Ganesh Chaturthi 12 Sept 2002-----A little delayed sharing

[Guest guest]

SIGNIFICANCE OF VINAYAKA WORSHIP

 

Theism is on the decline and atheism is on the rise. Righteousness and

respect for elders are gradually becoming extinct. Devotion and ancient

wisdom have become extinct. Education has become agitation today.

 

 

Today is the sacred festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. 'Ga' symbolises Buddhi

(intellect), 'Na' stands for Vijnana (wisdom). So, Ganapati is the master

of

 

Buddhi and Vijnana. The universe is sustained by Ganas (gods) and Ganapati

is their master. In this world, everybody has a master, but Ganapati has

none. He is a master by himself. This is the birthday of the Master of

Masters. Ganapati is also called Mooshika Vahana (one who has a mouse as

his

 

vehicle). You may wonder how a small mooshika can carry on its back a hefty

personality like Vinayaka. Here mooshika does not mean a mere mouse. It

symbolises the darkness of ignorance because it is in darkness that the

mouse moves about. Hence, Mooshika Vahana is one who subdues ignorance and

dispels darkness. It is only when we understand the inner significance of

the Vinayaka principle that we will be able to celebrate Vinayaka Chaturthi

properly. One of the main teachings of the Bhagavad Gita is contained in

the

 

sloka.

 

 

"Sarvadharman Parityaja Maamekam Saranam Vraja,

Aham Twa Sarvapapebhyo Mokshaishyami Ma Suchah"

 

(Surrender unto Me and Perform all your actions as an offering to Me. I

will

 

destroy all your sins and confer liberation on you.)

 

So long as man is immersed in body attachment, all types of hardships and

misery haunt him. Body attachment is the root cause of sankalpas

(thoughts).

 

That is why Krishna exhorted man to give up body attachment. The inner

meaning of this statement is that man should experience unity in diversity.

Without vyashti (individual), there cannot be samashti (society). Without

samashti, there cannot be srishti (creation). So, first of all we have to

recognise the role of vyashti. Only then can we understand the principle of

samashti, which will in turn lead to the understanding of srishti. One who

understands srishti becomes one with parameshti (God). In fact, the

principles of samashti, srishti and parameshti are very much present in

vyashti. Hence, one has to make efforts to understand vyashti in the first

instance.

 

Vyashti symbolises the individual (Jeeva) whereas samashti stands for God

(Deva). There is not much difference between the individual soul and the

Cosmic Spirit. So long as the vyashti identifies himself with the body he

leads a very ordinary life. It is only when he identifies himself with

samashti can he understand the principle of creation. So, firstly man

should

 

make efforts to understand the true meaning of vyashti. This is the message

of Vinayaka. The letter 'Ga' (intellect) in the name Ganapati symbolises

this aspect. The letter 'Na' stands for vijnana (wisdom). So, Ganapati is

one who grants good intellect and confers wisdom.

 

Today people perform Vinayaka worship without actually understanding its

significance. Vinayaka symbolises the qualities of a true leader in all

aspects. "Viyate Nayake Iti Vinayaka" meaning, He is a master unto Himself.

In this world Vinayaka is worshipped by many. However, Vinayaka does not

worship anyone as He has no master above Him. Even Easwara, the father,

worships His son Vinayaka, but it does not happen the other way.

 

Today no one is making an attempt to know the principle of Parameshti, who

is the fundamental force behind Vyashti, Samashti and Srishti. Parameshti

is

 

the master of all. In this world, man undertakes various activities, of

which some are good and some are bad. Man's Sankalpa (thought) is the root

cause of this duality. Good thoughts lead to good actions and vice versa.

Man is a embodiment of Sankalpas and Vikalpas (resolutions and negations).

True spiritual practice lies in controlling these thoughts and their

aberrations.

 

"Today man is troubled by worry and anxiety. There is not a moment when he

is free from worries. What are the worries that disturb man? "To be born is

a worry, to be on earth is a worry; world is a cause of worry and death

too;

 

entire childhood is a worry and so is old age; life is a worry, failure is

a

 

worry; all actions and difficulties cause worry; even happiness too is a

mysterious worry."

