Information & Pics about Ganesh by Nitin Kumar

[Guest guest]

The link below is full of masterpieces put together by OzHindu member Nitin

Kumar. The pictures are wonderful and so is the text. A masterpiece in all.

Jai Ganesha,

Sy

http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/ganesha/

Ganesha, the Elephant Headed God -Art and MythologyArticle of the Month - October 2000

The beloved elephant-faced-Deity popularly known as Ganesha has intrigued

thinking men all over the world, all through the ages even unto the present

day. The sacred texts give a variety of stories narrating the sequence of

Ganesha's birth. The most popular being the one mentioning that Ganesha was

created by Goddess Parvati as a guardian to her privacy: Incensed by the

refusal of her husband to respect her privacy, to the extent of entering her

private chambers even while she was having her bath, Parvati decided to settle

matters once and for all. Before going for her bath the next time, she rubbed

off the sandalwood paste on her body and out of it created the figure of a

young boy. She infused life into the figure and told him he was her son and

should guard the entrance while she bathed.

Soon after, Shiva (Lord of destruction and husband of Parvati,) came to see

Parvati but the young boy blocked his way and would not let him in. Shiva,

unaware that this lad was his son, became furious and in great anger fought

with this boy whose head got severed from his body in the ensuing battle.

Parvati, returning from her bath, saw her headless son and threatened in her

rage to destroy the heavens and the earth, so great was her sorrow.

Shiva pacified her and instructed his followers (known as ganas) to bring the

head of the first living being they encounter. The first creature they

encountered was an elephant. They thus cut off its head and placed it on the

body of Parvati's son and breathed life into him. Thus overjoyed, Parvati

embraced her son.

 

 

The son of Parvati was given the name Ganesha by Shiva. The word Ganesha is made

up of gana (followers of Shiva) and isha (lord), thus Shiva appointed him the

lord of his ganas.

Ganesha is usually depicted either as a pictograph or as an idol with the body

of a man and the head of an elephant, having only one tusk, the other tusk

appearing broken. His unique feature, besides the elephant head, is the large

belly practically falling over his lower garment. On his chest, across his left

shoulder, is his sacred thread, often in the form of a snake. The vehicle of

Ganesha is the mouse, often seen paying obeisance to his lord.

 

 

 

 

According to the strict rules of Hindu iconography, Ganesha figures with only

two hands are taboo. Hence, Ganesha figures are most commonly seen with four

hands which signify their divinity. Some figures may be seen with six, some

with eight, some with ten, some with twelve and some with fourteen hands, each

hand carrying a symbol which differs from the symbols in other hands, there

being about fifty seven symbols in all, according to the findings of research

scholars.

 

 

 

 

 

The physical attributes of Ganesha are themselves rich in symbolism. He is

normally shown with one hand in the abhaya pose of protection and refuge and

the second holding a sweet (modaka) symbolic of the sweetness of the realized

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 a noose. The goad is to prod man to the path of righteousness and

truth. With this goad Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles.

 

 

His pot belly signifies the bounty of nature and also that Ganesha swallows the

sorrows of the Universe and protects the world.

The image of Ganesha is a composite one. Four animals viz., man, elephant, the

serpent and the mouse have contributed for the makeup of his figure. All of

them individually and collectively have deep symbolic significance. The image

of Ganesha thus represents man's eternal striving towards integration with

nature. He has to be interpreted taking into consideration the fact that though

millenniums rolled by, man yet remains closer to animal today than he was ever

before.

The most striking feature of Ganesha is his elephant head, symbolic of

auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. All the qualities of the

elephant are contained in the form of Ganpati. The elephant is the largest and

strongest of animals of the forest. Yet he is gentle and, amazingly, a

vegetarian, so that he does not kill to eat. He is very affectionate and loyal

to his keeper and is greatly swayed if love and kindness are extended to him.

Ganesha, though a powerful deity, is similarly loving and forgiving and moved

by the affection of his devotees. But at the same time the elephant can destroy

a whole forest and is a one-man army when provoked. Ganesha is similarly most

powerful and can be ruthless when containing evil.

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***** I will post the other half of this site in the next post. Its a long one

but well worth looking and getting acquainted with.

Om Ganesh,

Sy

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