Guest guest Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 The Lord Whose Form Is Om Iconography As is the case with every other external form with which Hinduism represents god, in the sense of the personal appearance of Brahman <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman> (also referred to as Ishvara <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ishvara> , the Lord), the figure of Ganesha too is an archetype <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archetype> loaded with multiple meanings and symbolism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolism> which expresses a state of perfection as well as the means of obtaining it. Ganesha, in fact, is the symbol <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbol> of he who has discovered the Divinity within himself. Ganesha is the first sound, OM, in which all hymns were born. When Shakti (Energy) and Shiva (Matter) meet, both Sound (Ganesha) and Light (Skanda) were born. He represents the perfect equilibrium between force and kindness and between power and beauty. He also symbolizes the discriminative capacities which provide the ability to perceive distinctions between truth and illusion, the real and the unreal. A description of all of the characteristics and attributes of Ganesha can be found in the Ganapati Upanishad <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganapati_Upanishad&action=edi\ t> (an Upanishad <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upanishad> dedicated to Ganesha) of the rishi <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rishi> Atharva <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Atharva&action=edit> , in which Ganesha is identified with Brahman <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahman> and Atman <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atman_%28Hinduism%29> . [1] This Vedic Hymn <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vedic_Hymn&action=edit> also contains one of the most famous mantras <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mantra> associated with this divinity: Om Gam Ganapataye Namah (literally, I surrender myself to You, Lord of the hosts). In the Vedas one can also find one of the most important and commonly chanted prayers to Ganesha, in the part which constitutes the beginning of the Ganapati Prarthana <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganapati_Prarthana&action=edi\ t> : Om ganaman tva ganapatigm havamahe kavim kavinamupamashravastanam jyestharajam brahmanam brahmanaspata a nah shrunvannutibhih sida sadanam (Rig Veda <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rig_Veda> 2.23.1) 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 some scholars. The image of Ganesha is a composite one. Four animals, man, elephant, the serpent and the mouse have contributed to the makeup of his figure. All of them individually and collectively have deep symbolic significance. [edit <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesha&action=edit§ion=2\ > ] The lord of good fortune In general terms, Ganesha is a much beloved and frequently invoked divinity, since he is the Lord of Good Fortune who provides prosperity and fortune and also the Destroyer of Obstacles of a material or spiritual order. It is for this reason that his grace is invoked before the undertaking of any task (e.g. traveling, taking an examination, conducting a business affair, a job interview, performing a ceremony,) with such incantations as Aum Shri Ganeshaya Namah (hail the name of Ganesha), or similar. It is also for this reason that, traditionally, all sessions of bhajan <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhajan> (devotional chanting) begin with an invocation of Ganesha, Lord of the "good beginnings" of chants. Throughout India and the Hindu culture, Lord Ganesha is the first idol placed into any new home or abode. Moreover, Ganesha is associated with the first chakra <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chakra> (wheel), which represents the instinct of conservation and survival, of procreation and material well-being. [edit <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesha&action=edit§ion=3\ > ] Bodily attributes Every element of the body of Ganesha has its own value and its own significance: * The elephant head indicates fidelity, intelligence and discriminative power; * The fact that he has a single tusk (the other being broken off) indicates Ganesha's ability to overcome all forms of dualism <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dualism> ; * The wide ears denote wisdom, ability to listen to people who seek help and to reflect on spiritual truths. They signify the importance of listening in order to assimilate ideas. Ears are used to gain knowledge. The large ears indicate that when God is known, all knowledge is known; * the curved trunk indicates the intellectual potentialities which manifest themselves in the faculty of discrimination between real and unreal; * on the forehead, the Trishula <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trishula> (weapon of Shiva, similar to Trident <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trident> ) is depicted, symbolising time <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time> (past, present and future) and Ganesha's mastery over it; * Ganesha's pot belly contains infinite universes. It signifies the bounty of nature and equanimity, the ability of Ganesha to swallow the sorrows of the Universe and protect the world; * the position of his legs (one resting on the ground and one raised) indicate the importance of living and participating in the material world as well as in the spiritual world, the ability to live in the world without being of the world. * The four arms of Ganesha represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtle_body> , that is: mind (Manas <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manas> ), intellect (Buddhi <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhi> ), ego (Ahamkara <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ahamkara> ), and conditioned conscience (Chitta <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Chitta&action=edit> ). Lord Ganesha represents the pure consciousness - the Atman - which enables these four attributes to function in us; * The hand waving an axe, is a symbol of the retrenchment of all desires, bearers of pain and suffering. With this axe Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles. The axe is also to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth; * The second hand holds a whip, symbol of the force that ties the devout person to the eternal beatitude of God. The whip conveys that worldly attachments and desires should be rid of; * The third hand, turned towards the devotee, is in a pose of blessing, refuge and protection (abhaya <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Abhaya&action=edit> ); * the fourth hand holds a lotus flower (padma <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Padma> ), and it symbolizes the highest goal of human evolution, the sweetness of the realised inner self. [edit <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesha&action=edit§ion=4\ > ] The lord whose form is OM [Om or