Kailash…away from the cycle of birth and death, is the place of salvation on earth. There is no joy there, nor the shadow of sorrow. There is no place for vices like greed, attachment, anger and ego. That Kailash was the place where Mahadev was in samadhi, Nandi was there to serve him, and where Goddess Parvati nourished the universe, but today the situation is different. Mahadev is in samadhi, but Goddess Parvati is upset. His daughter Ashok Sundari has gone to do penance, and his son Kartikeya is upset that he has left Kailash due to differences with his father.
Mahadev regarded the whole world as his family, his children, but his own family was so broken down… These thoughts always troubled Mother Parvati. She came to Mansarovar to bathe, but was still immersed in her own thoughts.
She kept thinking in her mind, if only it were so! I will have a son who will give me all the joy of being a mother. I used to smile at his mischief, he would stay with me at Kailash, he would be my baby. Thinking this way, Goddess Parvati made a child statue out of a mixture of turmeric and powders, her imagination came true under Kalpavriksha, the statue came alive, she giggled and called Goddess Parvati her mother. Thus, Mahaganesh was involved in the first auspicious work so far, used to sit in the establishment of Mangal Kalash, was the first deity to be invited for the first puja of Yagya, which involved only faith and emotion, he appeared in the physical form of Shiva-Parvati, and after becoming a son, he appeared in the form of a child. That day was the Chaturthi date of Shukla Paksha in the month of Bhadrapada, this date was later known as Ganesh Chaturthi.
The same story of Ganesha’s birth and the celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi and its significance is recorded in the Shiv Purana, Skanda Purana and the ancient Atharvashirsha Samhita dedicated to Ganesha, but in slightly different contexts. Similar stories of Ganesha’s birth and origin are also found in folk tales, and are incorporated into the stories of grandmothers and great-grandmothers and become part of the way of worship.
Ganeshji and Ganesh Chaturthi are celebrated in every corner of India. Even in general pujas, he is the first to be prayed to. He is not only the symbol of wisdom and knowledge as well as wealth and auspiciousness but is also considered as the giver of them. Worshiping Lord Ganesha is considered necessary to complete any auspicious work. For this, he is invoked through a poem, which removes obstacles while also asking him to continue supervising the work till completion.
Gajanana was entertained by many ghosts and other people and ate beautiful fruits like kapittha and jambu.
I bow down to the lotus feet of the Lord of obstacles, the son of Uma, the destroyer of sorrows.
From Jammu and Kashmir to the southern borders of the country, wherever there is any worship ritual, this Ganesha mantra is used to call him. Now the question is, when the worship of Ganesha is the same across the country, why is Ganesha Chaturthi more influential in Maharashtra and other South Indian states? However, in the last decade, this festival has started to be celebrated in the north of India as well with the same grandeur, but since this festival has broken the boundaries of states and geography, some questions have started to be raised about it, what is its significance? Different people – give different arguments.
First of all, what is the reason for celebrating this festival on a large scale in Maharashtra? In fact, the worship of Lord Ganesha is quite old in parts of South India. It is not only described in mythology, but many folk fables are also widely circulated. It is said that the Yaksha king, the rich man Kubera, held a grand banquet out of pride. On this occasion, he went and called Shiva and Parvati and said that I have prepared a delicious dish. It is not even possible to eat many dishes here in Kailash. Shiv ji recognized the hidden self in Kuber’s heart. He said, ‘I am a mendicant, how can I recognize any taste, but you took Bal Ganesha. He is a child and loves different types of dishes. Feed them to your heart’s content. At this point, Kuber looked at Ganesh ji and said, “This kid, he fills his stomach with one or two dishes.”
Let us tell you here that Kuber’s palace was located in Lanka itself which was later captured by Ravana. Lanka had been a Yaksha city till then and Ravana captured it from Kuber and then converted it into Rakshasa culture (demon culture). Ganesha went to Kuber’s Lanka and emptied out his entire store there, thereby destroying Kuber’s self-esteem.
This story of his going to Kuber’s house in search of food is believed to be the first story of Shri Ganesh’s southward migration, during which his worship started in the southern provinces. In Sri Lanka, Lord Ganesha is still worshipped and is known as “Pillaiyar”. Pillai means child and the word Yaar is derived from Aiyar, meaning lord. Pillaiyar means great child or child lord in Tamil. This name shows Lord Ganesha’s connection with greatness.
Symbols are very important in any worship of Lord Ganesha. It is believed that he resides in the roots of the Madar plant and the roots of Madar are worshipped for the birth of children. Turmeric is called Haridra in Sanskrit which is also the name of Lord Ganesha and hence by keeping pieces of turmeric in the worship, Lord Ganesha is worshipped in his honour. Betel nut is also considered as a symbol of Lord Ganesha. Another famous worship of Lord Ganesha is Sakat Chauth which is also known as Sankat Chauth and Sankashthi Chaturthi. In this puja, fasting women make a holy image of Ganesha with ghee on a wooden seat. In many places, an idol of Ganesha is made with turmeric powder and worshipped and then after the puja, this idol is dipped in water and sprinkled in the house and is considered sacred so that positive energy is retained in the house.
