God Ganesha (elephant). In Hinduism, the god of wisdom and prosperity

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

The god of wisdom Ganesha is a majestic representative of the Indian pantheon of celestials. Every Hindu at least once in his life said a prayer in his honor, because it is he who is the executor of the cherished desires of man. In addition, with his wisdom, he guides those who want to know the secrets of the universe or strive to succeed in business.

A few words about Hinduism

Hinduism is very different from everything that a Russian person is used to. The religion of this country is based on myths and legends, which are more like fairy tales than true stories from the past. But for Hindus, they are very real, because they have existed in their culture for so long that they have become an integral part of it.

Therefore, it should not be surprising that in modern India, the elephant god Ganesha seems to be as real as Jesus in the European world. This fact is very important, as it allows you to look at the world of Hinduism through the eyes of the Hindus themselves.

Ganesha Skin

God Ganesha is the embodiment of wisdom and success. He is often portrayed as obesea man seated on a throne or a rat. Such an image symbolizes the we alth that comes to the house along with the deity. However, the main difference of the god is the elephant's head, which sets him apart from the rest of the representatives of the Indian pantheon.

It should be noted that the god Ganesha is always depicted with one tusk. There are many legends regarding this detail of his image, but we will discuss them later. Also, depending on its specific incarnation, the number of hands may vary. For example, the usual form of the deity has four of them, and the enlightened one has thirty-two.

Birth of a great god

Any deity in Hinduism is shrouded in many legends and superstitions: some complement the main story, the latter, on the contrary, only contradict it. So it happened with the god of wisdom, whose birth is described in dozens of different legends, which are very different from each other.

According to the main version, Shiva's wife Parvati liked to take a bath all alone. But her husband often interrupted this process by treacherously breaking into the bath. Tired of such behavior, Parvati decided to create a protector for herself, who would block the way to the bathroom for her negligent spouse.

Smeared with clay and saffron, the goddess created a boy, whom she later named Ganesha. Endowed with cosmic power, he promised his mother at all costs to protect her from the visits of Shiva. Alas, Ganesha's determination did not help him in the fight against the supreme god - Shiva, who saw the young protector, became furious and killed the boy with one strong blow.

When Parvati found out about this, she hated her husband. In order to annoy him, she created the goddesses Durga and Kali, who began to wreak havoc around the world. For a long time, Shiva tried to calm his wife, but all his attempts were in vain. Then he revived the boy, endowing him with part of his power. Thus, Ganesha became the son of two great celestials - Shiva and Parvati.

Indian god Ganesha: history and facts

Historians are sure that for the first time the image of Ganesha was formed in the ancient hymn of the Rigveda. It was written about 3.5 thousand years ago, and sang the greatness of the ancient gods. Among other lines was a part dedicated to the deity Brihaspati, who later reincarnated as the god Ganesha.

This part of the anthem can be translated as follows:

We call upon you, O great Gapati ganov (the title of commander of the divine armies)!

Oh, Brihaspati is a poet of poets, a creator of creators!

You are richer than all known, and the most beautiful of all beings!

Hear our prayers and grant us your blessings as you sit on the throne!”

Besides, the existing description of Brihaspati testifies in favor of such a reincarnation. In ancient times, people believed that this deity looks like a large man, endowing everyone with we alth and wisdom. The only thing that remains unknown is how exactly Brihaspati turned into Ganesha. And yet, many theologians are inclined to believe that the old deity simply acquired a new look and name, while retaining most of his abilities and titles.

Place in the divine hierarchy

As mentioned earlier, the god Ganesha is the son of Parvati and Shiva. This makes him a very powerful creature, occupying an honorable place in the pantheon of Hindu immortals. In addition, he is the commander of the heavenly army, which gives him the right to command many younger spirits and yakshas.

Besides this, many myths tell us that Ganesha has an older brother Skanda - the merciless god of war, always competing with the embodiment of wisdom. But the first son of Shiva often lost to his relative, as he always solved problems with force, and not with his mind. It is curious that in India the mass worship of Ganesha began only after the temples of Skanda disappeared. Such a change in the culture of the Hindus is explained by the fact that the need for a warlike god gradually faded away, but the wish-granting creature only strengthened its power.

