Various gods and goddesses in Sanatana Dharma (Hinduism) are nothing but manifestations and representations of the Supreme God, Brahman. These gods and goddesses not only symbolize the ultimate state of perfection, but also indicate the path to perfection.
Lord Ganesha is the foremost among all gods as He is invoked in the beginning of every project. He is the supreme leader who has none above Him – Vinayaka. The classical picture of the Lord has lot of lessons for spiritual seekers.
Large ears and large head of the Lord indicate that spiritual seekers have to listen more (Shravana) and reflect upon the knowledge received (manana). Such wisdom gives rise to a powerful intellect indicated by the trunk of the Lord. Intellect is the faculty of thinking & discrimination, exclusively available for human beings.
Intellect may be classified into 2 types based on the area of operation – gross intellect (teekshna buddhi) & subtle intellect (sookshma buddhi). Gross intellect is used to discriminate between pairs of opposites in the world – from basic discrimination, say, between black & white to complex ones involved in advanced physics or nuclear science. But all these cases pertain to terrestrial world. If you posit a transcendental Reality beyond the universe (God) then you are using your subtle intellect. The trunk of an elephant is capable of uprooting a tree (gross) or picking up a needle (subtle). Hence trunk represents intellect.
With only one tusk intact and other one broken, Lord Ganesha indicates that He is beyond all pairs of opposites which constitute the world. Hence we should train ourselves to be not affected by the pairs like profit & loss, heat & cold, joy & sorrow etc. in order to reach that exalted state. The large belly of the Lord indicates the capacity of a man-of-wisdom to stomach all types of experiences in the world.
Sweets and other offerings are placed at the feet of the Lord. The rat holds a sweet and looks up to the Lord, as though seeking permission from Him before consuming. The objects of desire are at the beck & call of a man of perfection. Yet his mind partakes in the pleasure of enjoying them, but only after the sanction of his intellect. The rat represents the mind. It has a tendency to gnaw each and every object and ultimately spoil it. Before it can consume one wholly, it goes and messes up others. A rat tends to forget its earlier experiences. All these qualities of a rat may be equated to mind’s desire.
Most of the Hindu gods and goddesses are depicted with four hands and seated with one leg folded and one leg on the ground. The four hands represent the four antahkaranas or constituents of inner / subtle body viz. mind, intellect, ego & conditioned consciousness. The position of the feet represent the objectivity of a man of steady wisdom. While he lives like any other man engaged in the affairs of the world (leg on ground), his awareness is ever rooted in the Self within (folded leg). The message for humanity is to practice this sakshi-bhava (witness) in and through all their experiences.
Lord Ganesha is invoked at the beginning of all projects, small or big. Hence He is the Lord of success – Siddhi-Vinayaka. Puranic stories reveal that all gods like Shiva, Vishnu, Shakti, Karthikeya, Krishna etc. have suffered obstacles in their pursuits due their negligence in invoking Lord Ganesha’s grace. Greatness of Lord Ganesha is that he bestowed success upon them once they realized their mistakes. Just as an elephant elevates a man and seats him on top of itself the moment he approaches the animal’s feet!
There is no need of any elaborate preparation or pooja required for the worship of Lord Ganesha. Such is His simplicity. Even His idol may be made easily by anyone. Ladies in South India invoke the Lord in their kitchens before they start preparations of hot savories, by making an idol of the Lord using the same rice flour! He is supremely happy when His devotees offer Him even the common grass available in the streets. For children, He is a cute playmate ready to play with them – Balaganesha. Lord Ganesha is a truly universal God who is worshipped even outside the shores of India.
May Lord Ganesha bless us all with his infinite grace and bestow success in all our dharmic endeavors!!
