Ganesh Festival – Return to innocence

 

 

Hindus celebrate Ganesh festival with great fervor throughout the Hindu Community. But no one really understand why this celebration is and what its spiritual or mystical significance is.

Birth and the Elephant head of Ganesh

The legend narrates the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana. Accordingly once goddess Parvati realized that her privacy is being invaded. Any time Shiva may enter the palace. As a result one day before bathing she created a boy out of the mock coming out of her body after applying the saffron paste on her body. Having created the human form out of the mock she infused life force in him and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom.

This is how Ganesh was born the legend says. Parvati assigned Ganesh the role of a Gatekeeper – or ‘DWARPAL’. It comes from two words ‘DWAR’ – door and ‘PAAL’ – guard.

Later when Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access. When unable to enter Shiva struck off the boy’s head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief hearing that her husband has cut off the head of the boy-guard Ganesh. To console her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name ‘Ganapati’.  Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

The legend ends here. Beyond this legend as enunciated in Shiva Purana no Pundit – Fund-it knows anything. And also knowing more than this is detrimental to priestly business. An awakened one – buddha never bothers about the priest. To the awakened one the priest is the ignorant one who does not want to come out of the shell of ignorance.

hiva is known as Bhairav – who exists in body-mind realm however his consciousness is beyond time and space. He gave the five thousand years old treatise – Vigyan Bhairav Tantra wherein he explained 112 techniques of meditation to his consort Devi. In response to her inquisitiveness about this wonder-filled universe etc. Shiva gave a meditation technique. He could have philosophize the answer to each query as is normally done. Following the meditation technique, Shiva told that she will discover the truth within. Such are the ways of a master.

Truth is naked of all masks of conditioning. Human mind represents the conditioning, preconceived ideas etc. These veil the manifestation of truth. Parvati represents naked truth. This is represented in the symbol of her taking bath. So she need someone to guard her privacy.

Out of her physical energy she created Ganesh and then infused life force. Ganesh is not born out of ovum-sperm relation. Instead he is created for a mystical reason.

Although created out of Parvati’s free will he is still plagued with mind symbolizing conditioning. Shiva the embodiment of awakening beheads Ganesh and the restores the elephant trunk in place to restore life. When a seeker comes to a master he deprograms the seeker. This is symbolized as beheading the seeker so that he becomes a devotee.

With conditioning vanished the seeker attains to innocence. Elephant head symbolizes innocence that renders a seeker as devotee. Innocence is very comprehensive word that incorporates clear inner sky, clear understanding, and the art of listening to the whispers of the unknown and unknowable.

Only when the master beheads the seeker that he becomes devotee – one with clear understanding. Now he is ready to experience truth that is naked….

Also the festival is celebrated for ten days. For nine day the story of Ganesh are narrated. You go on learning. And on the tenth day you submerge all that you have learned in the ocean to become ONE with the ocean. This is your OCEANIC presence – the ONENESS – RETURN TO INNOSENCE.

Ganesh symbolizes the return to innocence.

The rest you can hear from the legends.