Spiritual Significance of Ganesha Worship

On Ganesha Chaturthi, Bhagavan Baba said in His discourse that we should not have contempt for any religion, as each religion is a pathway to God. We should foster love toward our fellow-beings, and thus receive the noble love of the Divine. This should be our goal of life.

Embodiments of love! Charity is the ornament for hands. Truth is the ornament for speech. Hearing the scriptures is the ornament for ears. Where is the need for other ornaments?

There is no greater experience than the feeling that one is atma—aham ethath. Aham (“I”) is defined as atma, the Self. The word ethath means all these. It covers all the objects in the Universe that are physical and subtle, and the Sun, Moon, stars, and planets. It signifies that you are not the physical body You say “body” that implies that you are not the body. What is this body constituted of? It is a combination of pancha bhutas (five elements), pancha pranas (five vital airs), and the pancha kosas (five sheaths). The entire universe is the body of the Supreme Lord. It consists of all the moving and static things. In Vedantic parlance, it is deemed to be jnana (superior wisdom) when you say, “I am not the body.”

One should be extremely fortunate to realize this. Whatever you see in the external world is drishya (that which is seen). The Sun, Moon, stars, the five elements that are constituents of the Universe are all drishya. You are seeing your body, too, as you see other things. So, the body is also drishya, that which is seen by you. Who is then the seer? The seer is drashta. The body is the object, and you are the seer. Without a seer there is no question of anything being seen. Some people talk about shoonya (emptiness or nothingness). Unless this has been seen, how can they talk about shoonya?

The great message of Ganapati

Knowledge of the seer and the seen is the great message of Ganapati, whose advent we are celebrating today. “Ga” means buddhi (intelligence). ‘Na’ means vijnana (wisdom). ‘Pati’ means master. So, Ganapati is the master of all knowledge, intelligence, and wisdom. There is also another significant meaning for the word, that He is the Leader of all the ganas—the celestial beings. He is also called Vinayaka, which means that he is one who has no master above Him. He is the supreme master. He is beyond the mindless stare. One who has stilled the mind cannot have any master.

Without understanding this truth, we think of the physical form of Vinayaka with the elephant head and human body. Whenever people want to commence any undertaking or start learning music or the fine arts or any branch of knowledge, they first offer worship to Vinayaka.

He is also called Lambodhara, which means Guardian of Wealth—Lakshmi Swaroopa. Here Lakshmi represents all wealth and prosperity and not only dhanam (money), for which there is a separate deity called Dhanalakshmi, one of the eight Lakshmis. Here wealth means sukha and ananda (pleasure and bliss). What is the use of having all other things when one has no pleasure or bliss?

Ganapati endows us with supreme intelligence

Ganapati is one who gives us spiritual potency and endows us with supreme intelligence. These two are termed as Siddhiand Buddhi, respectively. Siddhi and Buddhi are described as his two consorts. As He is the Adhipati (master) of Siddhiand Buddhi, he is regarded as their husband in mundane terms. Vinayaka has no desire and hence there is no need for Him to have wife and children. He is worshipped by people in this country since very ancient times. There is historic evidence that the worship of Vinayaka has been in vogue even in other countries such as Thailand, Japan, Germany, and U. K.

Adoration of Vinayaka as prathama vandana (first deity to be saluted) has been mentioned in the Vedas. Ganapati Tattwafinds a place in the Vedas and Upanishads. Reference to Him is made in the Gayatri also. He is one who instills purity in body, and fearlessness in the mind. It is said, “Tanno Dhanthih Prachodayaat,” giving importance to His tusk.

Some people, out of ignorance, comment upon the big animal form of this Primal Deity and question how one with such a huge form can ride on a small mushika (mouse), which is depicted as His vehicle. Mushika is symbolic of the darkness of ignorance, while Ganesha signifies the effulgence of wisdom that dispels the darkness of ignorance.

Significance of steam-cooked offering

Even the offering that is made to Ganesha has great significance because it is prepared with gram flour and jaggery or pepper and enclosed in an outer covering made from flour paste and then cooked in steam without using oil. This is supposed to be a healthy and delicious food item according to the Ayurvedic system. Modern doctors also recognize the importance of such steam-cooked idlis (rice cakes) that they recommend as post-operative diet for patients as it is easily digestible. Jaggery, too, has the property of controlling gas formation, and this food item gives relief from eye troubles and prevents gastric disorders.

In the ancient traditional mode of observing these festivals, great emphasis was laid on good health as the pre-requisite for spiritual pursuits with a healthy mind. For achieving the four goals of human life—dharma, artha, kama and moksha(righteousness, wealth, desire, and liberation)—one should have basically a healthy body. If you want to earn wealth by righteous means and cherish desires that lead to liberation, you should have sound health.

Vinayaka is also called Vighneshwara as He removes all obstacles coming in the way of devotees who pray to Him sincerely. He is worshipped by students with books so that all that is contained in the books may get into their heads. Now-a-days people are only after dhanam (money). Whatever scholarship one may attain, whatever power and position one may enjoy, one cannot be happy without the peace of mind that is got by pure devotion. One may have immense physical strength, one may pursue the path of meditation and penance, one may acquire profound knowledge, but all these attainments will be of no avail unless one acquires knowledge of the eternal—sathyam, jnanam, anantham Brahma.

Symbolic significance of elephant head

The symbolic significance of Ganesha’s elephant head must be properly understood. The elephant has profound intelligence. For example, yesterday Sai Geeta (Bhagavan’s elephant) came running when it heard the sound of Swami’s car approaching. Though many cars were following Swami’s car, Sai Geeta could unmistakably identify Swami’s car from an uncanny recognition of the sound of the car. That is why it is termed Gaja Thelivi (elephant intelligence). One having a sharp brain is described as having the intelligence of an elephant. It has Medha Shakti.

