Questions about ishta devata and Ganesh in feminine form

[Guest guest]

My apologies up front if anything I ask comes from too far out in left field or is so achingly newbie-ish that it sets your teeth on edge.

 

I have been doing a bit of reading on Hinduism lately and stumbled across this forum in my online searches. I started reading about Hinduism since, for one, I have always had an affinity for Ganesha and two, have diverged from a Buddhist background in that there are ideas in Buddhism I don't quite jive with that seem to be covered in Hinduism. One of the fundamental schizms for me is that while Buddhism can be accepting of the idea of a higher power under the idea of, "well, if it works for you, fine....." but likewise doesn't really acknowledge such a thing as a general matter of doctrine. After exploring Hinduism, I find its idea of all gods being fundamentally faces of one god.. and even that god simply being a part of a higher reality from which we all come.. are pretty much similar to ideas I have developed over the course of my life through musings, experiences, and soul-searching.

 

Long story short - I find my personal beliefs that were forged a good while before I learned more about either Buddhism or Hinduism to lie somewhere between the two, leaning more toward Hinduism.

 

While reading "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Hinduism," (scoff all you like, but it seems to be a good cursory introduction) I became intrigued with the concept of ishta devata - kind of a "personal diety." I've been doing some research online about the concept, but thought I'd post here to see if I could get some first-hand responses and insights.

 

I have always been drawn to Ganesha, even long before I started studying Eastern religions. Something just kind of resonates in me. However, some part of me started to conceptualize Ganesha in terms of a feminine form. I began to wonder about a goddess form of Ganesha. Eventually, I learned of the idea of shaktis - the feminine sides of gods often expressed as either a consort or a female manifestation. Somewhat to my surprise, I learned of "female Ganeshas" such as Vinayaki and Ganeshani. I've tried to do some research on them, but information is scarce as compared to goddesses/shaktis such as Durga, Kali, Parvati, etc. In some texts, Vinayaki is grouped with the matyrkas, much like Varahi as compared to Varaha (another one I'm fond of, perhaps since my Chinese zodiac is a boar so there's some affinity there). I've also seen some texts that attribute Matangi as a female aspect of Ganesha and also a "dark" side of Saraswati.

 

I'd be interested if anyone has any knowledge of these deities - Vinayaki, Ganeshani, Matangi in an elephant-headed form, etc. The information I've seen seems sometimes conflicted. At times, these forms are described as little more than a feminine form of Ganesha. I most often see Ganeshani directly related to Ganesha. Other things I've read attribute Vinayaki and Matangi as being eaters of dead flesh, horrible to behold, staring at you through the night with eyes like glowing coals. I've been trying to learn more about Kali to try and get my Western mind to comprehend how a goddess that is "wild" and "terrible" is actually not so... much in the sense that a mother bear protecting her young might be "terrible to behold" as Kali protects devotees from ego, ignorance, and such. I've even read conflicting information such as Vinayaki being grouped with the matyrkas as creatures that steal and plague infants at birth while on the other hand being a goddess that is entreated to protect newborns. (insert double-take here O.O)

 

On to the concept of istha devata - much of what I've researched describes a chosen god as one that appeals to you from kind of the existing list of deities. A few things I've read suggest that if the One God appeals to you in a form that is seemingly of your own creation - that's just as good. So, what I've researched to-date leaves things a little fuzzy in terms of whether or not a "face of God" that is almost singular to you is considered as valid as one you're drawn to from the existing pantheon of faces that exist within the diverse array of human archetypes.

 

Of course, I don't mean you just put any old face on your version of God... your "handle" by which you conceptualize the inconceivable. I don't mean to say I'm wanting to sit down and "create" my version of God in the same way I might design a comic-book character. I mean a face that you are drawn to.. even if it doesn't "formally" exist among already-conceived gods.. something that has spoken to you from deep inside.. inspired your spiritual muse, so to speak.

 

So, the crux of all of this boils down to two things:

 

1) If I feel like my ishta devata is Ganesha manifested in a female form, such as Ganeshani, is that generally considered valid? Or, is the general view in Hinduism one that I've had a stroke or something and just pulled some errantly-conceived face of god out of my rear end? Fundamentally - would it be viewed as doing something wrong to believe my istha devata is similar to Ganesha, but more like a sister or mother than a brother or father? Would considering my ishta devata to be a female Ganesha be a big no-no?

