow,
sword, shield, spear, mace, a battleaxe, a trident and more.





Loving Ganesha by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami

Web sites: http://www.hindu.org/ & http://www.himalayanacademy.com/
email: contact (AT) hindu (DOT) org
Himalayan Academy Kauai's Hindu Monastery107 Kaholalele RoadKapaa, HI 96746-9304
















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