Ganesh

Representation or Mûrti

Traditionally represented with a body of large red coloured man generally having four arms and a head of elephant to only one defense, its Vâhana or vehicle is a rat or a mouse, Mûshika. This last only symbolizes sometimes the god with him, as can do it Nandi for his/her father. Both are complementary, the elephant massive, powerful and considered, the small, mobile and malicious rat, have thus all the assets necessary to solve the problems of the world.

The most frequent attributes of Ganesh are:

the axe (parashu) , arms traditional with Shiva, destroys desire and attachment, and thus removes agitation and sorrow.
the slip knot ('pasha) which is used to capture the error.
the pivot with elephant (ankusha) symbol of its control on the world.
broken defense knows several interpretations. A myth tells that Ganesh used it to write the Veda or the Mahâbhârata under the dictation of Vyasa. This is why one calls also Ganesh Ekadanta ( ek , one and danta , tooth), that which has only one defense.
the Mâlâ, a garland or a chain comprising 50 elements, the 50 letters of the alphabet Sanskrit
the cake (modaka) or the bowl of delicacies (will modaka-patra) , the softness which rewards the researcher for truth.

In the south of India and with the Sri Lanka, Ganesh holds sometimes a fruit in its hand, a mango or a lemon. One knows, particularly with the Nepal, of the representations of Ganesh to more than four arms and more than one head, often connected to the Tantrisme.

Ganesh most often sat, on a throne of lotus, the folded up left leg, the hanging right leg, in a relaxed posture. But it can be represented dancing: let us not forget that his/her Shiva father is Nataraja, the king of the dance. Also sometimes one finds it lengthened on a sofa, a book open in front of him.

Symbolism

Ganapati is one of the symbols of the identity between the Macrocosme and the Microcosme, between the divine one and the human one. This symbolic system is found in the respective faces of Ganesh, the elephant, the largest terrestrial animal and its vâhana, the mouse, a very small mammal.

In her representation, the lower part is the human part and the upper part, the head, is the elephantine and divine part. He is a man but its spirit is with the image of cosmos, he thus can, by the power of the thought, to draw aside the obstacles of ignorance and to include/understand the nature of Univers.Il carry sometimes a royal cobra in cord or in the form of belt. When it is related to the head, it is a symbol of protection.

Genesis

The stories which explain how Ganesh obtains its head are many and varied. Often derived from the Shiva Purâna , they tell that Shiva, returning from one long period of meditation in the the Himalayas, found an young man barring the door of his house to prevent it from entering while Pârvatî took its bath. The young man was the son that it (half) goddess had conceived herself, by means of dust and of the ointments which it had scraped of on her skin, to hold company during its loneliness to him. Furious to see itself prohibiting the entry of its house, Shiva left its sword and cut the head of sound “wire” which rolled to far and became untraceable.

Realizing that, Pârvatî told him all the history and, inconsolable, required that it give again life with his son at once. Shiva promised that it would replace the head by that of the first creature which would be presented. An elephant passed… By this act, and although Ganesh was conceived without him, Shiva assumes its paternity. This episode would have, according to some, a very precise symbolic system: the fact that " is needed; to slice the tête" to reach the " Shakti" , represented by Parvati, i.e. intellect must be withdrawn to contact divine energy.

According to a legend tamoule of Kânchîpuram, the head of elephant would be due to the fact that during frolicking having led to the design of the divine child, Shiva and Uma (Pârvatî) had adopted the shape of a couple of elephants.

In another history, Pârvatî introduced their son to Shiva which opened its third eye and transformed its head into ashes. Brahmâ then required to replace this head and as an elephant had suddenly passed…

As regards broken defense, one tells that one Ganesh night fell from its rat and a defense broke. By seeing that the moon burst of laughing. Ganesh then launched broken defense to him, and for this day at the time of the processions in the honor of Ganesh one has avoided looking at the Moon.

Epithets of Ganesh

Ganesh increases a great number of other names except Ganapati, one will note in particular Vighneshvara , the Master of the obstacles, Vinâyaka , best of the guides, Gajânana , face of elephant, Gajâdhipa , king of the elephants.

Festivals

The Maharashtra knows an important celebration of the god, during 10 days and starting with the Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival was created by Balgangadhar Tilak with an aim of exalter the nationalist feeling when India was under the English yoke. The festival is very popular and culminates the day of Anant Chaturdashi when the Mûrti S , or the icons, of the god are immersed in water, which, with Bombay, is done in the Mer of Oman, and with Pune, in the Mula-Mutha river.

External bonds

the site of the temple of Ganesh to Paris/Festival of Ganesh
the procession of Ganesh to Paris
the site of reference on Ganesh
Tibetan Ganesh

Sources

Paul Martin-Dubost, Gaṇeśa, the Enchanter of the three worlds , Project for farming Indian Studies, Bombay, 1997

Simple: Ganesha

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