 

2) Since there isn't enough information about female forms of Ganesha out there for me to learn more about Ganeshani or Vinayaki - leaving me to really kind of flesh in the idea of a female Ganseha for myself based on other shaktis - I just wonder if anyone knows enough about them to know if Ganeshani/Vinayaki is like some concept of the divine that is better left untouched. Sort of, "Stick with Ganesha, buddy - his female side is something you don't wanna mess with."

 

Thanks for taking the time to read and for any responses. Like I mentioned, if there was more info on Ganeshani/Vinayaki, I could probably deduce for myself if the idea of a female Ganesha as an istha devata was some kind of transgression. But, since there isn't a lot of info, I have to kind of wade through what I can find.

[Jahnava Nitai Das 2]

Thank you for posting the above. You have brought up a lot of interesting things. I don't think you will get many answers, as it is a very rare form and not part of mainstream Hinduism.

 

Vinayaka, besides refering to the particular son of Shiva, Ganesha, also refers to a species of life. The Vedic literatures accept 400,000 species of human beings inhabiting the universe, such as vannaras, kinnaras, yakshas, etc. One such category are Vinayakas, who have elephant heads and human bodies. Within that species you will find obviously both males and females.

 

The particular deity you are asking about is not a high level deity, but just a leader among this vinayaka race. Shiva and Devi have thousands and thousands of lesser associates who also sometimes become objects of worship and who are sometimes identified with them. Generally worshipping lower level deities is considered within the lower modes of nature (passion and ignorance) and thus the result is not ultimately beneficial for the worshipper.

 

Also the descriptions of this deity will be a big mixture of things referring both to higher beings as well as to lower regular Vinayakis (thus the stealing of babies, etc.). Since it is a rare form, people mistakenly identify any elephant headed deity as all the same person and fail to differentiate between different individuals.

 

Generally if you were to worship this deity, an ordinary Vinayaki would accept the worship. Any worship we perform will be accepted by someone, sometimes by ghosts, yakshas, bhutas, etc. When the worship is not "up to standard" (in the sense of not perfectly following scriptural rules and regulations, and simultaneously not done with pure devotion) the worship is generally "taken" by a lower form. This is one of the dangers of worshipping rare or unknown deities.

[Kalkin714 0]

The orthadox Hindu ishta-deva system accepts six deities that you may pick from (and worship acording to the Agamas). They are Vishnu, Shiva, Shakti, Ganesha, Surya, and Skanda/Kumara (originaly their were only five until Adi Shankaracharya's reform added Kumara; and some time before that Ganesha replace Brahma). Since both Ganesha and Shakti are choices, and since it doesn't specify which form a Shakti, then I wouldn't see the problem with worshiping Ganesha's Shakti. Though in the most orthodox sense you would need to find Smirti with a prescribed way of worship for Her, I don't think that a more liberal Smarta (as followers of such Smirti are called) would object to a mixing of Ganesh and Shakti Smitri prescribed worship. In the most liberal sense you can worship whatever you choose to represent Brahman in whatever way you want. As Ghandi put it, "Each one prays to God according to his own light."

 

Also, every god and his respective goddess are inseperable in reality. It is said that the god represent's the inert quality of the deity and that the goddess represents the active force of that quality. Though certainly many goddeses do take on inert qualites too. I don't think it would be too hard to adapt Shakti puja so as to direct it tward the active powers of Ganesha. So I say go for it if that your "light" of God.

[Guest guest]

Thanks for your responses. You both bring up some great points that have given me food for thought. While I'm exploring these concepts, I can assure you that I'm not coming at this from the angle of "this is cool... I'll do this." The concept of a personal deity is something I think transcends the confines of any one religion and reaches more to the faith of each individual being out there. As I mentioned, I've been exploring Hinduism since some of its ideas fit my own where they diverge from more mainstream Buddhism. As a caucasian that diverged from a Christian upbringing, however, I doubt I'd ever be capable of approaching these ideas within the context of orthodox Hinduism. While I think there's a lot I can learn from Hinduism, I certainly wouldn't want to disrespect it by trying to present myself as wrapped up from head to toe in Hindu spiritual vestments.

