A Simple Guide to Help Understand Hindu Gods
Lord Ganesha
The Elephant Headed God


Lord Ganesha

Lord Ganesha, with his elephant head, is probably the most recognized and loved of all Hindu gods.

Easily recognizable as the elephant-deity riding a mouse, Ganesha is arguably he most popular Hindu God, and one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha is depicted has having a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. In his hands he carries a rope (to carry devotees to the truth), an axe (to cut devotees' attachments), and a sweet dessert ball (to reward devotees for spiritual activity). His fourth hand's palm is always extended to bless people. He is the lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of knowledge, wisdom and wealth.

A unique combination of his elephant-like head and a quick moving tiny mouse vehicle represents tremendous wisdom, intellegence, and presence of mind.

Lord Ganesha
Lord Ganesha

Why Does Ganesha Have an Elephant's Head?

Shiva was such a recluse that he was not interested in marital activities even after he married Parvati. As a result Parvati created a child out of her own body. Shiva was gone from the heavens when the Demon Taraka and his forceds attacked in an effort to take over. Parvati had told her child to protect the heavens from all intruders, which of course he did. Shiva returned and was stopped by a large baby. Of course neither the baby nor Shiva knew who each other were (father and son). Shiva becamed irritated at the baby's refusal to allow him into heaven that he chopped off the baby's head. Parvati showed up and and when she learned what Shiva had done she went into such a rage that she turned into Kali. This scares Shiva and agrees to restore the baby to life. Unfortunately he had hit the head so hard that it flew far away and it could not be found. So Shiva instructed the king of the monkeys, Hanuman to go north and bring him the head of the first living thing he found facing west. Hanuman did as he was told and returned with an elephant's head. Shiva placed the head on the baby's body and he was brought back to life.

That's my undestanding of the story and I'm sticking with it.

"Ganesha is the Ever-Blissful, elephant-headed deva (god) who is lovingly worshipped and revered by millions of people worldwide. Although Ganesha is known through the Hindu religion, Shri Ganesha transcends religion and is loved by many non-Hindu's. The son of Shiva and Parvati, Shri Ganesha, is the God of Good Luck and Auspiciousness and is the Dispeller of problems and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the God of wisdom, wealth, health, celibacy, fertility and happiness. Ganesha is glorified as one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu,Shiva, Shakti and Ganesha) whose worship confers immortality and liberation." Known as Vinayaka, he "is the deity who removes all bad qualities, instills good qualities and confers peace on the devotee who meditates on him. Vinayaka means that he is totally master of himself. He has no master above him. He does not depend on anyone. He is also called Ganapathi. This term means he is the lord of the ganas, a class of divine entities. This term also means that he is the master of the intellect and discriminating power in man. He possesses great intelligence and knowledge. Such knowledge issues from a pure and sacred mind." Lord Ganesha
Lord Ganesha

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