Aum] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:85px-Aum.png> Ganesha is also defined as Omkara or Aumkara, that is "having the form of Om <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Om> (or Aum <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aum> ) (see the section The names of Ganesha). In fact, the shape of his body is a copy of the outline of the Devanagari <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devanagari> letter which indicates the celebrated Bija Mantra <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bija_Mantra&action=edit> . For this reason, Ganesha is considered the bodily incarnation of the entire Cosmos <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmos> , He who is at the base of all of the phenomenal world (Vishvadhara <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vishvadhara&action=edit> , Jagadoddhara <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jagadoddhara&action=edit> ). Moreover, in the Tamil language <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tamil_language> , the sacred syllable is indicated precisely by a character which recalls the shape of the elephant's head of Ganesha. [edit <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesha&action=edit§ion=5\ > ] The broken tusk [statue of Ganesha from the District of Andra Pradesh, India.] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:230px-Ganesha_statue_from_Andra_Prad\ esh.jpg> [Enlarge] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:230px-Ganesha_statue_from_Andra_Prad\ esh.jpg> Statue of Ganesha from the District of Andra Pradesh <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andra_Pradesh> , India <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India> . The broken tusk of Ganesha, as described above, stands primarily for his ability to overcome or "break through" the illusions of duality. However, there are many other meanings that have been associated with this symbol. An elephant normally has two tusks. The mind also frequently proposes two alternatives: the good and the bad, the excellent and the expedient, fact and fantasy, which mislead and endanger it. In order to do anything, the mind must nevertheless become determinate. The elephant head of Lord Ganesha therefore has only one tusk for which reason he is called "Ekadantha," which means "He who has only one tusk", to remind everyone that it is necessary to possess mental determination. (Sathya Sai Baba <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sathya_Sai_Baba> ) There are various anecdotes which explain the origins of this particular attribute (see section How did Ganesha's tusk break off?) [edit <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesha&action=edit§ion=6\ > ] Ganesha and the mouse [Ganesha riding on his mouse. Note the flowers offered by the devotees. A sculpture at the Vaidyeshwara temple at Talakkadu ,Karnataka, India] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ganesha_on_mouse.jpg> [Enlarge] <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Ganesha_on_mouse.jpg> Ganesha riding on his mouse. Note the flowers offered by the devotees. A sculpture at the Vaidyeshwara <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Vaidyeshwara&action=edit> temple at Talakkadu <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Talakkadu&action=edit> ,Karnataka <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnataka> , India <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India> According to one interpretation, Ganesha's divine vehicle, the mouse <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mouse> or mooshikam represents wisdom, talent and intelligence. It symbolizes minute investigation of a cryptic subject. A mouse leads a clandestine life below the ground. Thus it is also a symbol of ignorance that is dominant in darkness and fears light and knowledge. As the vehicle of Lord Ganesha, a mouse teaches us to remain always on alert and illuminate our inner-self with the light of knowledge. Both Ganesha and the Mooshak love modaka <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modak> , a sweet dish which is traditionally offered to them both during worship ceremonies. The Mooshak is usually depicted as very small in relation to Ganesha, in contrast to the depictions of vehicles of other deities. However, it was once traditional in Maharashtrian <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maharashtra> art to depict Mooshak as a very large mouse, and for Ganesha to be mounted on him like a horse. Yet another interpretation says that the mouse (Mushika or Akhu) represents the ego <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ego> , the mind <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mind> with all of its desires, and the pride of the individual. Ganesha, riding atop the mouse, becomes the master (and not the slave) of these tendencies, indicating the power that the intellect and the discriminative faculties have over the mind. Moreover, the mouse (extremely voracious by nature) is often depicted next to a plate of sweets with his eyes turned toward Ganesha while he tightly holds on to a morsel of food between his paws, as if expecting an order from Ganesha. This represents the mind which has been completely subordinated to the superior faculty of the intellect, the mind under strict supervision, which fixes Ganesha and does not approach the food unless it has permission. [edit <http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ganesha&action=edit§ion=7\ > ] Married or celibate? It is interesting to note how, according to tradition, Ganesha was generated by his mother Parvati <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parvati> without the intervention of her husband Shiva. Shiva, in fact, being eternal (Sadashiva), did not feel any need to have children. Consequently, the relationship of Ganesha and his mother is unique and special. This devotion is the reason that the traditions of southern India represent him as celibate (see the anecdote Devotion to his mother). It is said that Ganesha, believing his mother to be the most beautiful and perfect woman in the universe, exclaimed: "Bring me a woman as beautiful as she and I will marry her." In the north of India, on the other hand, Ganesha is often portrayed as married to the two daughters of Brahma <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brahma> : Buddhi (intellect) and Siddhi (spiritual power). Popularly in north India Ganesha is accompanied by Sarasvati <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarasvati> (goddess of culture and art) and Lakshmi <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakshmi> (goddess of luck and prosperity), symbolizing that these qualities always accompany he who has discovered his own internal divinity. But this does not mean that Saraswati and Lakshmi are consorts of Ganesha. Symbolically this represents the fact that wealth, prosperity and success accompany those who have the qualities wisdom, prudence, patience, etc. that Ganesha symbolises. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha#The_lord_whose_form_is_OM <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha#The_lord_whose_form_is_OM> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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