Ganesha

米热

Who He Is
Ganesha (also known as Ganapati or Vinayaka) is one of the most worshipped deities in Hinduism. He is the son of Lord Shiva (the destroyer) and Goddess Parvati. He is primarily revered as the Remover of Obstacles, the God of Wisdom, Intellect, and New Beginnings. Before any major undertaking—weddings, business ventures, exams—devotees pray to him to clear the path of difficulties.

What He Symbolizes
His iconic elephant-headed form is rich with deep philosophical symbolism:

· Elephant Head: Represents supreme intelligence, foresight, and the ability to think beyond the ordinary.
· Large Ears: A reminder to listen more and be receptive to all knowledge and ideas.
· Small Mouth: Teaches the virtue of talking less and speaking only what is necessary.
· Broken Tusk: Symbolizes sacrifice for wisdom (he broke it to write the epic Mahabharata) and the understanding that perfection is often born from imperfection. It also signifies holding onto the good while discarding the unwanted.
· Big Belly: Represents the capacity to peacefully digest all of life's experiences—the good, the bad, the pleasant, and the painful.
· The Mouse (Mushika): His unlikely vehicle represents the restless human desire and ego. By riding it, Ganesha shows that wisdom must master desire, not be controlled by it.

Mary

Thank you for this clear and insightful post on Ganesha. I especially appreciate how each part of his iconic form carries a practical life lesson—like the small mouth reminding us to speak less, or the mouse teaching us to master restless desires. It’s interesting that the broken tusk symbolizes both sacrifice and the acceptance of imperfection.

蔡雨杉

I really enjoyed learning about Ganesha specially the broken tusk representing sacrifice for wisdom. The painting you shared is also so beautiful. Thank you for sharing!

米热

Parvati, the wife of Shiva, is the daughter of the Himalayas. One day, after Shiva returned from a journey, he found her with another man. Enraged, he cut off the head of their son. Parvati demanded that Shiva bring their son back to life. Shiva had no choice but to attach the head of an elephant onto the body, thus creating the elephant-headed god.

Shiva's two sons are named Skanda and Ganesha. The former is the commander of the celestial army, and the latter is the leader of the minor deities who serve Shiva.

Shiva has over 1,000 names and several hundred wives.

Additionally, see "Typhoon Krosa" (Note: "Typhoon Krosa" is a common modern reference; the text originally said "Typhoon Elephant God," which is less standard).

Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati (the mountain goddess). In India, people worship Ganesha before beginning any activity because he is the god of creation and the remover of obstacles. He also helps devotees approach other deities. People believe Ganesha brings success and happiness. In Hinduism, before rituals, weddings, pilgrimages, traveling, starting studies with a teacher, or opening a shop, Ganesha is worshipped. Poets also draw inspiration from him. He is the guardian deity of Indian homes.

There are several versions of Ganesha’s origin. The most widely known is this: Parvati, the wife of Shiva, was long without children. Shiva, being the god of destruction, could not help, so he told his wife to pray to Vishnu. Every day, she offered fresh flowers, fruits, jewels, and gold, fed a thousand Brahmins for a year, bathed ritually, fasted, concentrated her mind, and meditated on Vishnu. She performed this ritual on the banks of the Ganges.

One day, she met an old Brahmin who told her to return home and she would have a son. The Brahmin was an incarnation of Krishna, who later became Parvati's son, named Ganesha. After Parvati gave birth, all the gods came to celebrate. Everyone rushed to see the baby, except for the planet god Shani, who kept his head bowed and dared not look at the child. When Parvati asked why, Shani replied that he had once devoutly worshipped Vishnu but neglected Vishnu’s wife. She cursed him so that whoever he looked at would die. To avoid disaster, he dared not look at anyone, especially not the son of one of the three great gods.

Parvati disregarded this warning, perhaps wanting to compete with Vishnu’s wife, and forced Shani to look at her son. As soon as he did, the baby’s head was severed and flew back to Krishna’s heavenly abode, reuniting with the god who had incarnated as the child. Shiva, grieving his beloved son’s death, wept and threw himself to the ground. All the gods wept as well.

Vishnu, seeing that the disaster was caused by his own wife and being the god of preservation, mounted his divine eagle Garuda and flew to the Pushpabhadra River. There he found a sleeping elephant, cut off its head, and attached it to the dead child’s neck. Thus, Ganesha became elephant-headed. Though he now had an elephant’s head, the child had come back to life. Parvati held a grand celebration. Only the unlucky Shani was cast out of the assembly of gods and cursed by Parvati to become lame—truly a miserable fate.

There are many other versions of this story. In the manga "Peacock King," there is a section called "Hell’s Gate" where the main antagonist is "Great Holy Joyful Heaven," which is Ganesha’s name in Esoteric Buddhism. He is also depicted with an elephant head, and the meticulous research in "Peacock King" is truly admirable.