 

In a nutshell, my personal faith that has grown out of my experiences and such has roots more in the commonalities almost all religions share. I try to search for the universal truths manifested in these commonalities, rather than latch on to a religion that is not my own. To put it glibly, while I could learn to talk the talk, I obviously could not walk the walk due to my religious and cultural background. And, I think it would be disrespectful for me to try and walk the walk.

 

jndas - You definitely present some ideas I was looking for insights on. On one hand, I'm one who questions how worship would be defined as "up to standard." After all, you have the one god with many faces that, as I conceive it, transcends any one religion - be it Christianity, Hinduism, Buddhism, Shamanism, and so forth. So, on one side of the coin, you have the worship of the divine that I think lies in universal constants.. do good; don't do evil; love yourself and all things as part of a greater whole; etc. On the other side, you have worship that is perscribed by Mankind. Burn this incense here, make this offering there, chant this, do this so many times each day, and so forth.

 

It can be hard to separate where perscribed worship may have come from a divine source, and where it came from Mankind and simply ingrained itself over time..... especially within the context of any particular religion from the standpoint of an uninitiated outsider such as myself in relation to Hinduism.

 

Hopefully that doesn't sound like I'm being disrespectful of orthodox Hinduism and its practices. If so, I apologize as it's unintentional. What I'm getting at is the idea that faith as a product of one's relationship with the divine does carry certain responsibilities for worship, respect, discipline, and such. But on the other hand, worship as perscribed by any particular religion can also involve a lot of practices that are more a product of Man's creation. So, if the one supreme being were to understand that I, as an average joe, am really drawn to the part of it embodied by Ganesh as kind of my own finite mind trying to grasp the infinite..... I would likewise hope that it would understand if I don't express my love and devotion in quite the same way an orthodox Hindu might, my relationship with it is no less valid. It would be my thinking, however naive it might be, that the supreme divnity isn't going to say, "You can't think of me as Ganesha because you're white and couldn't worship me properly."

 

Now, that aside, you make a very compelling point that was one of the crux of my concerns. Namely, that there are more things in heaven and Earth than dreamt of in any one philosophy. In other words, while there is a supreme divine force, there is also the chance that there are other forces beyond our understanding.... angels and demons, beings that wish us well, and those that wish us ill. So, while I may not view the existence of other beings from the same perspective as an orthodox Hindu - that doesn't mean that they don't exist in some fashion, even if as an archetypal force. Therein was one of my concerns... in invisioning my ishta devata as a goddess form of Ganesha, I wouldn't want to inadvertendly be fostering a relationship with some form of being that might be misleading to me somehow. That's why I'm exploring the concept further. While I think the concept of an ishta devata transcends Hinduism or any other particular religion, there are obviously rules to the universe(s) that would indicate I couldn't do something as frivolous as to decide Batman is my ishta devata or such.

 

Of course, I'm also looking at this from the perspective that an ishta devata may be similar in theory to guardian angels in Christianity, something like bohisattvas in Buddhism, or spirit guides in Native American religions...... all faces of the divine sort of coming down to meet our finite minds halfway as stepping stones toward higher understanding, enlightenment, and unity with supreme reality.

 

Kalkin714 - Your last paragraph kind or parallels where my thinking got to the other night. While part of me may identify with a goddess form of Ganesha, ultimately, they are one in the same. For all intents and purposes, I could continue to explore the concept of Ganesh as my ishta devata that embodies both male and female energies. Rather than trying to assert my personal god is really a goddess... why quibble with genders? Ganesha presents ideals and a face of god that really helps me feel unified with the supreme being. He is a god that part of me not only loves and respects.. but also most closely feels like a part of my higher self. On top of which, it provides better opportunity to learn about that particular face of god and how, be it a product of god or mankind, I might ideally afford respect.