Ganesha's marital status

Initially, it was believed that the god of wisdom gave a vow of celibacy. This was due to the fact that, according to legend, he practiced a special technique of self-discipline, which involves sexual abstinence - brahmacharya. Because of this, many Hindus believed that the body of their deity would never touch a woman.

However, over the years, moral principles have changed, and with them the legends about the god Ganesh. According to some of them, he was married to three goddesses - Buddhi, Siddhi and Riddhi. They embodied the immovable ideals of wisdom: reason, success and prosperity. But later legends attributed to the elephant god a marriage with a spiritual incarnationculture and art of Saraswati.

Symbols in the image of God

Today every Hindu knows what Ganesha is. A photo of this deity stands in every home, and parents from childhood teach children to recognize the symbols hidden in the face of a saint. And they are as follows:

1. The head of an elephant represents prudence and devotion.
2. Such huge ears allow you to hear even those prayers that are said in the human soul.
3. One tusk symbolizes the power of god and that he cuts through any ambiguity.
4. The trunk is a sign of high intelligence.
5. The big belly demonstrates the we alth and generosity of the deity, which he is ready to share with the whole world.

God and giant demon

Once upon a time, a serious battle broke out between the god and the demon Gajamukha. It should be noted that although the elephant-god had impressive dimensions, he was clearly inferior to his enemy, who was a real giant. Nevertheless, the forces of the opponents were equal, which dragged out the battle for many days.

And so, it would seem, the demon began to defeat Ganesha, pushing him back. In the heat of battle, not wanting to lose, the elephant-like god tore off one of his tusks and launched it at the enemy with all his might. At the same moment, Gajamuku fell to the ground, defeated by an unexpected blow. Moreover, the magic power of the tusk turned the evil demon into an obedient rat, which became the god of wisdom's pet forever.

Elephant head beliefs

Ifbelieve the main version, Ganesha lost his own head on the day when he blocked Shiva's path to his mother's bath. The enraged god not only killed the boy with one blow, but cut off his head, which subsequently disappeared without a trace. Later, this became the main problem of the almighty creator who wants to revive the son of his wife. As a result, seeing no other way out, he sewed on the boy the head of an elephant, which he caught not far in the forest.

The second legend says that God Shani deprived Ganesha of his human face. This happened due to the fact that Shiva forgot to invite his friend to his son's birthday, and this greatly angered him. Bursting into the throne room, Shani looked at the boy with his sizzling gaze, thereby destroying his head. Fortunately, the great sage Brahma was present at the celebration, who advised Shiva to attach the head of another creature to his son. And they became the elephant Airavata, which belonged to the god Indra.

Great Glutton

Ganesha is the god of we alth who loves everything sweet. He especially likes rice balls cooked according to a special recipe. Therefore, everyone who wants to enlist the support of this celestial brings this sweet dish to his altar. There is even a legend about how Ganesha collects gifts from his shrines.

Once the God of Wisdom ate so much treats that he barely climbed on his mount, the rat Gajamukha. He ordered her to slowly take him home so that he could digest everything he ate. But on the way, a snake crawled across their path, because of which the rat stumbled and dropped Ganesha to the ground. From the blow, the stomach of God could not stand it and burst, andall the sweets rolled out.

Fortunately the deity was immortal, and such a turn of events did not kill him. Therefore, he slowly collected all the treats, after which he caught the ill-fated snake. As punishment, he girded his belly with it so that it would hold him forever.

God of wisdom in modern India

To begin with, even today, many Hindus believe in the existence of such a peculiar god as Ganesha. There is a photo of this celestial in every home, as it attracts prosperity and good luck to the family. Moreover, in this country, entrepreneurs are used to carrying the image of this deity in their wallet, sincerely believing that it was it that brought them good luck. In addition, many of them pray for the favor of Ganesha before starting any major transaction. The same applies to students who ask their patron for wisdom and guidance.

Besides this, in many houses there is a statuette of the god Ganesha. If you believe the belief, then she protects her masters from trouble. For example, a fallen piece of clay or a crack means that the figurine has taken the blow of fate or karma. Therefore, they try to immediately change damaged amulets so that they protect their owners in the future.

In addition, once a year, Hindus celebrate the birthday of Ganesha. In his honor, they arrange a magnificent celebration with a colorful festival. On this day, all work is postponed, and people are engaged only in celebration and prayers. At the same time, the Hindus believe that on this night Ganesha will fulfill any desire of a person, if he really believes in him.