Series on Ganesha the Great!
This mini ‘one_act_play’ in english, is designed to convey this theoretical, as well as, the symbolic stories-based information about Lord Ganesha, as found in the text ‘Ganesha Purāṇa’.
जेतुम् य: त्रिपुरम् हरेण, हरिणा व्याजात् बलिम् बध्नता |
स्रष्टुम् वारिभवोद्भवेन भुवनम् शेषेण धर्तुम् धराम् ||
पार्वत्या महिषासुर प्रमथने सिद्धाधिपै: सिद्धये |
ध्यात: पञ्चशरेण विश्वजितये पायात् स नागानन: ||
Vyāsa : Oh Grandpā, Please tell me how did Lord Ganesha took his incarnation as ‘Umāputra’, ‘Gajānana’.
Brahmadeva : My son, please listen to that interesting and spiritually highly symbolic story very carefully. In fact, ‘Ganesha’ as the ‘Divine, infinite and instantaneous computational capability’ of Mother Nature, is Omnitime, Omnipresent (कालत्रयातीत मूलाधार: स्थितोऽसि नित्यम्) and does not have any physically visible shape. The ‘Elephant-head’, i.e., ‘Gajānana’ is his symbolic visible representation, which is easier to ‘carve-out’ or ‘mold’ in the form of an idol for purposes such as i) installation in the temples or in celebration pendant halls, or in the household worship rooms etc. and ii) convenience in carrying out rituals like the Ṣodaśopachāra pūjā vidhī ’ (षोडशोपचार_पूजा) 16-step worship etc. In Ganesha Purāṇa, during the performance of a month long मास-व्रत (Māsa Vrata) from श्रावण शुक्ल चतुर्थी (Śrāvaṇa Śukla Chaturthī) to भाद्रपद शुक्ल चतुर्थी (Bhādrapada Śukla Chaturthī), Goddess Pārvatī is described as creating such a new idol, for her worship every day, out of the (locally easily available materials like) wet soil or thick mud-sand-paste, on the bank of the river or lake, wherever she used to bathe. After completing the worship, she used to immerse that muddy-idol in the water, to let the idol get decayed and destroyed by waves of water.
Vyāsa : Oh Grandpā, it is very interesting. Even today, people should actually encourage their children to create such idol out of mud-sand sludge, instead of purchasing them in the market. The children will enjoy this play of such ‘idol-creations’, boosting their imaginative creativity every day (or at least once in a year, on the occasion of the Ganesha Chaturthī). Further, please explain to me, about how this symbolic form of a ‘Gajānana’ coupled with his other ‘physical attributes-based names’, such as ‘Lambodara’, ‘Brahmānḍodara’, ‘Ekadanta’ etc. have symbolic theoretical representations.
Brahmadeva : My son, ‘Mathematical-Computations’ is believed to be an intellectual capability. The intellect is again believed to reside in the ‘brain’, which is located in the ‘head’. Among all living species, the ‘Gaja’ means ‘Elephant’ has the largest size of ‘Ānana’ or head. Therefore, an Elephant’s head has been chosen by the Vedic sages, to symbolically represent the head of Lord Ganesha.
Vyāsa : Oh Grandpā, It is really a great poetic, as well as, very practical symbolization.
Brahmadeva : Further, the Vedic sages have also a symbolic ‘spiritual significance’, to this huge elephant-head (गज-आनन) as well as, the huge-spheroidal-belly (लम्बोदर, ब्रह्माण्डोदर) of Lord Ganesha. The Vedic three supreme divine powers, Lords a) Brahmā, b) Viṣṇu and c) Śiva (Maheśa) symbolically represent the three subtle shapeless moral characteristics (सत्व, रज, & तम – त्रिगुण) possessed by the ‘Spirit’ or ‘Atmā’ of every living species. Further, they also simultaneously represent the three physical characteristics of a) birth or generation, b) maintenance or existence for a certain life-span period and c) the ‘aging’ resulting in ‘end’ or destruction or death or dissolution, (उत्पत्ति, स्थिति & लय) of every living-species, as well as, nonliving objects. However, both varieties of these (त्रिगुण ) Triplet characteristics are neither visible to human eyes in any shape or form (like stars, animals, mountains, rivers etc.), nor can they be sensed by the five human sense organs (viz. touch, smell, vision, taste & hearing) or even by any human tools or instruments. They can only be visualized and understood by human ‘Intellect’, the symbolic wife of Lord Ganesha, invisibly residing within each living species. Therefore, they are categorized by the Vedic sages as undetectable or un-sensable and shapeless (निर्गुण, निराकार) forms of ‘Natural Existence’, called ‘ब्रह्म’.
