Gods Series: Sri. Ganesh

[brahman]

Ganapati comes first. The first obeisance is to him. Everything auspicious should begin with a consecration to Ganapati. Ganapati or Ganesa is the lord of the Hosts (ganas). The two ganas are the shining ones (devas) and dead souls, ancestors or Pitirs. The devas belong to the ascending path and the Pitirs to the descending path.

Ganapati as Guru is the guiding principle at the cross-roads of life. To stand at the cross-roads not knowing the path to realization is not an uncommon experience of those who seek wisdom. Those who are wise take a hint from the fingerpost and proceed in the right direction. The finger post stands for the silent Guru. The Guru is truly the light that shows us the way. All those deny the light stumble in darkness. Accepting the guru is same as accepting Ganapati as Vighneswara and denying the Guru is like getting caught in the noose of obstacles.

The Lotus Carved Seat
Ganapati is seated on a pedestal resembling the fully opened petals of a lotus flower. Lotus is a sign of wisdom born of devotion or contemplative mysticism. To sit is to be established. To sit on a lotus seat is to be a Guru to proclaim the tradition. This symbol refers to Ganapati’s Guruhood.

The Crown on the Head
To have crown or a halo is the same as being anointed. The ‘Anointed One’ is the divinely blessed or commissioned teacher of the supreme wisdom. As a crowned king has full authority over the region he rules, so Ganpati has absolute authority over both Avidya(nescience) and Vidya(knowledge).

(to be continued)

========================================

We make no claim that these postings are exhaustive either in its scope or in its method. It is only written to evoke an interest in

the mind of young people who look for an intelligent interpretation of Gods. Please DO NOT REPLY this thread; yet, additional

information, not capable of arousing any controversy, are very well appreciated.



.

[philosoraptor]

Just a short reply, if you will excuse the conceit. But if this is to become a regular series devoted to an "intelligent interpretation" of the gods, then it would be nice if scriptural references could be included to give us a place to look for authoritative information. Otherwise, it really just represents one particular understanding, and it is not clear if that particular understanding should be relevant to most or even all Hindus. For example, in a posting about Ganesha, a person like me would be interested to know which scriptures to look up which discuss his power to remove obstacles, the prescription to worship him first, and his life-story.

The style I am thinking about is the one used by Vettam Mani's Puranic Encyclopedia, albeit more abbreviated. You may want to consult that book for a presentation style that would be more informative for something like this.

regards,

[brahman]

a person like me

regards,

Dear Phil,

You are one of the most dynamic people I have ever come across in my entire cyber life, especially when one with knowledge handed down from the past by tradition; It indeed is a good sign that the Vedic wisdom will surely to exist in its pure antiquity, which is also an impression that delights every true lover of Vedic Wisdom; though, knowing the sensitive mind of innocent mankind and on what value notion should they stick on in order to attain good momentum and great happiness in life is another Bhima task every expert engaged in the field of Vedic thinking must undertake; without these fervent followers and their forthcoming generation the scriptures would remain as if in dusty musty dead letters. Please let me continue with my Job. Love

[brahman]

Big ears of Ganpati

Being elephant-headed, Ganapty has very wide and long ears. Ears are for hearing. Wisdom never comes unsought. True wisdom is well-established in such a knowledge which is beyond the dualities of subjective –objective division. For all those who have not attained it there is the absolute necessity to sit at the feet of a Guru. Wisdom literature in India of the highest order is called sruti, which literally means that which is heard. In ancient days there were no written books to read. The tradition of India was to listen to a Guru. Listening in Sanskrit is sravana. One who has listened to many great Gurus is known as a bahusruta.

Listening to a Guru and learning the sruti is an essential part of brahmacharya the “treading path of the Absolute”. Thus in any true education worth that name, the disciple has to establish a reciprocal relationship with the Guru. Both the Guru and shishya should have only one common interest. Disadoption on the part of the disciple or the Guru is the highest tragedy in the seeker’s life. In Europe unfortunately this tragedy was repeated several times. The breaking away of Aristotle from Plato was a colossal blow to the Socratic tradition. On the other hand, in India even Guru of our own time can trace back the parampara (the hierarchical succession) to Adi-Narayana bringing in Brahma, Vasishta, sakti, parasara, vyasa and his own Guru, all in the vertical line of succession or parampara. To be initiated into the secrets of all secrets contained in the srutis it is absolutely necessary to sit at the feet of a wisdom teacher and listen to him with one-pointed attention.

