Lord Ganesha: his birth story, symbolism meaning and practice

The birth of Ganesha

One day Goddess Parvati was at home on Mt.Kailash preparing for a bath. As she didn’t want to be disturbed, she told Nandi, her husband Shiva’s Bull, to guard the door and let no one pass. Nandi faithfully took his post, intending to carry out Parvati’s wishes. But, when Shiva came home and naturally wanted to come inside, Nandi had to let him pass, being loyal first to Shiva. Parvati was angry at this slight, but even more than this, at the fact that she had no one as loyal to Herself as Nandi was to Shiva. So, taking the turmeric paste (for bathing) from her body and breathing life into it, she created Ganesha, declaring him to be her own loyal son.

The next time Parvati wished to bathe, she posted Ganesha on guard duty at the door. In due course, Shiva came home, only to find this strange boy telling him he couldn’t enter his own house! Furious, Shiva ordered his army to destroy the boy, but they all failed! Such power did Ganesha possess, being the son of Devi Herself!

This surprised Shiva. Seeing that this was no ordinary boy, the usually peaceful Shiva decided he would have to fight him, and in his divine fury severed Ganesha’s head, killing him instantly. When Parvati learned of this, she was so enraged and insulted that she decided to destroy the entire Creation! Lord Brahma, being the Creator, naturally had his issues with this, and pleaded that she reconsider her drastic plan. She said she would, but only if two conditions were met: one, that Ganesha be brought back to life, and two, that he be forever worshipped before all the other gods.

Shiva, having cooled down by this time, and realizing his mistake, agreed to Parvati’s conditions. He sent Brahma out with orders to bring back the head of the first creature he crosses that is laying with its head facing North. Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant, which Shiva placed onto Ganesha’s body. Breathing new life into him, he declared Ganesha to be his own son as well, and gave him the status of being foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings), Ganapati.

Meaning of the story of  Ganesh

At first glance, this story just seems like a nice tale that we might tell our children, or a myth without any real substance. But, it’s true mystical meaning is veiled. It is explained thus:

Parvati is a form of Devi, the Parashakti (Supreme Energy). In the human body She resides in the Muladhara chakra as the Kundalini shakti. It is said that when we purify ourselves, ridding ourselves of the impurities that bind us, then the Lord automatically comes. This is why Shiva, the Supreme Lord, came unannounced as Parvati was bathing.

Nandi, Shiva’s bull, who Parvati first sent to guard the door represents the divine temperment. Nandi is so devoted to Shiva that his every thought is directed to Him, and he is able to easily recognize the Lord when He arrives. This shows that the attitude of the spiritual aspirant is what gains access to Devi’s (the kundalini shakti’s) abode. One must first develop this attitude of the devotee before hoping to become qualified for the highest treasure of spiritual attainment, which Devi alone grants.

After Nandi permitted Shiva to enter, Parvati took the turmeric paste from Her own body, and with it created Ganesha.. Yellow is the color associated with the Muladhara chakra, where the kundalini resides, and Ganesha is the deity who guards this chakra. Devi needed to create Ganesha, who represents the earthbound awareness, as a shield to protect the divine secret from unripe minds. It is when this awareness begins to turn away from things of the world, and toward the Divine, as Nandi had, that the great secret is revealed.

Shiva is the Lord and Supreme Teacher. Ganesha here represents the ego-bound Jiva. When the Lord comes, the Jiva, surrounded as it is with the murky cloud of ego, usually doesn’t recognize Him, and maybe even ends up arguing or fighting with Him! Therefore, it is the duty of the Lord, in the form of the Guru, to cut off the head of our ego! So powerful is this ego however, that at first the Guru’s instructions may not work, as Shiva’s armies failed to subdue Ganesha. It often requires a tougher approach, but, eventually the compassionate Guru, in His wisdom finds a way.

Devi threatened to destroy the whole Creation after learning of Ganesha’s demise. This indicates that when the ego thus dies, the liberated Jiva loses interest in its temporary physical vehicle, the body, and begins to merge into the Supreme. The physical world is here represented by Devi. This impermanent and changeable creation is a form of Devi, to which this body belongs; the unchanging Absolute is Shiva, to which belongs the Soul. When the ego dies, the external world, which depends on the ego for its existence, disappears along with it. It is said that if we want to know the secrets of this world, which is a manifestation of Devi, then we must first receive the blessings of Ganesha.