On the other hand, a) the nonliving bodies like the stars, galaxies, trees, mountains, rivers, etc. along with b) the physical bodies of any living species, are either visible to the human eyes or are detectable by the instruments (like microscopes, telescopes etc.). Their shapes and sizes can be seen, measured and counted (like the red or white blood cells of different varieties, in the microscopic blood analysis). The size and shape of this entire universe which has emerged as a consequence of the latest ‘Big-Bang’ explosion, has been estimated (using telescopic observations and mathematical computations etc.) to be like a huge spheroidal egg (ब्रह्माण्ड). This visible or detectable presence of our universe, is therefore categorized by the Vedic sages as a ‘Natural Existence’ possessing ‘detectable-characteristics’ (सगुण, साकार ब्रह्म). The Head of ‘Gajānana’ is recognized to represent the characteristics-less ‘Nirguna Brahma’, while his huge belly is recognized to represent the huge spheroidal shape of ‘Saguna Brahma’ or ‘Our Universe’. The bent ‘Trunk’, overlapping both these (सगुण & निर्गुण) formats, is considered as the ‘tie-up-link’ between these two ‘characteristics-possessing’ and ‘characteristics-less’ formats of the ‘Natural Existences’ called ‘Para Brahma’.
Vyāsa : Oh Grandpā, it is really a great spiritually-symbolic-intelligent representation.
Brahmadeva : My son, Lord Ganesha’s favorite sweet is ‘मोदक’ meaning ‘happiness’. He is shown holding it in one of his hands, in his symbolic statues or pictures. In practice, ‘Modaka’ is a sweet item prepared using wheat or rice floor, coconut, milk and sugar, and then cooked by either frying in ghee (or oil) or steaming by hot water vapor in a cooker. It is very tasty as well as, a very well balanced nutritious and healthy food. In a popular four-hand-idol (चतुर्भुज), other three hands are shown to hold
i) A ‘wide axe’ (परशू) representing logical (yes/no or right/wrong type) intelligent ‘discriminating power’,
ii) A ‘noose loop’ (पाश) representing his divine capability to determine the ‘law adherence’ and execute control on developments, using mathematical equation type formulas of every law of mother nature and
iii) A ‘pointed needle type tool’ (अंकुश) representing his divine capability to control every event happening in the entire universe and lead the universe to grow in age and proceed only as per his desired mathematically assessable & forecastable directions.
His residential abode is called as ‘स्वानन्द-लोक’ meaning the hypothetical ‘space’ of ‘self-reliant happiness’. ‘Shubha’ (शुभ meaning Auspiciousness alias क्षेम meaning Austere physical & emotional ‘well-being’) and ‘Lābha’ (लाभ meaning profit or gain or advantage) are regarded as the two symbolic sons of Lord Ganesha. Goddess Santoṣī Mātā (meaning and representing ‘Mental Satisfaction’ सन्तोष, तॄप्ति) is recognized as his symbolic daughter.
Vyāsa : Oh Grandpā, thanks for enlightening me with a lot of symbolic spiritual knowledge about Lord Ganesha and his children. Now please tell me about some of the symbolic and enchanting stories associated with the incarnations of Lord Ganesha, especially his ‘Elephant head’ (Gajānana), incarnation as the son of Goddess Pārvatī.
Brahmadeva : My son, as per the Vedopaniṣadic and Paurāṇic literature, and as prophesied in the Bhagavadgītā and Ganesha Gītā such incarnations take place with the motivation of
a) guarding the saintly,
b) punishing the tyrants and
c) re-establish the moral pattern of behavior
साधून् संरक्षितुम् दुष्टान् ताडितुम् सम्भवाम्यहम् | Ganesha Gītā 3.10
परित्राणाय साधूनाम् विनाशाय च दुष्कृतान् | धर्म संस्थापनार्थाय सम्भवामि युगे युगे: || Bhagavadgītā 4.8 etc.
Like the four major phases of human life, a) the childhood, b) the younghood, c) the mature middle-age hood and d) the oldage-hood; there are four major phases of ‘Nature’s Universal Manifestation’, viz. Kṛutayuga, Tretāyuga, Dwāparyuga and Kaliyuga. In each such ‘Yuga’ periods, whenever there is a drastic failure in ‘morality’ or ‘social index of moral-behavior pattern’ or ‘a rise of highly suppressive tyrannic rule’, an appropriate ‘Incarnation’ of a divine supernatural power like Lord Ganesha, or Lord Śiva or Lord Viṣṇu etc. takes place for a) the protection of saintly personalities b) re-establishment of divine moral principles and values and c) destruction of immoral demonic tyrants
उछिद्य अधर्म निचयम् धर्मम् संस्थापयामि च | हन्मि दुष्टान्श्च दैत्यान्श्च नानालीलाकरो मुदा || Ganesha Gītā 3.11
According to this natural divine legacy or tradition, the ‘Incarnations’ of Lord Ganesha have taken place during the current Mahāyuga (or Chaturyugī) period.
Dr. Dhananjay B. Ghare, Former Scientist, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru
Vedic WAVES 
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