This big ears of Ganapati are a symbol of sraddha, faithful attentive listening to the wisdom teaching.


Next: why small eyes?

[brahman]

Small eyes of Ganapati

Eyes are to see. There are two poles. The outer organ is to contact the various and variegated objects; the inner pole brings the orientation of the unitive vision.

The wide opened eyes of the extrovert sees the big bewildering world around him in which he is only an insignificant individual caught in the competitive world of technology and mechanism.

To have a comprehensive vision of the cosmos with its starry heavens as a complementary counterpart of the awareness within, introspection is necessary. We should turn our eyes inwards and look into our own mind to discover our real self.

We live, as it were, in two worlds, the cosmological world of objective phenomena and the subjective world of values within our own being.

To link these two worlds in one’s own knowledge and to be ‘non-dualistic’, we have to be contemplative.

Contemplative introspection is symbolically expressed by the small half closed eyes of Ganapati.

Introspective contemplation in Sanskrit is known as manana. Svadhyaya or study of the scripture is to be followed by critical contemplation. It is not mainly for adoration that we stand before the altar of Ganapati. We should be able to read the silent language of contemplation in his symbolic features. His eyes require us to meditate and ponder on the values of life and the nature of our self.


'The long proboscis' comes next.

[brahman]

The large nose of Ganapati

On hearing some intriguing news we say smell danger. On hearing something unpleasant we screw up our nose, as if it had sensed some foul smell. A dog recognizes its master by smell. Even a pig will not care to eat something which does not give it a favourable smell. In all these instances we find the nose is associated with the function of discriminating between the pleasant and the unpleasant, the favourable and the unfavourable.

This discriminative faculty is its best enables us to recognize the Perennial Happiness from the Falsehood of Excitement. In most of the wisdom literature on Indian soil, the first qualification of the wisdom-seeker is viveka or discrimination, followed by vairagya (absolute detachment).

Keeping oneself detached is a discipline. It refers to the practical aspect of spiritual education (or spirituality in common parlance). If the symbolism of the ear refers to its critical consideration and sympathetic appreciation, the symbolism of the nose consequently teaches us to apply that wisdom in our everyday life. In Sanskrit it is named as nidhidhyasana.


next is Borken Tusk.

[brahman]

The Boken Tusk of Ganapati

Ganapati appears before us with a broken tusk. The tusk as we know shows his individuality. Even those who become Adepts of the Highest wisdom develop a spiritual ego. This spiritual ego is much worse than a worldly ego. It should be broken.

This is the same state of falsehood understood in the Isa Upanishad when it says the Word ‘Greater darkness’, which is even darker than the ‘colour black’s usual visual attribute in an ordinary sense. The verse reads:

“Those who rejoice in the world of ignorance (Avidya) live in darkness. Those who take delight in the world of knowledge (Vidya) live, as it were, in a greater darkness.” (Isa: 9)



How does this experince differ from the state of wisdom that representd by a Yogi, who recommends vidya as the ultimate means to Liberation?

A yogi is a person who has transcended both these stages of vidya and avidya, and also established in a state of complete detachment; but still engaged in all activities according to his own intrinsic nature and character and maintaining a state of ,'aham anandam'

Whereas a person caught up in the ‘greater darkness’ of partial knowledge as understood in the Upanishad, finds only detachment; but never engage himself in accomplishing one’s own svadharma. So, in this context, a yogi’s experience could be more related to that of ‘Grater Brightness.’



It sounds like Avidya is better than Vidya?

Vidya is always better. But, it turns to be dangerous when the same is practiced in a piecemeal fashion; because, a partial approach to vidya can only make an aspirant a megalomaniac -a pathological egotist, who is a true lover of unconsciousness. This also applies heavy force on the aspirant in order to move him away from performing one’s svadharma in an accurate manner.

. Yet,on closer scrutiny we understand that, the state of a ‘worldly’ man, who is caught up in the state of avidya (darkness) is much better than the state of an aspirant, who is involuntarily involved in the greater darkness of Vidya.



This error of self identification with a certain bodily or unspiritual aspects is called dehoham buddhi, which prompts the mind to repeat to itself "I am the body."