Shiva restoring life to Ganesha, and replacing his head with an elephant’s, means that before we can leave the body, the Lord first replaces our small ego with a “big”, or universal ego. This doesn’t mean that we become more egoistic. On the contrary, we no longer identify with the limited individual self, but rather with the large universal Self. In this way, our life is renewed, becoming one that can truly benefit Creation. It is however only a functional ego, like the one Krishna and Buddha kept. It is like a thin string tying the liberated Consciousness to our world, solely for our benefit.

Ganesha is given dominion over the Ganas, which is a general term denoting all classes of beings, ranging from insects, animals and humans to the subtle and celestial beings. These various beings all contribute to the government of the Creation; everything from natural forces like storms and earthquakes, to the elemental qualities like fire and water, to functioning of the body’s organs and processes. If we don’t honor the Ganas, then our every action is a form of thievery, as it is unsanctioned. Therefore, instead of propitiating each Gana in order to receive their blessings, we bow to their Lord, Sri Ganesha. By receiving His grace, we receive the grace of all. He removes any potential obstacles and enables our endeavors to succeed.

Such is the greatness of Sri Ganesha! Jai Ganesha!

The Power of the Mantra.

The most potent blessing we could ever receive from a sage, a yogi or any enlightened master is to receive the uplifting, igniting grace of our own consciousness.

Traditionally, in India, the method of conveying awakening consciousness is especially through mantra (Sanskrit and Tamil along the lines of liberating consciousness, a word or sound repeated to aid in meditation). In the mystical yogic tradition of the South Indian Siddhars, there is less emphasis in teachings through writings or even oral teachings and much of the wisdom is conveyed through the mantra energy that awakens the inner knowledge.

Mantra recitation can be said to be the mother of meditation. With the recitation of a mantra, the mind immediately focuses on a single thought leading to transcendence (awareness beyond the mind). By reciting the mantra, effortless meditation is enhanced even while doing mundane chores.

When we meet a higher conscious being in the form of a saint, yogi, or even disguised in the ordinary like a taxi driver, we know that we are uplifted by the words, action or simply the mere presence of that person.

Higher conscious beings flow with a vibration of peace and harmony. It is said that when Buddha would walk from place to place, crisscrossing each village and town, his presence was felt by people over 10 miles around him. On feeling his presence as peace, love and calm, thousands would gather near Buddha to experience more of this vibrancy.

There are many scientific studies on meditation that have proven that meditation gives more benefits to society than merely inner peace for the meditator. The effect of mass meditation has been noted to effect surrounding areas by a significant drop in crime rate.

When the founder of Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, conducted a group meditation with hundreds of people, the crime rate in the surrounding area was notably decreased. This energy field produced by meditation has, for a long time, been referred to by yogis as consciousness.

Sages, yogis and masters of higher consciousness in India have for thousands of years imparted consciousness through the mantra.

The secrets of power within the mantras are:

1. Mantras serve as a bridge of consciousness.

When receiving the mantra from a guru, understand the significance of this to be an initiation in which we are forever connected in consciousness with the guru. By reciting the mantra, the seeker is able to climb above states of consciousness and become the master.

Every time we chant our mantra, we are invoking the presence of our guru. An enlightened master’s presence in our lives is protecting, nurturing and guiding. Gradually, our own consciousness becomes the presence of the master.

2. Mantra chants create the specific realities we desire.

Each mantra holds a specific dimension of reality. For instance, when we chant a mantra for the goddess of abundance, we will see that we reflect abundance in our realities.

Understand the power of recitation of mantras to be tapping into the realities we desire. When there is a deep fear and we recite a specific mantra, we are creating an energy field to protect ourselves.

The more we trust the abilities of the mantra and recite the mantra from our heart in its intent, the better the mantra works to create the specific reality that we seek.

3. Mantras shift and transform our thoughts and thinking pattern.

Through chanting the mantra, we begin to tune into the inherent vibrations within the mantra and in alignment with those higher vibrations, our mind also perceives thoughts from a higher place.

4. Mantras are a manifestation tool.

When we chant the mantras, our mind is slowly brought to a singular focus like a magnifying glass that converge sun light into fire. Any intent held through the mantra is magnified due to the intensity of focus and an intention that has been held long is thus brought to reality.

5. Mantras are supreme prayers.

Nearly all mantras carry the intent of invoking a specific facet of God/source. Through chanting the mantra we develop a singular focus on the invoked deity. Extended over years of chanting, we realize our connection to the invoked source/God more and more and with greater ease.

