Why We Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi
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Unknown Fact About Ganesh Chaturthi
The festival of Ganesha, or Ganapati, the elephant-headed
God in the Indian traditions, in Sanatana Dharma, is very beautiful and full of
meaning. It is said that during the Ganapati festival for a few days, 9 days,
the energy, the Ganesha Tattva, Ganapati Tattva, is more present on the Earth,
it is more easy to experience that or to enliven that. So what does Ganesha or
Ganapati symbolise? There are many beautiful things. For example, “gana” means
the atoms, and Ganapati is that force that keeps the atoms together.
If you see
in this whole creation all the atoms, all the substances, for them to behave
the way they should, for all the dravyas to act as per their qualities, their
gunas, to keep this balance, that governing energy is called Ganapati or
Ganesha. And because it is so vast, so big, that is why they gave him the head
of the elephant, because the elephant is the biggest animal. At the same time
another symbolism which can be found is that it is said that Ganapati or
Ganesha has the full knowledge, such a vast Buddhi, his intellect is so
expanded, such expanded awareness. So how do you symbolise such a vast
intellect, such expanded awareness?
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Why We Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi |
They said you take the biggest head which
is available, and that was the head of the elephant, there is no animal with a
bigger head. So the said they will give him the head of an elephant to remind
people that this energy, this Shakti, gives you that expanded awareness. And
then if you see the symbolism, another thing in the elephant is the trunk.
It
says that that is the place where the Jnanedriyas and the Karmendriyas, the
organs of action and perception, they come together. Because the trunk is both
used to smell, to eat, as well as to grab and to touch. So it says the Ganapati
tattva, that energy of Ganesha is the shakti of action, kriya shakti, and the
jnana shakti, that energy of perception, of wisdom, they move together, they
are aligned. We act as per the knowledge, in the right manner.
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Why We Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi |
And another
thing is, it’s beautiful to see, if you see the statue of Ganesha, he has a
noose, as well as a goad, that ankusha. And why is that? It says that Ganesha
resides at the base of the spine, the mooladhara, which is the seat of the
Kundalini Shakti. And the goad is used to awaken that energy, and the noose is
used to control it. It is said that when that Kundalini energy awakens, it has
to also be controlled, it has to move in the right direction, otherwise it can
be dangerous also, it can create problems also. So to awaken the energy and to
guide it in the right direction, Ganesha is very important. And that happens
how? He sits on the mouse.
You may think it is very strange for an elephant to
sit on the mouse, such a small animal. But then the mouse is a symbol for the
mantra, the mantra shakti. So it says: how is that Kundalini Shakti awakened?
It is through mantra. And then Ganesha will guide it in the right direction. So
like this, this is just a small glimpse, there are many beautiful aspects of
Ganesha or the Ganapati Tattva. And the more you go into it, the more
astonishing it is.
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Why We Celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi |
And it is beautiful to see that every year there is a
festival for people to remember this, to celebrate this, to kindle and invoke
that energy in their lives, and to celebrate it.
