India will soon be flooded with clay figurines of the elephant headed
God. The usual rituals - daily aartis, family reunions and street entertainment
unplugged - will ensue. Within days, the statues will drift into the sea and
dissolve into oblivion until the following year.
How many among the devout will take the time to contemplate, during this fortnight
of frenetic worship, on the reasons why Ganesha is known as the god of wisdom?
And why the appellation vignaharta, or remover of obstacles, resounds in every
boisterous prayer sung in his praise?
Most of us have heard stories about the beloved pot-bellied god - thanks largely
to the vividly dramatized Amar Chitra Katha (now on prime time TV). There's
the one about Ganesha and Karthikeya in a sibling competition over who could
go faster around the world. While Kartikeya clambered onto his peacock and flew
off, Ganesha hung around his parents, continued to play and then walked briskly
around the divine couple three times, hand folded.
His wisdom in this case lies perhaps, in recognizing that, with the right values
and a little ingenuity, you can effortlessly achieve what others strive endlessly
to attain. Ganesha recognized the universal God beside him. He did not feel
the need to prove his machismo.
Another story tells of the birth of the elephant-headed God, Parvati (wife of
Lord Shiva) crated from her flesh, a boy to guard her while she bathed. When
Shiva showed up, he was not allowed in. And in a fit of rage, the God of destruction
sliced Ganesha's head off. Incensed Parvati ordered her hapless husband to restore
her son. He picked the first animal that came before him and brought Ganesha
back to life.
It is no coincidence that an elephant ended up being the god of wisdom's better
half. Why, indeed was it not a snow bear or a mountain goat - more likely prospects
in the lofty abode of the Shiva family? At the risk of making the unlikely connection
between philosophy and anatomy, the elephant has enormous ears and a small mouth:
the path to wisdom involves listening more, talking less.
It has narrow, tiny eyes, like someone who carefully scrutinizes things around
him. A wise person, likewise, always examines a situation closely and attempts
to understand its deeper resonances. For instance, if someone unleashes anger
or hatred on you, wisdom teaches that one ought not to take it personally, but
to realize that the problem may lie within the other person. And to forgive
him or her.
Ganesha has a big belly. He is able to digest all that is happening around him,
good and bad, praise and criticism. Yet the rotund one is light enough to straddle
a tiny mouse. For he does not hold grudges or ill-will - feelings that make
one heavy and unwieldy.
Finally, why is Ganesha's vahana (vehicle) a mouse? Our anatomist-philosopher
guru suggests that this scuttling creature represents the mind, which has a
tendency to dart about, picking up fickle fantasies and devious desires along
the way. Ganesha's true wisdom lies in the fact that he is able to control the
mouse, to rein it and bring it to rest at his feet. Control over one's mind
is thus the ultimate sign of wisdom. The Bhagvad Gita speaks of a stable mind
- one which does not jump around chasing ephemeral and base desires, but remains
in a state of placidity and eventually attains to bliss.
Let us pray to Ganesha to enable us to rein our thoughts, channelise our energies
and bring the manic mouse to rest at our feet.
Article courtesy Kaustubh's Articles