6. Mantras fine tune our breath and optimal thinking process.

By chanting the mantras, our inner journey to source/God has begun. Slowly we begin to realize our breath becoming deeper and slower thereby utilizing more of our lungs. This is a natural process that reciting a mantra accomplishes. With enhanced breathing, our mind also thinks optimally from the center of harmony.

7. Reciting the mantra awakens the state of bliss.

As we chant the mantra, we transcend the limits of the mind. Reciting mantras induce bliss due to the mind slipping away from its past momentum and acquiring the stress free now moment. We awaken to the nowmoment that is devoid of worrying of the past or future, when the mind is subdued to the ever present harmony in the core of our being. We are able to experience a state of joy within the mantra that the sages of antiquity held on to. Hold on the state of joys embedded within the mantra, and begin to expand this state of joy in our being — as in a body of bliss, as in realities of bliss and in perceiving all realities from the state of bliss.

8. The power and potency within the mantra can constantly be increased.

We realize the mantra chanting as a way of connecting our consciousness with our guru, who imparted the mantra. When we perform acts of goodness and kindness (dharma) we are increasing the power within the mantra.

The mantra serves by being the facilitator to higher consciousness. When we utilize the wisdom of higher consciousness to do good, we are allowing the flow of grace that is awakened through our expanding consciousness.

9. Mantras are empowered with the cooking process.

The more we chant the mantra, the more potent and powerful the mantra becomes. As we chant the mantra over longer periods of time, over the years we realize the mantra’s effect on reality in daily miracles and its potency in realities caused.

With time, the mantras we constantly recite mature and get cooked. When the mantra is cooked over a period of time, the mantra can now be given to another as a field of consciousness that easily alights anyone ready for more consciousness.

Even to simply listen to the mantra chant of an enlightened master can shift our consciousness partly because the mantras have been cooked by the master. The mantra is embedded with blessings of all masters who chanted the mantra before as the lineage behind the mantra.

10. Chant the mantra and awaken to all the goodness of higher consciousness.

Chanting the mantra transforms the mind to an effortless meditative state. When the mind is at a meditative state, our consciousness expands to imbibe all the positive attributes such as less stress, increased empathy, more focus, more optimism, more unconditional love and so on.

11. Mantras carry the vibratory presence of our guru and all the preceding gurus as the lineage presence.

It is wise to receive our mantra from an enlightened master as most mantras are passed from guru to disciple, with the mantras having been chanted by each guru over a whole life time. When we chant the mantra, we are tapping into the primal vibrations of all masters of the past in our own expanding consciousness. When we recite mantras that have a history of lineage, we are able to align to the ancient lineage of the gurus as guidance, protection and grace in our inner journey.

12. Chanting mantras is an optimal solution for those with Attention Deficit (ADD).

Recent scientific studies attest that meditation does help those with ADD. In this age, when from childhood our mind seeks inputs of music, television or information. With mass intake of information and working online, it is only natural that our mind is trained to be have an attention deficit.

The methodology of meditation with the principle of awareness of breath and eradication of thoughts simply does not work—especially for those of us in urban areas. Reciting the mantra is perhaps the surest way to, not only quiet the mind, but also to train the mind to focus on a single point for a longer period of time.

13. Awaken the genius within.

Through chanting we enhance the mind’s ability to meditate, to climb above the normal patterns of the mind. In climbing above the mind, we are able to think outside the box of limitations. Most of the amazing minds of history, from Albert Einstein to Isaac Newton, were able to touch base with the spiritual essence beyond the mind and see the higher perspective that we refer to as genius. When we go behind to understand the awareness that exists beyond our thought pattern and thinking process, we are tapping into a state of super consciousness — that the yogi sages call the state of turiya. Chanting leads us to this super consciousness state that all beings of higher consciousness experience.

14. Empower the mantra by constantly doing dharma (heart’s work).

With the essence of the mantra being the energy field of connection between our own consciousness and the consciousness of the guru behind the mantra, each act of goodness empowers the mantra in its potency.

Since mantras enhance realities as our energy, within manifesting the reality we desire the realities we manifest is directly related to the mantra energies we awaken. When we do charitable good deeds, the mantra within us feeds on the good energies created to become even more potent.

15. Mantras enable the transformative journey within.

Through mantras we change patterns of our past thinking. The spiritual history of India is filled with ignorant persons who were earlier, robbers and murderers wanting to change their lives; surrendering to a mantra and then emerging as enlightened masters. All it takes to awaken the highest wisdom within ourselves is the initiation through mantra and then our journey to become a master unfolds. When we are ready, the right mantra is received.