Knowing Ganesha!
Quarantine days are showing me a different side of life - a playback speed of 0.75 has been set in my life. I can see, hear and absorb things a lot more clearly. I am liking the high energy level and my dedication to reading and working out, and a lot of me time.
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12313226-99-thoughts-on-ganesha
Rate: 4/5
A recent book that I picked was on Ganesha. It's by Devdutt Patnaik and it's called 99 thoughts on Ganesha. I discovered a lot of fun facts and stories about Ganesha. The best part about this book is that it eventually connects with reality of why Ganesh Chaturthi is big, and how Ganesha is beyond India, and how different puraans have different stories and nothing is a fact. Some of my discoveries :)
1. Lakshmi and Ganesha are NOT a couple. Some theories suggest Lakshmi and Saraswati are sisters of Ganesha, and Shakti is the mother. Some theories say Ganesh is the adopted son of Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu).
2. The right side symbolises spiritual side and the left side symbolises materialistic side. Ganesha's trunk turning left side shows him embracing the materialistic world. Shiv standing on left foot is embracing the spiritual side and Krishna/Vishnu keeping his feet crossed shows a balance of both worlds.
3. Ganesha has different versions in Nepal (heramba) and even Japan (kangiten). The Japanese Ganesha is a twin figure of a man & woman hugging each other.
4. Modak of Ganesha symbolise Kuber's money patly.
5. Elephant is a sign of prosperity. Only kings could afford it as it needs a lot of food to thrive, and thus Ganesha is a sign of prosperity.
6. Story of serpent around Ganesha's stomach comes from the fact that he ate too much which came out and so he tied serpent. I know!!
7. Bal Gangadhar Tilak made Ganesh Chathurthi popular because he wanted different people of castes to come together for Independence movement.
8. Earlier India didn't have idol worship. When Indians and Greeks came in contact, we got introduced to the idea of animal headed gods (from Egypt) and hence Ganesha came.
9. One tusk (tooth) shows tamed elephant.
10. Mangal murti... mars.. auspicious.. that's why he's first and worshipped before all.
11. One theory: Paravati created him through haldi on her skin. Shivji didn't know about this new son, and when Ganesha didn't allow him to go inside while Parvati was having bath, Shiv ji cut off his head. And hence the new elephant head.
12. Ganesha took round of shiv Parvati as his world, and his brother Karthikeya took round of entire world.
13. Ganesha Chathurthi is time of spring, so "agle baras tu jaldi aa" is associated with welcoming spring time again.
14. Rat and snake peacefully stay together on Ganesha.
15. Rat symbolises fertility and Ganesha symbolises that. (remember? bhanjan ko putra det, nirdhan ko maaya)
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12313226-99-thoughts-on-ganesha
Rate: 4/5
A recent book that I picked was on Ganesha. It's by Devdutt Patnaik and it's called 99 thoughts on Ganesha. I discovered a lot of fun facts and stories about Ganesha. The best part about this book is that it eventually connects with reality of why Ganesh Chaturthi is big, and how Ganesha is beyond India, and how different puraans have different stories and nothing is a fact. Some of my discoveries :)
1. Lakshmi and Ganesha are NOT a couple. Some theories suggest Lakshmi and Saraswati are sisters of Ganesha, and Shakti is the mother. Some theories say Ganesh is the adopted son of Lakshmi (wife of Vishnu).
2. The right side symbolises spiritual side and the left side symbolises materialistic side. Ganesha's trunk turning left side shows him embracing the materialistic world. Shiv standing on left foot is embracing the spiritual side and Krishna/Vishnu keeping his feet crossed shows a balance of both worlds.
3. Ganesha has different versions in Nepal (heramba) and even Japan (kangiten). The Japanese Ganesha is a twin figure of a man & woman hugging each other.
4. Modak of Ganesha symbolise Kuber's money patly.
5. Elephant is a sign of prosperity. Only kings could afford it as it needs a lot of food to thrive, and thus Ganesha is a sign of prosperity.
6. Story of serpent around Ganesha's stomach comes from the fact that he ate too much which came out and so he tied serpent. I know!!
7. Bal Gangadhar Tilak made Ganesh Chathurthi popular because he wanted different people of castes to come together for Independence movement.
8. Earlier India didn't have idol worship. When Indians and Greeks came in contact, we got introduced to the idea of animal headed gods (from Egypt) and hence Ganesha came.
9. One tusk (tooth) shows tamed elephant.
10. Mangal murti... mars.. auspicious.. that's why he's first and worshipped before all.
11. One theory: Paravati created him through haldi on her skin. Shivji didn't know about this new son, and when Ganesha didn't allow him to go inside while Parvati was having bath, Shiv ji cut off his head. And hence the new elephant head.
12. Ganesha took round of shiv Parvati as his world, and his brother Karthikeya took round of entire world.
13. Ganesha Chathurthi is time of spring, so "agle baras tu jaldi aa" is associated with welcoming spring time again.
14. Rat and snake peacefully stay together on Ganesha.
15. Rat symbolises fertility and Ganesha symbolises that. (remember? bhanjan ko putra det, nirdhan ko maaya)
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