 

 

Body attachment is the primary cause of all worries. Man cannot attain

happiness without difficulties and worries. Pleasure is an interval between

two pains. It is impossible to experience happiness without undergoing

difficulties. There is divinity in every human being. The power latent in

man is not present elsewhere. However, he is unable to make use of the

divine power in him. Every man is endowed with Buddhi (intellect) which has

immense potentiality. vijnana (wisdom) is far superior to intellect. The

principles of Buddhi and vijnana have to be properly understood in the

first

 

instance.

 

 

 

On this day of Vinayaka Chaturthi, people make Kudumulu and Undrallu as

special dishes and offer them to Vinayaka. They are special and unique in

the sense that they are cooked on steam without any oil content. Til seeds,

rice flour and jaggery are mixed, made into balls, cooked in steam and

offered to Vinayaka. You should enquire into the purpose of making such an

offering. Til seeds are good for the eyes. Steam-cooked preparations

without

 

any oil content are good for your digestive system. One who partakes of

such

 

food will be free from blood pressure and blood sugar and will always enjoy

sound health and happiness. Food preparations, which are cooked on fire

with

 

oil content, are harmful to Jatharagni (digestive fire). Such food gives

rise to various diseases. One can lead a long, happy and healthy life, if

one avoids food with oil content. Vinayaka has a pot-belly but he has

perfect health as he partakes of steam-cooked food without oil content.

 

 

 

Vinayaka is also called Vighneswara (remover of obstacles). No obstacle can

come in the way of one who prays to Vinayaka. Worship of Vinayaka confers

success in spiritual as well as worldly endeavours. God grants happiness at

two levels, Pravritti (outward) and Nivritti (inward). Pravritti is related

to physical body whereas Nivritti to intellect. The former undergoes change

with the passage of time, whereas the latter remains unchanged. Hence, one

should try to reduce body attachment with proper food and habits.

 

Excessive intake of food results in obesity and, consequently, heart will

be

 

subjected to greater strain to pump blood. Blood travels a distance of

12,000 miles in the body with each heartbeat. With increase in obesity, the

circulation of blood and hence the functioning of heart will be impaired.

Hence, one should exercise control over one's food habits. In fact that is

what Vinayaka does.

 

People worship Vinayaka by offering Garika (a kind of white grass). What is

the origin of this worship? Once Parvati and Parameswara were engaged in a

game of dice. Nandi was asked to be the adjudicator. Nandi declared Easwara

to be the winner each time. Mother Parvati thought that Nandi was biased in

Easwara's favour. She became furious and pronounced a curse on Nandi that

he

 

should suffer from indigestion. At once Nandi fell at her feet and prayed,

"Mother, I have not cheated you, nor did I show any favouritism towards

Easwara. I have been highly impartial in my judgement. It is because of the

power of His will that Easwara emerged victorious each time. Easwara's

Sankalpa is Vajra Sankalpa (His will is bound to succeed). Hence, I seek

your pardon and pray that I may be freed from the curse." Parvati at once

took pity on him and said, "Nandi! on the fourth day of the month of

Bhadrapada, you worship Vinayaka with Garika (white grass). You will be

freed from indigestion when you partake of the grass offered to Vinayaka."

 

People who maintain pet dogs know this well. When they leave them in the

lawns, the dogs search for white grass and eat it. What is the reason for

this? The white grass is beneficial to their digestive system. Hence, we

see

 

that the offering made to Vinayaka ensures good health to one and all.

Since

 

times of yore, people believed that Vinayaka conferred His grace on those

who worshipped Him on the fourth day of Bhadrapada month.

 

Today man is not making proper use of his Mathi (mind), Gathi (effort),

Stithi (position) and Sampatthi (wealth). As a result, he is losing the

sacred energy that God has given him. Not merely this. He is subjected to

misery and grief because of his evil traits like Kama, Krodha and Lobha

(desire, anger and greed). He has absolutely no control over his desires.

When one desire is fulfilled, he craves for another. Anger is another evil

trait which ruins man.

 

"One with anger will not be successful in any of his endeavours. He will

commit sins and be ridiculed by one and all."

 

 

"Anger is one's enemy, peace is the protective shield, compassion is the

true relation, happiness is verily the heaven and misery is the hell."

 

 

 

 

Hatred is more dangerous than anger. It gives rise to many evil qualities

which come in the way of experiencing Divinity. Man is supposed to live for

a hundred years, but his life-span is cut short by these evil qualities.