Moreover, the elephant has large ears and it can hear even minute sounds. Shravanam (hearing the glory of the Lord) is the first step in spiritual sadhana, for that ears should be sharp. After hearing one has to ruminate over this and put it into practice; these are termed as shravana, manana, and nidhidhyasana. The elephant takes the dushana and bhushana(praise and blame) equally. When it hears something bad, it moves its body this way and that way and shakes off the unwanted things while it retains goods things quietly.

Only Vinayaka teaches the lessons that are essential for mankind. You should not stop with installing the idol and doing puja for a few days. You should make efforts to become a Nayaka or Master over yourself. You have the nine-fold path of devotion. Shravanam (hearing), kirtanam (singing His glory), Vishnusmaranam (thinking of and chanting the name),padasevanam (serving at His feet), vandanam (obeisance), archanam (worship), dasyam (serving Him as a servant serves the Master), sakhyam (befriending God), atmanivedanam (surrendering body, mind, and soul). The elephant signifies combining of the first and the last, that is shravanam and atmanivedanam, so that all the other paths in between are covered fully.

When a man is born, he does not have around his neck any necklace of pearls or gems or any possessions. But he is endowed by Brahma with the garland of the effects of his past actions, good or bad, which hangs invisibly around his neck. If you do good, you will enjoy good results, and if you are bad you will not escape suffering the consequences thereof.

The lessons of sacrifice that Vinayaka taught

The teaching of Vinayaka is one of sacrifice. You may not heed the contents of the Puranas, but you should not miss the vital principles that they convey to mankind. When Vinayaka was writing the Mahabharata to the dictation of Sage Vyasa, the latter laid down the condition that Vinayaka should go on writing non-stop whatever Vyasa said. But Vinayaka also stipulated a condition that Vyasa should never stop his dictation but should go on without a break. While he was writing, Vinayaka’s pen broke, and he did not hesitate to break one of his tusks to use it as a pen. That is why he is called Ekadanta or one with a single tusk. This is a shining example of the spirit of sacrifice that Vinayaka exhibited for the welfare of humanity. That is why the Vedas proclaim that it is only by sacrifice one can attain immortality

Bhakti is greater than Jnana

Prema and tyaga (love and sacrifice) constitute bhakti (devotion to God). There is nothing superior to this. Atma jnana(knowledge of the Self) is essential. This was the main teaching of Adi Shankara throughout his life, as he was preaching and following the Vedic dictum “Ekatma Sarvabhutha-Antarathma;” “Ekam Sath Viprah Bahudha Vadanthi“—The one Atma is present in all beings; The one Truth is described in many ways by the wise. He was also preaching that Jnana was nothing but Advaita darshana (vision of non-duality). But, during his last days, Shankara realized that bhakti was greater than jnana. In his famous ‘Bhaja Govindam’, Adi Shankara emphasizes that only the path of devotion will help you to get over the cycle of birth and death.

There is no path superior to that of bhakti. Bhakti does not mean doing puja, bhajans, going on pilgrimage to holy shrines, etc. Bhakti means diverting the pure and unsullied mind toward God. People do not know the real meaning of prema [love]. The love you have for other beings is only temporal. God is the only one that is eternal. Love of God is bhakti. All other love may be termed as anuraga (affection, attachment), which results in bondage, while love of God leads to liberation.

One may raise a question whether it is possible for everyone to realize the goal through the love of God. One may not achieve this instantaneously but can do so progressing step by step. By bhajans (devotional singing) and other forms of worship one may advance toward the goal of final emancipation. There is no meaning in saying that one is searching for God. It is God who is searching for a true devotee. This is as true today as it was in the past. God is neglected by people when He is easily attained. What is easily obtained at home is not relished so much as what you get outside, though it is not wholesome.

Significance of offering your hair to God

In olden days, people going on pilgrimage to Thirupati used to climb the hills step by step chanting the name Govinda, Govinda, as they climbed. Thus, the pilgrimage was performed with sincere devotion and Namasmarana [repeating the Lord’s name]. But these days people go by buses and cars, gossiping all the while, and indulging in unholy pursuits. The tonsure ceremony in which one shaves his head completely and offers his hair to the Lord of Thirupati signifies your giving up your tamoguna (ignorance and lethargy) that is symbolized by the hair on the head. The hair is black. Giving up the hair indicates giving up tamoguna. You must assimilate satwaguna.

All acts of worship have a spiritual significance. Now-a-days, people do not understand their inner significance, they give up not only their hair but also waste a lot of money and return home without being any the wiser for the trip.

You may install idols and worship them. But do not forget the inner significance of all worship. All external activities are necessary only to help you to get into the spirit of non-duality and experience unity in diversity. Love and sacrifice are very important. Where there is pure, unsullied, selfless, sacred, and sublime love there is no fear at all. Giving and not getting is the underlying principle of spiritual sadhana. Your heart is full of love, but you are using it only for selfish purposes instead of diverting it toward God. God is in the heart and not in the head. The heart is prema mayam (full of love). On these festival days, you should remember that God is one, and all religions uphold the same principle of “One God, who is omnipresent.” You should not have contempt for any religion, as each is a pathway to God. Fostering love toward your fellow-beings, receive the noble love of the Divine. This is the goal of life.

Source: Sathya Sai Speaks, Vol. 27

We are developing in each department of life, but it is a pity that we are not developing the unique qualities of human beings. Develop the atmic awareness, the consciousness of the Divine and the acquisition of Divine attributes. Expand love and understanding.

~Baba