18 Interesting Facts about Ganesha

 Lord Ganesha is a deity who has great importance in Hinduism. He is the offspring of Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha is depicted with an elephant’s head. His mount is a rat or mouse. One of the most popular Hindu gods, Ganesha, is worshipped first during auspicious occasions. This supposedly ensures that the celebration or event goes without a hitch and delivers good outcomes. His birthday, Ganesh Chaturthi, is an occasion for grand celebrations in many parts of India.

 
How Ganesha Was Born
 
There are many accounts of Ganesha’s birth.
 
One account says that the Gods sought Shiva’s help as they were being tormented by the demons. Shiva produced from his mind a glowing child who had an elephant’s head and held a trident in one hand. This child, Ganesha, was the mind-born son of Shiva, who would protect the gods. Shiva’s consort, Parvati, placed him on her lap and said that all endeavors, human or divine, could only be successful after a prayer to Ganesha. Shiva then made Ganesha the leader of the ganas. 

In another version, Shiva created Ganesha, and Parvati, who wished to be a part of his creation, willed Ganesha’s head to become that of an elephant. After seeing the child, Parvati felt a rush of love for him and declared that no human endeavor would succeed without a prayer to the child.
 
But the most popular account of Ganesha’s birth says that Parvati created him using a layer of oil and dust from her body. She gave life to the boy and told him that he was her son. Then she told him to stand guard while she took a bath. When Shiva returned home, Ganesha did not allow him to enter the room.
 
Shiva became angry and fought the boy. He ended up cutting off his head. After discovering this, Parvati became very sad and threatened to destroy the Universe. Shiva then pacified her by instructing the ganas to go and bring him the head of the first living being they could find, with its head pointing north (this is the auspicious direction associated with wisdom). The ganas returned with an elephant’s head, which Shiva placed on Ganesha’s torso. Then he brought him back to life. Ganesha’s decapitation symbolizes the transformation that one has to go through to achieve spiritual progress.
 
Here are 18 interesting facts about this endearing deity.
 
1. Ganesha’s real head was chopped off by his own father, Shiva. When Parvati created a ruckus over this, Shiva replaced it with the first head his followers came across. It happened to be the head of a calf elephant.
 
2. Ganesha played the role of scribe for Sage Vyasa, who was the author of the Mahabharata . Vyasa wanted Ganesha as his scribe, as the latter had a good memory and subtle intellect. Ganesha agreed on one condition - that Vyasa dictate the entire epic without stopping. Vyasa agreed, but he had his own condition - that Ganesha should write down each stanza only after fully understanding its essence. Ganesha accepted. He broke off his own tusk and used it as a pen. Whenever Vyasa wanted a break from the narration, he would dictate a very complex clause. This meant that Ganesha had to pause for a while to fully understand its meaning.
 
3. Ganesha has the power to remove obstacles in our life. So he is called Vighneshwara. ‘Vighna’ means ‘obstacle’. Hindus worship him before undertaking any major endeavor – be it a new business, marriage, childbirth, etc. He also removes obstacles that devotees face during their soul’s spiritual journey. So, aspiring sadhaks worship him, too.
 
4. Even his father, Shiva, one of the 3 major gods in Hinduism, along with Brahma and Vishnu, worship him.

 
5. Ganesha’s image is rich in symbolism. Ganesha’s body and elephant head represents how the spirit should live in harmony with nature. His large elephant head represents wisdom and understanding. His round belly is the cosmos, while the snake around his waist signifies the energy that holds the cosmos together. His mount, the mouse, represents the wandering mind that can be controlled by knowledge. He has four hands. One holds an ax to cut off attachments, one has a rope to pull a person towards the highest goal, one has a sweet to reward those who are spiritually disciplined, and one has the palm out to grant blessings and protect devotees.
 
6. Ganesha has the powers of his mother, Goddess Parvati or Shakti.
 
7. Ganesha has more than 100 names. Vinayaka, Ganapati, Avaneesh, Bhupati, Lambodara, Chaturbhuj, Durja, Ekadanta, Gajanana, etc., are some of them.
 
8. Hindus have been worshipping Ganesha for many Yugas or epochs.
 
9. He has a sweet tooth. Laddoos and Modaks are his favorites.
 
10. He has 2 wives, Siddhi (success) and Buddhi (intelligence). In some traditions, he has a third wife, Riddhi (prosperity).
 
11. The holy grass, Arukampul, is an offering that is very dear to him.
 
12. People worship him under a different name in foreign countries.
 
13. Chanting his name continuously helps one to cross the ocean of life.
 
14. Due to his grace, sages like Purushundi attained salvation.
 
15. Pious demons like Namuchi, Prahlad, and Vibhishana used to worship him.
 
16. Devotees worship him before eating food, as they believe that they will never lack food by doing so.
 
17. In some parts of North India, he is worshipped as Vinayakabhadra, a guardian deity.
 
18. He is the presiding deity of astrology, as he is the guardian of esoteric knowledge. Astrologers worship him, as they believe that he has an intimate understanding of how 9 planets or Navagrahas impact the karma and destiny of each person.