When these evil traits are totally subdued, man can enjoy a long and happy

life. He will not lose his life even if he were to meet with a serious

accident. Man is tormented by the reflection, reaction and resound of his

own evil qualities. Desire, anger and hatred are not human qualities; they

are bestial tendencies. Man becomes a beast if he allows these wicked

qualities to overpower him. He should constantly remind himself that he is

a

 

human being and not a beast. In this manner, he can keep a check over his

bestial tendencies. Unfortunately, the youth of today are developing

excessive desires and consequently their future is ruined.

 

Human life can be compared to a four-storeyed mansion. Brahmacharya,

Grihastha, Vanaprastha and Sanyasa (celibacy, householdership, recluse and

renunciant) are the four stages of human life. Brahmacharya is the

foundation; if the foundation is strong, the other three stages will be

automatically taken care of. But the modern youth are ruining three-fourth

of their lives because they do not have a strong foundation of

Brahmacharya.

 

When elders advise them to pray to God for at least five minutes, they say

they have no time, but they have all the time in the world to wallow in bad

qualities and bad habits. Students and youth in particular should make

every

 

effort to build a strong foundation of Brahmacharya. Merely remaining a

bachelor is not Brahmacharya; constant contemplation on Brahma is true

Brahmacharya. Think of God and chant His Name under all circumstances. Lead

a life of purity. Dedicate your life to the principle of love. This ensures

the safety of the mansion of your life. You see the walls, you see the

roof,

 

you see the entire building, but you do not see the foundation. It is

hidden

 

underneath. However, the safety of the mansion which is seen from outside,

rests on the unseen foundation. When you build a house, you design the

walls

 

and roof in such a manner to make it look attractive. But the foundation

which bears the entire building does not require any beautification. Yet,

it

 

is the most important part of the building. Today man is not bothered about

the foundation of life. He is more concerned about the external appearance.

 

The first stage in human life is Brahmacharya. 'Charya' means to conduct

oneself. You should always think of Brahma. Your conduct should befit the

stage of Brahmacharya. In olden days, the preceptor was referred to as

Acharya, meaning one who practises before preaching. One who merely

preaches

 

without practising is only a teacher. He may be able to teach a few lessons

but he will not be able to render any help in controlling your mind and

attaining spiritual progress. Only a true Acharya can help you to control

your mind. When we talk of Acharyas, two names readily come to our mind.

One

 

is Bhishmacharya and the other is Dronacharya. Dronacharya was the Guru of

the Pandavas in the sense that he taught them the art of archery.

Bhishmacharya was the spiritual teacher of the Pandavas. He was a great

Jnani (one of wisdom). Jnana does not mean acquisition of textual

knowledge.

 

Advaita Darshanam Jnanam (perception of non-duality is supreme wisdom). A

true Jnani is one who dedicates his body, mind, and intellect to God. He

thinks only of God and nothing else. He performs his activities with the

sole purpose of pleasing God. Sarva Karma Bhagavad Preethyartham (do all

actions to please God). You should not crave for personal satisfaction. You

should make every effort to please God. This was the only endeavour of

Bhishmacharya. He was the son of Mother Ganga. All his life he obeyed the

command of his mother and ultimately when his end approached, he wanted to

experience the love and grace of his mother. He was wounded by the arrows

shot by Arjuna and was lying on the bed of arrows for 58 days. His entire

body was pierced with arrows. Before leaving his body, he requested Arjuna

to bring his mother Ganga and quench his thirst. Arjuna means one with a

pure heart. He had earned many appellations like Phalguna, Partha, Kiriti,

Svetavahana, Bhibhatsa, Savyasaachi, Dhanunjaya, etc. On hearing the

request

 

of Bhishma, Arjuna with all his might shot an arrow into the earth.

Immediately, mother Ganga sprang forth like a fountain and quenched the

thirst of her son, Bhishma. Thus, he breathed his last peacefully.

 

Today we find many people bearing the name Arjuna, but their conduct does

not match their name. In the famous pilgrim centre of Srisailam, the divine

couple Bhramaramba and Mallikarjuna are the presiding deities. Bhramara

means a honeybee and Amba means mother. Malli means Jasmine flower.