Here is some chattering of those people, who are caught up in this tragedy: I know Brahman, I am Bhagavan, I am one with the world, I see the World dreamlike etc...

In India, many many holy men suffer from this danger of dehoham buddhi!


The broken tusk is no shame to Ganapati. He requires that our egoistic horns also should be broken.

That is why a hard coconut shell, resembling our spiritual ego, is broken before Ganapati.


Next: ‘pot-belly’

[brahman]

The Pot- belly of Ganapti

The pot belly is a sign of contentment.

This contentment is not the regular ones that belong to the varieties of situations in everyday life; but a kind of ‘sensual contentment’, or happiness that is attained by the act of distinguishing the qualities of the perceptible substances that take part in forming this world- sound, touch, sight, taste and smell.

As human beings we are bounded in the limits of a body that is covered by a tangible substance that goes into the makeup of a physical object called skin. A general inclusive concept is to consider our body as a one among the many entities that exists within this world of varieties.

Looked at from the standpoint of Indian spiritual education and its philosophical instructions, which goes little further with some confidence, says, the primeval substances that underlie both the entire world and our own body are the same, they name it ‘the panchabhutas’, the five basic elements (that is space, air, fire, water and earth).

Both these view points are equally significant for an individual belonging to the world; it is not the philosopher who is living our life, we have the feeling for hunger, anger, pain and many other strong emotions, also our own body is very dear to us; at the same time, we don’t show any unwillingness to accept the view points of these philosophers, for we believe that these philosophers are Wise and thence have faith in them.

How do we reconcile these two extreme viewpoints to reach at a point of satisfaction in different situations involved in ordinary course of events?

The philosopher is not bothered about the actions carrying out by different individuals, instead, he is more fascinated towards their thinking heads; neither is he a person oriented in a particular direction favouring his metaphysics over the mundane affairs.

It is because; the Philosophical statements are relevant only in the domain of intellectual understanding.

The body is covered with skin, and skin is sensitive. It is the sense organ that covers our whole body. From all around us, our sensations are always producing the awareness of our bodily existence.

The eyes, ears, nose, and tongue are also only modified forms of the same skin. The skin in the eye is made extra sensitive to light; the skin in the ear is made into a drum which vibrates; the skin in the nose is made into a nodule that can smell; the skin in the tongue has its taste buds.

Without the skin, the world would be without colours and sounds or any of the sensory qualities that we know.

In a philosophical view point, the skin is made by adding together different elements called pancha bhutas(the five elements), the earth, water, fire, air and space, in a rather composite manner hard to distinguish each other. The lone way to distinguish these elements is through their essential attributes.

Once we start to contemplate on such philosophical inquiries our mind will stop to wander for pseudo contentions and dreadful emotions, as the practice proceeds, the aspirant will slowly start to establish firm certitudes on many things those were hitherto treated as wonders; or perhaps one can even attain greater certitudes than what is written down in scriptures as experiences.

Indian philosphers never recomend us to squeeze our nose and to freeze our minds; it is as difficlut as washing the froth off a detergent bar by showing it in running water.

Though, the certitude attained is only relevent within the limits of a psychological understanding , this can cause great reflection in our spoken words and then slowly and gradually attaining the same sense of momentum in everyday life and actions inevitable in our real life situations .

Instead of leading us to into metaphysical speculation of logic chopping, ancient Indian philosophers introduces us to the sense of wonder that can evoke in us a feeling of reverence and devotion to the unknown.

Like Lord Ganapati we should also be content.

A maxim of the Chinese contemplative life, “Empty the mind and fill the belly.”


Next: The Rice Balls and the Grace

[brahman]

The Rice Balls and the Grace of Ganapati


Ganapati has a rice ball in his left hand and the Vedas in the right.

Sometimes instead of the Vedas a lotus or the broken tusk or showing palm as a sign of grace or Jnaana Mudra (the gesture of wisdom teaching) is shown. All these are symbols of wisdom.

At least for some people, the spiritual and the mundane versions of life seem to be absolutely contradictory when it comes to our daily life; but there is no such paradox existing in the mind of one who has applied ‘untive’ understanding against mere linear one-sided mechanistic thought.

In fact this iconographic symbol of rice balls and the grace represents a delicate expression of human values in the philosophical language of Yoga Mimaamsa (or Dialectical Reasoning as understood in the West, especially among the ancient philosophers up to the time of Plato.)

