Today Krishnan found a fantastic Twitter thread on Ganesh Ji. It was posted in 2018. Reposting it here – Source https://threader.app/thread/1029303605776474112
#LordGanesh
Ever wondered why is it that we worship Lord Ganesh first! According to the Ganapati Upanishad, he appeared even before the creation of nature (prakriti) and consciousness (purusha). This is an important link as to why he’s is worshiped before beginning any task.
According to the yogic perspective, anything we do has to fall under one of the two categories: material or spiritual. It’s believed that Lord Ganesh rules the ‘muladhara chakra’ of our body. ‘Muladhara’ is the interface between the material and the spiritual worlds.
He controls both these worlds. He gives us material enjoyments in this world and liberates us from endless cycle of birth and death. According to yogic principles, our material life and spiritual journey starts from the ‘Muladhara’ chakra which is controlled by him.
Sharing some interesting facts about Lord Ganesh that you may not know.The head of Lord Ganesh symbolizes the aatma or soul, which is considered the ultimate reality of humanity and his human body symbolizes Maya, the trappings of earthly existence.
Gana’ means category. Everything we perceive through our senses or mind can be expressed in terms of category. The principle from which all these have manifested themselves is Ganapati, the Lord of categories. In effect, it means origin of whole creation, God Himself.
Sanskrit word to denote elephant is ‘Gaja’.Hence the name Gajanana or Gajamukha for Ganapati. But the word ‘Gaja’ has a deeper connotation. ‘Ga’ indicates ‘Gati’, the final goal towards which the entire creation is moving. ‘Ja’ stands for ‘Janma’ or birth or origin.
The elephant-human form of Ganapati is iconographical representation of great Vedantic dictum, ‘tat-tvam-asi'(which means you the apparently limited individual are in essence the Cosmic Truth, the Absolute).Elephant stands for the cosmic, human stands for individual.
It’s believed that sage Vyasa requested Lord Ganesh to write Mahabharata as he recited it. He decided to do it after Vyasa agreed to recite it without any interruptions and Vyasa, in turn, made him promise he would understand what was being said before he wrote it.
His popularity isn’t restricted to Hinduism.He appears as Buddhist God Vinayaka in Mahayana Buddhism too and is often seen dancing. He has distinct regional characteristics in Tibet, China,Japan.Earliest stone statue of Elephant God in China dates back to as AD 531.
Indonesia prints Lord Ganesh on its 20,000 Rupiah note. Indonesia has strong cultural ties with India and Hinduism. Hinduism is practiced by 1.7% of total population, and 83.5% in Bali as of 2010 census. It is one of the six official religions of Indonesia.
According to scriptures, Lord Ganesh had two wives Ridhhi (representing Prosperity) and Sidhhi (representing Intellectual Enlightenment). He had two sons – Ridhhi bore him Shubha (representing Auspiciousness) while Sidhhi bore him Labha (representing Profit)
As per Shivpuran, it was Parvati’s friends decision to make Lord Ganesh.They suggested to Parvati that Nandi and others follow instructions of Lord Shiva only. So, there should be someone who follows Parvati’s orders too.😅 Hence she made Ganesh from scrub of her body.
He too has 108 names. Given below are the names and their meaning. (I have posted 26 names below, the entire list is available on the Twitter thread link given above)
- Akurath – Who has Mouse as his Charioteer-
- Alampata- Ever Eternal Lord
- Amit- Incomparable Lord
- Anantachidrupamayam- Infinite and Consciousness Personified
- Avaneesh- Lord of the whole World
- Avighna – Remover of Obstacles
- Balaganapati – Beloved and Lovable Child
- Bhalchandra – Moon-Crested Lord
- Bheema – Huge and Gigantic
- Bhupati – Lord of the Gods
- Bhuvanpati – God of the Gods
- Buddhinath – God of Wisdom.
- Buddhipriya – Knowledge
- Buddhividhata – God of Knowledge
- Chaturbhuj – One who has Four Arms
- Devadeva – Lord of All Lords
- Devantakanashakarin – Destroyer of Evils and Asuras
- Devavrata – One who accepts all Penances
- Devendrashika – Protector of All
- Dhoomravarna – Smoke Hued Lord
- Durja – Invincible Lord
- Dvaimatura – One who has two Mothers
- Ekaakshara – He of the Single Syllable
- Ekadanta – Single-Tusked Lord
- Ekadrishta – Single-Tusked Lord
- Eshanputra – Lord Shiva’s Son
Sankashti Chaturthi is an auspicious day dedicated to Ganesha. This day is observed in every lunar month of the Hindu calendar on the fourth day of Krishna Paksha.It’s believed that he bestows his presence on earth for all his devotees during this day.
It’s clear that he’s the ruler of all obstacles. If we need to complete any task successfully, we need his grace in advance. So let’s pray to him before we begin any work.”नमामि तं विनायकम्”I pray that Lord Ganesh showers his kind Grace on all of us.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 🙏