Another version of the legend says that Parvati gave birth to her beloved son Ganesha while Shiva was away from home. Because Ganesha was the son of a god, he grew huge and strong quickly. One day, Parvati wanted to bathe and told her son to guard the door and not let anyone spy on her. Soon Shiva returned home and saw a tall, handsome young man standing at the door. Mistaking him for a lover, Shiva grew jealous and tried to force his way in to confront Parvati. Ganesha, following his mother’s orders, refused to let his father enter. Thus, the father and son, who had never met, began to fight. In his anger, Shiva cut off his son’s head, and Ganesha immediately fell dead.

Parvati heard the commotion and rushed outside, only to see her husband cutting off their son’s head. She wept bitterly. Only then did Shiva realize his mistake and went to seek help from Vishnu, the preserver of life. Vishnu told Shiva that the next day at sunrise, he should follow a certain path and cut off the head of the first living creature he saw, then attach it to his son’s neck. This would bring Ganesha back to life. Shiva followed the instructions, and the first creature he encountered was an elephant (which, according to legend, was no ordinary animal but the mount of Indra, the king of gods). So he took the elephant’s head and placed it on his son’s body, making Ganesha elephant-headed. To compensate his son, Shiva commanded that all gods must help Ganesha achieve his goals. From then on, whenever Ganesha wished for something, the gods would do their utmost to remove all obstacles for him. Thus, Ganesha became the god of removing obstacles and is worshipped by many devotees.

Another famous legend about Ganesha concerns the creation of the Mahabharata, one of the greatest Indian epics and the longest poem in the world. Most of Hindu mythology as known today is included in this monumental work.

According to legend, after the author conceived the entire book, he did not know how to write it down and sought help from the god Brahma. Brahma told him to seek Ganesha’s assistance, and thus the great epic was recorded.

In Indian tradition, all glory is attributed to the gods, and matters related to writing and wisdom fall under Ganesha’s domain. Ganesha is widely venerated across Asia. He was also adopted into Buddhism as a guardian deity known as Great Holy Joyful Heavenly Lord or Joyful Lord. In many regions, Ganesha is also regarded as a god of wealth; his plump, cheerful appearance is considered very auspicious.

Another legend about Great Holy Joyful Heavenly Lord involves Guanyin (Avalokiteshvara). According to the Buddhist text Four Sections of the Vinayaka Dharma, the son of the Great自在天 (Shiva) had an elephant head and a violent nature, so he was also called the Great Wild God. To subdue his wildness, Guanyin transformed into a woman and approached him. Overcome with desire, he tried to embrace her, but she refused, saying, "If you want to touch my jade body, will you protect the Dharma? If you follow me as a Dharma protector, will you stop creating obstacles?" He replied, "From now on, I will follow whatever you say." Then Vinayaka (Ganesha) smiled and embraced her, uniting with her. She won his heart and converted him to Buddhism, bringing great joy to all—hence the name "Great Holy Joyful Heavenly Lord."

Festival

Ganesh Chaturthi (Indian Elephant God Festival): This ten-day festival honors Ganesha, the beloved elephant-headed god. In Mumbai, decorative statues of Ganesha—of about 200,000 different types—can be seen in public places and people’s homes. The festival concludes with a grand immersion ceremony where devotees take large statues of Ganesha for a swim in the Arabian Sea.

米热

Methods of Worshipping Ganesha

Ganesha's birthday (Ganesh Chaturthi) falls on the full moon day of the Indian month of Avani (August–September).

Offerings for Ganesha include: a whole coconut, fresh flower garlands, flower rings, incense sticks, fresh fruits such as bananas and mangoes, fried ash (vibhuti), scented water, camphor, ghee lamps, and sweets. Of course, his favorite sweet rice dumplings (Modaka) are also essential. During worship, the coconut is often placed on top of a clay pot (kalasha), with mango leaves sandwiched between the pot's mouth and the coconut.

In addition to circumambulating the deity's idol three times in a clockwise direction while reciting hymns, there are two unusual methods to please the god:
The first method involves crossing one's hands to grasp the opposite ears (left hand holding right ear, right hand holding left ear) and then repeatedly squatting up and down. It is said that once, the god Mahakala (Shiva) discovered that a mischievous Ganesha had stolen cookies and hidden them in his mouth. Mahakala tried every means to make the little god spit them out, but nothing worked. Finally, Mahakala performed this squatting motion, which made Ganesha laugh so broadly that he opened his mouth and dropped the cookies on the ground. Since then, people have used this movement to please Ganesha.
The second method involves making a fist with both hands and touching the middle knuckles of the inward-facing fingers to the forehead three times. This action serves as a reminder to never forget Ganesha, and in return, Ganesha will protect those who always remember him.

Mantras and Hymns

Various hymns, mantras, and devotional songs can be used to praise Ganesha. The simplest and most common is the 108-repetition praise:

"Om Sri Ganeshaya Namaha"

Or the heart mantra (bija mantra):

"Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha"