Maha Ganapati is the lord of the devas. He is the supreme God of learning. He is also Vara-Siddhi Vinayaka – the one who is blessing.
The worship of Lord Ganesha was prevalent all over Bharat and south-east Asia as well. It is only the last century that we only know a distorted history of our true past.
Anyway, Ganapati is the Lord of the earthen element (he is the bhumi element of the Pancha Bhoota). He was born from earth (we all have heard the story of how Parvati molds him through mud and then he is given prana - life). Every year he is made from earth and them worshipped.
The earth element is dense. The denser you are, the more determined and tough you are in life. Density can also cause inertia on the other hand. Hence Ganpati, being the symbol of density, is both the creator and the remover of obstacles.
He is also said to reside in the muladhara i.e. the first among the 6 kundalini chakra. Hence, for doing any sadhana / any work, we must first get the blessings of Vinayaka to make our (spiritual or material) tasks free from all obstacles. He can help us fare through all the difficulties or stop us at the beginning itself.
He is also the God of leaning. Any student or a sadhaka (devout spiritual practitioner) must worship him. He bestows memory and concentration. Again, concentration is the quality of earth element (density). His blessings will ensure that tough problems can be solved effortlessly.
Today is the special occasion of Vara-Siddhi Vinayaka vrata. Our prayer today must be more concentrated and devout than ever. I am sure all us prayed to him today with all humility and complete submission.
He is also the manifestation of the “pranava” or the “om kara”. If you can imagine Ganesha idol from sideways he is clearly visible like the syllable “Om”. The ganaptya tradition of Sanatana Dharma hail him as the parabrahman himself. He is all pervading and all knowing.
Below I have attached some of the idols of Ganesha from Japan, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Indonesia. Many other countries worshiped him. May he bless us all by removing all the difficulties and obstacles being endured by the humanity.
ॐ गणेशाय नमः।
Prambanan (Indonesia)
Ankorwat (Cambodia)
Ganesha in Thailand
A carving in Laos
Kangiten of Japan