===========

Values aspired by humans in life are classified as sreyas (higher values) and preyas (worldly values) in Katha Upanishad in its mantra II: 1.

All good things of worldly values come under the category called Preyas. The rice ball in Ganapti's left hand represents the preyas.

The Vedas, the lotus or the broken tusk or showing palm as a sign of grace or Jnaana Mudra by his right hand represents sreyas. Sreyas is that which includes all higher spiritual values.


The Preyas makes life in this world physically comfortable.

The Sreyas, on the other hand, are values aspired to, for their own sake, by humans everywhere and the highest of them is marked by attaining immortality, or realising the Supreme Happiness.

Nisreyas(sreyas) and abhyudaya(preyas) are similar pairs of values commonly understood in the same context. This is basically a concept developed by the nyaya philosophy- or the system of traditional Indian logic.

Though these are classified separately for the sake of methodology, experiencing these values happen within our own consciousness alone.

Or, it is One consciousness that actualizes both realms of values in actual life. This is the philosophical standpoint.

===========

Aspiring to one of these values at the cost of the other is not the real path recommended by philosophers. We could see the same being emphasised in many Upanishads. For instance we see the Taittirya Upanishad, when it says,

He who knows this becomes well-founded. He becomes the possessor of food and the eater of food. He becomes great with progeny, with cows (wealth) and with the splendour of sacred wisdom; great in fame. III:6: 1

The Upanishad passage, in fact, says both kinds of values become well founded in the one who knows the Reality expounded theirn.

A really wise man never gives up one for the other. He accepts both by pondering upon on the truth that gives room for both these values-sreyas and preyas.

Enjoying a good meal is not against understanding a book of wisdom like the Bhagavad Gita. Each has its respective place in our life.

A woman can plait her hair and put on best jewels without sacrificing any spiritual values.

============

Arjuna Said: that yoga(mimaamsa) you have outlined as consisting of sameness, O Madhusudana- i do not see for this any stable foundation, owing to changefulness.

Arjuna said: The mind is changeful indeed, O Krishna; it is agitated, forceful, and imperative (in character); like the wind, i consider its control difficult. BG 6:34

Sri. Bhagavan Said: Doutless, O Mighty –Armed, the mind is difficult to control and changeful. By practice, indeed, O son of Kunti, and by dispassion (it) is held together. BG 6:35

Although, most of the excesses in the name of spirituality like eating bitter leaves, or standing on spikes for hours, or fasting to death and all such mortifications of the body help in gaining irregular or comparatively lesser results, it is not recommend by any of our ancient philosophers. Practices that are not against human dignity and spiritual exercises that fit one’s own capacity are not bad either.

===========

Yet another variety view of (the rice balls and the grace) is from the standpoint of ‘gross (anna) to the net (ananda)’; the fore said mantra (III:6: 1)is a conclusion of this wonderful approach; there a systematic analysis of a sequence of sacred utterances counting from III: 2:1 TO III: 5:1 was beautifully presented.

The mantra 2:1 is analysing what is obvious to the naked eye, and once the search progresses towards 5:1 the perception of the world is being completely changed, these mantras read thus:

He knew food as Brahman. Verily, from food all these beings are born, by food they live after being born, and to food they proceed and become absorbed(into it). Having known that , he approached his afther Varuna again, requesting, “O Sir, instruct me on Brahman”.

To him he replied: “Seek to know Brahman through austerity; austerity is Brahman”. (III: 2:1)

Here we don’t see the denial of Anna or gross or food , Instead, Brighu, the well known son of sage Varuni, accepts or understands it as Brahman.

Now when we go further up to III: 5:1, it reads;

He knew knowledge as Brahman. Verily, from knowledge all these beings are born, by knowledge they live after being born, and to knowledge they proceed and become absorbed (into it). Having known that, he approached his father Varuni again, requesting, “O Sir, instruct me on Brahman”.

To him he replied: “Seek to know Brahman through austerity; austerity is Brahman”.

He underwent austerity; having undergone austerity.

==============

In Isa Upanishad, after discussing the duality pertains to the realm of knowing (one of the consciousness-or cit-aspect of Atma) in a sequence of three mantras from 9 to 11, it starts to speak in terms of Existence Reality in the immediately following set of three mantras from 12- 14.

