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Ganapati or Ganesha, also known as Vinayaka, is perhaps, the most popular of the Hindu deities worshipped by all sections of the Hindus. No undertaking, whether sacred or secular, can get started without first honouring and worshipping him. This is understandable and highly desirable, since he is said to be the lord of obstacles (Vighnesvara or Vighnaraja).
Notwithstanding the fact that the Ganapati referred to in the famous Rgvedic mantras, gananam tva ganapatim havamahe...' (2.23.1) and 'nisu sida ganapate...' (10.112.9) and the Ganapati we worship today are strangers to each other, all unbiased scholars agree that the seeds of the Ganapati concept are already there in the Rgveda itself.
The Rgvedic deity 'Ganapati-Brahma-naspati' also called Brhaspati and Vacaspati manifests himself through a vast mass of light. He is golden-red in colour. The battle axe is an important weapon of his. Without his grace no religious rite can succeed. He is always in the company of a group (gana = a group) of singers and dancers.
He vanquishes the enemies of gods, protects the devoted votaries and shows them the right way of life. The most commonly accepted form of Ganapati depicts him as red in colour and in a human body with an elephant's head. Out of the two tusks, one is broken. He has four arms. Two of the arms hold the pasa (noose)and ankusa (goad).
The other two are held in the abhaya and varada mudras. The belly is of generous proportions and is decorated with a snake-belt. There is also a yajnopavita (sacred bhraminical thread), either of thread or of serpent. He may be seated in padmasana (lotus-posture). When the belly does not permit this, the right leg may be shown bent and resting on the seat.
☸ Apart from beautiful robes and ornaments, he wears a lovely carved crown.
☸ The trunk may be turned to the left or to the right.
☸ He is normally seen helping himself to liberal quantities of modaka (a kind of sweet).
☸ A mouse, of ridiculously small proportions, is seen near him, nibbling at his share of the sweet, hoping perhaps, to gain enough strength to carry his master!
Here you will find the internet's largest collection of books on Lord Ganesha including the Ganesa Purana.
FAQs
Lord Ganesh wrote down the Mahabharata as dictated by Veda Vyasa at Ganesh gufa at Mana village in Uttarakhand. Ganesha agreed on a counter condition when he demanded that Veda Vyasa should not stop dictating the epic. The moment it is stopped, Ganesha would also stop writing. Continuous dictation tired Vyasaji. In between, he desperately needed a break.
At such times, he would use a difficult bunch of words. Ganesha finding them difficult would scratch his head. Taking a deep breath, Vyasji would quickly gulp some water to regain strength for dictating by the time Ganesha solved the meaning and wrote down the words.
It is forbidden to offer worship things to Lord Ganesha. If these things are offered even by mistake, then the person gets the opposite effect.
☸ Tulsi (heavenly basil) which is a sacrosanct plant for Hindus is never offered to Ganesha. Tulsi is considered to be the beloved of Vishnu. Also, both Ganesh Ji and Tulsi are involved in a mutual curse.
☸ Broken and dry rice- always offer whole and wet rice.
☸ White sandalwood- Offer yellow sandalwood to Ganesha
☸ Ketki Flowers - Never offer dried flowers
☸ Ganesha is pleased with the offering of Durva i.e. Doob, raw turmeric, laddus, modaks, quince, yellow and red flowers, and clothes.
Ganesha, also called Ganapati, the elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, is also known as the remover of obstacles. Hence, he is traditionally worshiped before the other deities at any major celebration they undertake – be it business, marriage, childbirth, etc. He is the patron of intellectuals, bankers, scribes, businessmen, common men, and authors.
Impressed by his love for his parents and intelligence in winning a race, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and blessed him that he would be worshipped first of all the deities also blessed with the fruit of Knowledge along with that of immortality. Ganesha’s form is highly charming, and mesmerizing with inspiring devotion and love.
Red color : He is often worshiped with red sandalwood paste (raktachandana). Red flowered Hibiscus variety is usually offered to Lord Ganesha Hibiscus is said to be the favorite flower of Lord Ganesha. Red flowers are factors of Mars and the Moon. Red clothes are also preferred in the worship of Ganesha.
Green color : Ganesha loves this color too. Durva (doob) is used in the worship of Ganesha.
Yellow color : This is why Lord Ganesha loves the marigold flowers because of their pure yellow color that these flowers have. One can also worship Ganesha by wearing yellow clothes.
Here we consider ‘story’ as the ‘Purana’. Ganesha Purana has been composed by Maharishi Ved Vyasa. The rishi Ved Vyas has composed numerous Puranas including Ganesh Purana. It contains many stories of Lord Ganesha including his various leelas, wars, Shiva-Parvati marriage, and so on. Ganesha Purana is quite respected & revered amongst the various Puranas.
Generally, Ganesh Purana is stated to have 5 volumes, but actually, this Purana has 9 volumes. Ganesha is the first and foremost god in the Hindu pantheon. Originally, Ganesha Purana describes this significant supernatural entity. Indeed, it is a significant and enriching addition to Indian folklore.
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