Mallikarjuna symbolises a pure and white Jasmine flower. Just as a bee

sucks

 

honey from a flower, likewise, Bhramaramba enjoys the company of

Mallikarjuna.

 

Among the Pandavas, Arjuna was considered to be the greatest because he was

pure-hearted. He never caused any harm to the innocent. Never did he use

his

 

weapons against anyone without a valid reason. Before the commencement of

war, Arjuna requested Krishna to go to the Kauravas on a peace mission.

Krishna asked him, "Whom should I approach?" Arjuna said, "Oh Krishna, you

are the all-knowing One. I don't need to give you any instructions. Please

make every effort to avert the war." Krishna said, "What is the use of

talking to the blind king Dhritarashtra? His attachment to his sons made

him

 

blind to the reality. He will listen to his sons but not to Me." However,

Krishna went to Kauravas as an emissary. But as He had predicted, His peace

mission failed. War became imminent. He came back and told Arjuna, "All My

efforts proved futile. Be prepared for the war." Arjuna expressed his

concern that many innocents would be killed in the war. Krishna said,

"Arjuna, those who come to the battlefield will be totally prepared to face

any eventuality. Nobody comes to the battlefield to merely watch the show.

They are ready to give life or take life. So, there is no question of any

innocents getting killed in the war. So, be prepared to fight." Arjuna

wanted to convey this news to brother Dharmaraja. Both of them went to him.

Right from the beginning Dharmaraja was against war. He had no choice but

to

 

accept. The same was conveyed to Nakula and Sahadeva. Though they were

young, they were highly noble. They were endowed with greater virtues than

even Arjuna and Dharmaraja. Their joy knew no bounds when they saw Krishna.

 

Knowing fully well the wicked nature of the Kauravas, they were prepared

for

 

a war. They were not bothered about the outcome of Krishna's peace mission.

They were all the time praying for His safe return. Such was their love for

Krishna. Ultimately, Arjuna said, "Krishna, is it possible to get nectar

out

 

of poison? What is the use of giving good counsel to the wicked Kauravas?

It

 

is like throwing Jasmine flowers into the fire. Let us put an end to this

talk of peace and get prepared for the war."

 

When they actually reached the battlefield, seeing the vast Kaurava army,

Arjuna became despondent. He was concerned that many innocents would get

killed in the battlefield. He was afraid that he would be the cause of

grief

 

to many families. He said, "Krishna, I cannot bear the sight of my own kith

and kin getting killed in the battlefield. When I think of this, my head is

reeling. Let's go back at once without wasting any time." Krishna pretended

to be angry. He said, "Arjuna, it was you who instigated Me and brought Me

to the battlefield. How can you behave in such a cowardly manner now? Shame

on you!" At this juncture, He imparted the teaching of Bhagavadgita to

Arjuna. It gave Arjuna the necessary strength to fight the battle. However,

when he confronted Bhishma, he could not withstand his might. In order to

instill courage in Arjuna, Krishna at once jumped from the chariot and

said,

 

"Arjuna, I will kill this Bhishma and protect you." Arjuna said, "Krishna,

you have taken a vow that you will not fight the war. I don't want You to

go

 

back on Your word for my sake." As Krishna was approaching him, Bhishma

folded his hands and prayed, "The one who is coming to kill me is the only

one to rescue me." Such was the devotion of Bhishma.

 

 

 

Our history is replete with sacred inner meanings. But the modern youth do

not pay any attention to our history. They waste their time in reading

novels and meaningless stories. These Kathas (stories) will give only

Vyathas (sorrow). Divine story alone teaches you the ideal path. His story

is history. You should read such a sacred history, understand it and put it

into practice. Sacred epics like the Ramayana, the Bhagavata and the

Mahabharata are the repositories of great teachings. Likewise, the story of

Vinayaka also has a great message for mankind. Vinayaka is the embodiment

of

 

wisdom. That is why all gods worship him. On this day of Vinayaka

Chaturthi,

 

students place their textbooks in front of the Vinayaka idol and offer

their

 

prayers. The inner meaning is that they should pray for the divine wisdom

to

 

be bestowed on them. It is most essential that the students to worship

Vinayaka on this auspicious day. He fulfills the desires of his devotees.

He

 

confers only Anugraha (grace). He has no Agraha (anger). Hence, not only

the

 

Bharatiyas, even the people of other countries, worship Vinayaka.