That is the Sambhuti – Vinasha pair of duality, which comes within the context of the manifestation of what Really exists, that means to the sat (Existence) aspect of Atma

================

Studious seekers can also assess the views of the Taittirya Upanishad’s exposition on the layers of total Existence such as annamaya, praanamaya, manomaya, vijnanamaya and ananadamaya.

These are various layers of existence of the One Consciousness that need to be peeled off(or these layers that can be serially included in one another like telescopic lenses) to attain the primeval substance; but this (peeling and fitting)has to happen in a mere metaphysical sense only, not exactly in our real life situations, where we should find total unity against diversity .

================

This simple but profound lesson of unitive understanding was known to all great Gurus of ancient Indian tradition.

With the rice balls Ganapati wants to fill our belly and with the wisdom symbol he wants to nourish our soul.

Next: ‘the hook with an axe.’

[brahman]

The hook with an axe of Ganapati

In one of Ganapati’s raised upper hands holds a hook which has also the blade of an axe. A determined seeker has to restrain his thoughts, words and deeds from going astray through dissipating channels. According to the Gita, a mind which gets bifurcated and is running different directions seldom reached truth. A contemplative has to bring his mind again and again back to one central issue. It is not an easy task.

One enjoys is called bhokta. We experience a sense of agency in three ways, as the knower, the doer and the enjoyer.

Seeking nourishment for the body is only one of our several life urges. The body is animated by an energy that knows, thinks, discerns and evaluates. This phenomenon is called the spirit or the soul or our ‘I’- Sense. The nature of the spirit is to pervade. It is characteristic of the spirit or the self in us to return again and again to the pure being of the universal self- the senseless Sense- to which it really belongs. It does not feel at home when it is confined to the limitations of a body. Just like water finding its own level, the self is always in search of the boundless. It stays always in conflict with the individual’s attempt to cater to the necessities of his body, family, clan, tribe, nation etc.

To cultivate a sense of beauty is the only means to escape from these opposites located farthest from the ‘middle of the Absolute.’

When we turn to a glorious sunrise and say “how wonderful”; in fact, the sun is outside, but the wonder happens within ourselves.

The love for the beautiful is embedded in us. Even when no beautiful thing is presented, the capacity to appreciate beauty is still within us. Everything which happens in wakeful life has a corresponding urge (interest or value vision) lying buried in the deep unconsciousness. This is the causal factor which produces the effect of what is experienced, called sushupti.

The mahouts of the elephant control the animal with a hook. Similarly, we should also have the hook of restraint to keep ourselves always ‘on the path of the Absolute’- brahmacharya.

==========

Our desires are like, creepers on a Self-same tree, that marked by extreme lack of control is branching into many and flowering forth as the wakeful and dream experiences. The deep sleep state is the root that hidden from branches, but still supporting them with the seed bed of tremendous potentials.

The tree has its stem which is the common origin of all the various branches and ramifications arising from it. The roots (sushupti) constitute its negative or retrospective part, referring to memory and other factors in the background of the personality.

We are still balanced and neutral, as it were, between the rival tendencies involved; perhaps, the only difficulty is that we are standing in utter Darkness.


The Bhagavad Gita refers to the inwardness involved by comparing the aspirant to a tortoise which withdraws all its limbs into its shell (II-58). There is also a reference to the flame that remains motionless in a windless place, steadily adjusted vertically (VI-19). These analogies are meant to indicate in advance the personal attitude or psycho-physical adjustment involved in the initiation of the contemplative's progress.


Plurality of interests and thoughts, arising from desires or instinctive hungers that cannot be wholly satisfied, is the enemy of the contemplative. This does not mean, however, that to be a contemplative means killing out the legitimate joys of life. But in and through all interests, a master-interest must always be preserved. All actions and thoughts motivating them must be gathered together into a master life-tendency. What is here implied is a process of sublimating pluralistic interests to a ‘unitive’ interest.

If it still appears to be a kill-joy in this respect, we have to concede that seeker is only so in the name of a greater gain of inner contemplative brilliance of the whole spirit within him.

Like wild creepers which choke the free growth of the tree, irrational and sentimental ties prevent most of from being free. It is the axe of discrimination that we must chop them down.

Thus the AXE strike sharply there is a Flash of light which would fill the whole of consciousness without the duality of the mind or the body, instead, both are abolished in a full absolutist state of intense Glory within.