Today is the birthday of the God of Wisdom - Lord Ganesh.
Since My Life Purpose is to grow in wisdom, this day is a very important day of the year for me.
My Life Purpose "To impact millions of people to lead a more peaceful, relaxed, productive, and happy life through my books, blogs, Social media channels, learning content and coaching, so they can lead a life of abundance, happiness, and fulfillment."
Who is Lord Ganesh?
Ganesha is the formless Divinity - encapsulated in a magnificent form, for the benefit of the devotee. As per Hindu mythology, he is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.
The Meaning of Ganesh
Gan means group. The universe is a group of atoms and different energies. This universe would be in chaos if there was no supreme law governing these diverse groups of entities.
The Lord of all these groups of atoms and energies is Ganesha. He is the supreme consciousness that pervades all and brings order in this universe.
Lord Ganesha is
Achintya – beyond thought
Avyakta – beyond expression
Ananta – eternal
The Essence of Lord Ganesha
The essence of Ganesha is brought out beautifully by Adi Shankara. Though Ganesha is worshiped as the elephant-headed God, the form is just to symbolize the qualities of the Divine.
He is, 'Ajam Nirvikalpam Niraakaaramekam.' This means Ganesha is Ajam (unborn), he is Nirvikalpa (attributeless), he is Niraakaar (formless) and he symbolizes the consciousness which is omnipresent.
Ganesha is the same energy which is the reason for this universe. It is the energy from which everything manifests and into which everything will dissolve.
The Story of Lord Ganesha's Birth.
We are all familiar with the story of how Ganesha became the elephant-headed God.
As the story goes, Parvati became dirty when she was celebrating with Shiva. When she realized this, she removed the dirt from her body and created a boy out of it. She then asked the boy to keep guard while she bathed.
When Shiva returned, the boy did not recognize him and obstructed his path. Shiva in rage, chopped off the boy's head and entered. At seeing this, Parvati was shocked. She explained to Shiva that the boy was their son and pleaded with Shiva to save him.
Shiva then instructed his helpers to go and get the head of someone who was sleeping with their head pointing towards the north. The helpers got the head of an elephant, which Shiva affixed to the boy's torso and Ganesha was born!
Why do we worship Lord Ganesha?
Lord Ganesha is known as Vighnaharta. So, when you worship Lord Ganesha with complete faith, he guides you towards the right path. He gives you the courage to conquer your fears and overcome all obstacles in your life. It is the large ears of Lord Ganesha which symbolizes a patient listener.
He is the Lord of Wisdom and so my favourite deity in the Hindu Pantheon.
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