 

Put it this way - Ganesha as a god that strikes some kind of cord in me.. that seems to be manifesting as light in my life.. is defined by our finite minds as masculane, but really beyond gender when everything is stripped down to the bare bones of supreme reality. But, since our minds need a "handle," and work in terms of gender, Ganesha works. However, there may be times when the more active, creative presence is called for... or maybe times he would realize that between me and the divine in a good sit-down talk, a form like that of a sisterly or motherly guide would be more appropriate.. he might decide that the face of Ganeshani is the one he will don for that purpose. I suppose maybe part of me figures that I would try to see the divine in all forms.. though Ganesha's is my chosen one... and he would understand that whether my feeling of him at the moment is masculine or feminine, I know it's still him - masculine and feminine together. Two sides of a coin may look different, but they're still the same coin.

 

Well, hopefully that all makes some shred of sense. Sorry if I've stepped on any toes in expressing my ideas. They are just that.. ideas..musings. I don't consider them to be any more authoritiative than anyone else's. At the moment I am, as my name implies, merely seeking. Thanks for the feedback. You've both been of great help.

 

 

Speaking of feeling a connection to Ganesha as a possible ishta devata and way of feeling unified with the divine and a tool for its designs, a few months ago I got a tattoo of an elephant I designed based on Polynesian art styles. Shortly thereafter, I had a couple of guys desparate for cab fare to get back to their navy base before they got in trouble. I gave them the fare. A few days later, I was approached by a woman who didn't have enough money to buy insulin for her sister. So, we went to the pharmacist in the Walgreens we were in and, after verifying that he knew who she was and the story was legitimate, I bought her medicine for her. I jokingly thought to myself, "Uh oh... did the tattoo mark me as a servant of Ganesha and now I'm going to have people coming up to me every other day?" Incidentally, I do look on him as something of a "patron saint." I'm going into teaching... removing obstacles of igorance where needed and putting obstacles in students' paths when needed (tests, homework, etc.). So, I definitely identify with him as a symbol of wisdom.

[Kalkin714 0]

<b><big>Sri Ganesha Pancharatnam</big>

of Adi Shankaracarya

 

I prostrate before Lord Vinayaka,

who holds modaka in his hand with great joy,

who bestows salvation,

who wears the moon as a crown on his head,

who is the sole leader of those who have no leaders,

who destroyed the elephant demon named Gajasura,

and who quickly destroyed the sins of those who bow down to him.

 

I resort to that Lord continuously,

who is frightening to those who are not his devotees,

who shines like the rising sun,

to whom all the Gods and demons bow,

who removes the great distress of his devotees,

and who is the Best among the best.

 

I bow to the shining Ganapati

who brings happiness to all the worlds,

who destroyed the demon Gajasura,

who has a big belly,

beautiful elephant-face,

who is immortal,

who gives mercy, forgiveness and happiness

to those who bow to Him,

and who bestows fame and a well-disposed mind.

 

I worship the ancient elephant-god

who destroys the pains of the poor,

who is the abode of 'Om',

who is the first son of Lord Shiva (destroyer of the triple cities),

who destroys the pride of the enemies of the gods,

who is frightening to look at during the time of the world's destruction,

who is fierce like the elephant in rut,

and who wears Dhananjaya and other serpents as his ornaments.

 

I constantly reflect upon that single-tusked god only,

whose lustrous tusk is very beautiful,

who is the son of Lord Shiva, the god of death,

who tears asunder all obstacles,

and who dwells forever in the heart of Yogis.

 

 

He, who recites every morning, with devotion,

these five gems about Lord Ganapati,

and who remembers in his heart the great-Ganesha,

will soon be endowed

with a healthy life,

free of all blemishes,

will obtain learning,

good sons,

longevity,

spiritual and material prosperity.</b>

[Guest guest]

I wanted to pop my head back in and thank you guys again for your responses. I've been thinking a lot about the whole ishta devata concept and your feedback, and perhaps I'm confining my concept of my personal god too narrowly within the confines of Hinduism. As I mentioned above, I try to look at the universal constants that transcend any one religion. Perhaps rather than trying to define my personal face of god in direct relation to either Ganesha or a female form, I need to look at it from a more global perspective. Maybe I'm tuning into some elephant goddess out of Africa. Or, maybe the elephant just factors in there in the sense of truth (the blind men and the elephant) as well as a representation of nature (the Shintoist in me, or my Native American blood thinking relative to the Earth).

 

Anyway, thanks for helping me better understand the concept and broaden my horizons.