The belief of worshipping Ganesh Chaturthi in the month of Bhadrapadha is very old in Maharashtra and other South Indian states. However, for a long time, it was just a fast practised at home, where palm-sized idols of Ganesh were made of clay, turmeric and milk and then worshipped by the whole family. During the reign of Chhatrapati Shivaji, the Maratha Empire started celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. Even during the Peshwa period, there are examples of large-scale celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi, although until then these were confined to homes and temples.
Along with the independence movement, a wave of religious movements also took place in the country. In North India, people started celebrating the pastimes and stories of Shri Ram and Shri Krishna on a large scale and similarly, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak came up with the idea of making Ganesh Utsav public among the people. He started celebrating this event on a large scale. Ganesh Puja started in Pune and from then on, Ganesh Chaturthi was organized by decorating the pandals and installing the idols in them. Gradually, transporting the idols from the idol site to the pandal also became a festival and then Ganesh immersion became a grand festival with the emotions of thousands of people attached to it. Ganesh Pandal also became a medium for the revolutionaries to meet and hold special meetings. Apart from this, Ganesh Utsav also achieved the purpose of uniting the common people together by eradicating the differences between big and small. In this way, Ganesh Chaturthi and Ganesh Utsav became the cultural identity of Maharashtra.
The widespread worship of Ganesha in Maharashtra is a result of a mythological story and the folklore that has arisen from it. According to this story, Shiva’s son Kartikeya killed Tarakasura, but Lord Shiva did not praise him. Meanwhile, when other gods reached Kailash without fear after Tarakasura was killed, they started hailing Mahadev. Tarakasura had attacked the celestials and defeated the gods, so the one who killed him should have the right to enter heaven, but Lord Shiva only appointed Kartikeya as the commander of the gods and did not give him Indrapad. Therefore, Kartikeya was very sad and left Kailash. Later, after the child Ganesha appeared, he traveled to the south to meet his brother to relieve the worries of Mother Parvati. Where they met on the beach, the worship of Lord Ganesha began as a guest.
It is said that the southern lands suffered from famine for many years and after Lord Ganesh’s arrival, rains came in abundance and Kartikeya was highly revered in the southern states. He was known as their protector and master. When their master’s brother came, people respected him like a king. Ganesh ji stayed there for 10 days. That is why he is worshipped as a guest in the southern states and people hope that he will come again next year.
This is the issue of Ganesh worship and celebrations but the biggest controversy is about immersion. In fact, like Ganesh Utsav, immersion is also a festival of Maharashtra which gathers huge number of people. Now Ganesh Utsav has spread to North India and in this case, it is said that the Ganesh immersion in North India is just an imitation of Maharashtra because Ganesh ji went to Maharashtra as a guest so the immersion was done there as a symbol of his departure. But he was just coming back to North India and since he was staying here, how could he say goodbye? According to mythological stories, Ganesh ji was also Lokpal-Digpal in the North. So, what people say is partially correct but not completely.
If you believe in the concept of Sthapana, then immersion is also an important part of it. The cycle of birth and death, the cycle of joy and sorrow, the calculation of time, is the same. Therefore, if the idol is built, then its immersion is also done. This is an important part of the ritual of worship. One of its symbols is the puja ritual performed at home, after the havan etc., the deities are called to their respective places.
Let all the gods worship me.
In order to fulfill his wish and for his return
Meaning: O Gods, I worship you with all my might. I request you to accept my worship and go to your place. Continue to protect me from there, fulfill my wishes and come to my abode by answering my call. By chanting this mantra, they immerse themselves in the name of the deity and chant their Beej Mantra.
In North India, people believe that Ganesh-Lakshmi lives in everyone’s home and in their form everyone maintains economic prosperity. That is why Ganesh-Lakshmi is always placed in the homes of residents and their farewell is only done on occasions like Diwali, when new idols are placed. The idols of Ganesh-Lakshmi in the home are smaller than the palm of the hand, which is also the classic rule for placing idols of the deity in the home.
The idols in pandals are very large in size and are not worshipped, but only offered. Placing tall statues without sacred threads is just a decoration, it is a glimpse of the deity and the stories associated with it. The idols are not for decoration. Apart from this, if the worship is done as per the Shodashopachar method of worship, then immersion becomes mandatory according to the scriptures.
If Ganesh ji was not immersed as a Hindi deity, then on what basis should the idol of Maa Durga be immersed after Navratri? Because the entire nature is the abode of the Goddess. Rig Veda also considers the divine power as a matter of faith and says that whatever form it takes is fine. It is a matter of faith in the Supreme Being. He says that Ekam Sat Viprah Bahudha Vadanti, i.e. there is only one truth, which is interpreted in many ways by the knowledgeable. Immersion also symbolizes the truth of nature, symbolizing coming and going, the cycle of birth and death, forever moving forward. Vighnaharta Ganpati, Maa Durga, Dev Kartikeya or any other divine name is a form of this truth and is not a subject of dispute.
Most importantly, immersion is not immersion of the idol of God, if we are worshipping with sincerity then we are offering only our evil deeds to the Deity during these 10 days. Modak symbolizes our worldly desires which we offer to God. Sindoor is the symbol of our pride which we offer to God. Durva is the symbol of our anger which we offer at the feet of Ganapati and when we immerse ourselves we immerse these sins along with the idol of God. These sins are so strong that only an obstacle destroyer like Mahaganapati has the power to pull them away. That is why Ganesh ji is called our obstacle destroyer.
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