The story is told that the elephant-headed Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya, the god of war, were once locked in a dispute. To break the impasse they sought the counsel of their parents, the great God Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Lord Shiva proposed that the boys compete in a race of 3 laps around the universe. Kartikeya mounted his peacock and dashed out of sight, hoping to open up an early lead. Ganesha, on the other hand, was in no hurry. He walked over to Shiva and Parvati, went around them thrice and bowed, saying, "You, my dear parents, are the manifest universe. I have completed the race."
This parable illuminates Ganesha's character - loving, highly intelligent; a fount of wisdom. Immensely loved in India, He is acknowledged as a scholar nonpareil, music runs in His blood, and as his portly figure suggests, He is a confirmed foodie. It was Ganesha who transcribed the great Hindu epic Mahabharata in real time while the sage Vyasa dictated it.
Ties to Ganesha run deep in Hindu families where He is often viewed as a member of the household. He is invoked at the beginning of every new undertaking and His blessings sought at major events in life. Generations of students given to goofing off have been known to petition Him for a lifeline just before writing their final exam.
The festival of Ganesha Chathurthi is celebrated every year, and the festivities in western and southern India are especially intense. Our slideshow looks at this remarkable icon from the Hindu pantheon, with photographs drawn from different parts of the country.
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Katherine Marshall: How Hinduism's Mahabharata Can Help Restore Ethics in India
Hinduism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ganesha - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ganesha: Lord of Success - About the Hindu Elephant-Deity
Goa - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, a low caste untochable who wrote the Indian Constitution :
"Riddles in Hinduism" by B R Ambedkar
http://www.scribd.com/doc/4447669/Riddles-in-Hinduism-by-B-R-Ambedkar
Last month:
Raped Dalit girl kills herself as cops let off the high caste hindu
http://ibnlive.in.com/news/raped-dalit-girl-kills-herself-as-cops-let-off-the-accused/110366-3.html?from=tn
a 16-year-old Dalit girl killed herself Uttar Pradesh after being raped and then threatened by the man accused of committing the crime.
In fact, the police even refused to file an FIR against the accused Balkishan.
The girl, Gomti (name changed), was raped by the upper caste youth in their Khadakhar village on February 12.
Four days later she committed suicide, after the rapist came to her house again to threaten her. Her mother could only watch helplessly as her 16-year-old daughter burned herself to death.
"He came inside our house and took my sister inside a room. We were all screaming. After some time my sister put herself on fire and died," says the girl's sister Kiran.
The family says Gomti took the extreme step because there was no one to help them. The police had first refused to file an FIR against the accused, Balkishan, when they reported the rape
"The police did not file our case nor did they catch the culprit. That's why we have lost our child," says the girl's maternal grandfather.
Ganapati, Song of the Self
by John A. Grimes
S U N Y Series in Religious Studies, 1995
Good book for westerners.
their idea of God (the big one, that is) is subtle and complex, with an unfathomable god; Brahman or the Absolute, impossible to describe or represent; and the myriads of gods or "devas" that are tools for approaching different aspects of that nature-reality-consciousness god.
Ultimately the "work" of the hindu is personal and internal.
Not all mythologies are created equal. Well, I guess taking his name for my moniker expresses my sympathy for the pudgy, lovable guy.
Do they believe that the appitudes of the gods are real..yes. They exist..does not mean that they think there is an four armed elephant headed being wandering around.
It is quite different then Christians, they really believe that their god is up in the sky, siting on a throne watching and judgeing.
Other more ancient religions have grown past that. It does not mean that they do not believe in Ganesha, they do, but as a part of the total that is the one creator/trix. Most of the elder religions have this theaology.
Cutting it ultra short, my personal version of my favorite myth: Ganesha lost his head when Lord Siva, his father, accidentally destroyed it with the fire from his third eye (supreme consciousness.) After freaking out about what he had done, Siva looked for a replacement head (I can only imagine the triple espresso that Parvati gave him...). The Elephant, wisest of animals "donated" his head to the child-god. The poetic metaphor of the destruction of the ego and its replacement by consciousness is a profound, beautiful one.
What a load of bulls**t. Take your anti-Hindu drivel elsewhere.
Ask a Hindu - when did the events of the parable happen?
There is no date attached to it. It did not occur at any specific place. It is not historical. What the parable tells you is true however.
The Hindu "belief" in Ganesha is not the same as the Christian belief in Christ. A Hindu is not defined by his/her belief in any particular god, any god, or no god at all.
btw, there are riots for a place where they believe their god ram built a temple ; but a muslim king built a mosque after destroying it
Google ram mandir-babri masjid
it's more than that. the belief is crazy with no basis
For example Abrahamic mythology vs. Hindu.
Just a thought.
Translation: You can do what ever you like whenever you like just so long as it doesn't cause me harm, be it physical or financial.
Allen
Fascinating.
Uplifting.
Charming.
joyous.
light.
Thank you, Rajan, for sharing and demystifying Ganesha with us. I'll watch for him the next time the PBS "India with Michael Woods" series is on.