Lord Vinayaka is one of the most admired deities in India and its neighbors including Nepal, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Bali, Fiji, and Bangladesh. He is also known as Ganapati, Gajanana, and Ganesha.
The word Vinayaka means supreme head (there is no other person above the head). He is an invisible deity encapsulated in a magnificent form for benefit of devotees. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati.
A universe is a group of atoms and different energies. If there is no supreme law to regulate these different groups of entities, then the world will be in chaos.
The governor of all these atoms and energy groups is Vinayaka. He is the highest consciousness omnipresent in this universe.
Birth Story of Lord Vinayaka
One day, the Goddess Parvati prepared a bath in her home on Kailash.
Not wanting to be disturbed, she told her husband Siva’s bull Nandi to defend the door and prevent anyone from passing.
Nandi held his post faithfully, intending to fulfill Parvati’s wishes. But, when Shiva came home and naturally wanted to come inside, Nandi had to let him pass, being loyal first to Shiva.
Parvati was very angry about this, but not only that but because she had no one as loyal to Herself as Nandi.
Therefore, she absorbed turmeric paste (for bathing) from her body and gave life to it. She created Vinayaka and announced that he was her loyal son.
Folklore
Another Legend states that the next time Parvati wanted to take a shower, she sent Vinayaka on duty at the door.
Shiva went home in time, but found that the strange boy told him that he could not enter his house! Shiva was furious and ordered his army to destroy the boy, but they all failed! As Devi’s son, Ganesha has such power!
This surprised Shiva. Seeing that this is not an ordinary boy, the usually peaceful Shiva decided that he had to fight him. His divine anger cut off Ganesha’s head and immediately killed him.
When Parvati learned this, she was so angry and insulted that she has decided to destroy the entire creation! Lord Brahma, the creator, naturally had his problems and begged her to reconsider her drastic plan.
She said she would, but only if two conditions were met: one condition was to bring Ganesha back to life, and the second condition was to worship him forever before all other gods.
Shiva had calmed down at this time and realized her mistakes, so she agreed with Parvati’s conditions. He ordered Brahma to bring back the head of the first creature facing north facing him.
Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant, and Shiva put the elephant on Vinayaka.
He injects new life into Vinayaka, proclaims that he is also his son, and gives him the leading position among the gods, and is the leader of all ganana (general beings) Ganapati.
According to another fable, when the gods knew Parvati had a handsome son. All the gods came to see him.
Everyone except Shani (Saturn God) looked at Ganesha. When asked, Shani said he had evil eyes. If he looks at Ganesha, he will eventually burn Ganesha’s face.
Parvati still insisted that he watch baby Ganesha. Alas! Unfortunately, Ganesha became headless. Parvati began to cry.
The Brahma Lord (the creator of the universe) suggested that Lord Shiva should bring the head of the first creature he could find.
Shiva found an elephant and went straight to Vinayaka. This is how Vinayaka obtained the elephant head.
What is the Symbolism of Lord Vinayaka?
Vinayaka is regarded as most knowledgeable god. He is known as Vighnaharta, an obstacle scavenger. Vinayaka is also a god of good luck. This is why he was worshipped first in any worship service.
Lord Vinayaka’s belly represents generosity and complete acceptance.
The hand-raised by Vinayaka means protection. This means, “Don’t be afraid, I’m with you.”
His lowered hands, palms facing outwards mean endless dedication, and you bow. This also symbolizes the fact that we will all melt into the earth one day.
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Vinayaka also has single ivory, indicating a single point.
Even Vinayaka’s waving tools are symbolic. He holds “Ankusa” (for wake up) and “Paasa” (for control) in his hand.
After awakening, a lot of energy will be released, and if not properly controlled, they may become troublesome.
Is Vinayaka traveling on something as small as a mouse? Isn’t that so uncoordinated? Once again, there is a deep symbolic meaning.
The mouse cuts and bites the tied rope. Like a spell, a mouse can cut the sheath of ignorance, thus bringing the ultimate knowledge represented by Lord Vinayaka!
What is the significance of Ganesh Chaturthi?
Ganesha Chaturthi or Vinayaka Chaturthi is a 10-day festival held in southern states of India. People bring Ganpati’s idols to their homes or ordinary pavilions for 10 days.
The festival is grand and brilliant. Devotees believe that Ganesha comes to visit them every year and eliminate all their troubles and weaknesses.
On the eleventh day, Ganesha was immersed in water and said goodbye with a chant of “Ganpati Bappa Morya, Agle Baras Tu Jaldi Aa. (Praise Lord Vinayaka. Visit us soon next year).
What are the Lessons that Lord Vinayaka teaches us?
1. Duty is above all else
It is believed that in the absence of Lord Shiva, the goddess Parvati created Vinayaka by carving a boy’s idol out of turmeric mud and injecting life into it.
She told the boy to protect the door while taking a bath, and he followed his mother’s instructions.
Around the same time, Lord Shiva returned from the expedition and asked to enter Parvati’s bathing area, but Lord Vinayaka refused.
The incident evolved into a dispute between father and son and ended with Vinayaka being beheaded. Later, Lord Shiva resurrected the boy after placing the elephant’s head on his body.
This story is a lesson. Even the gods must perform their duties. There is nothing more than due diligence, especially loyalty to parents.
Despite being well aware of Lord Shiva’s abilities and possible impact, he refused to give in, even if it took him a lifetime.
2. Nobody is more important than Parents
On one occasion, Lord Shiva and the goddess Parvati provided a miraculous fruit of knowledge to their sons Lord Kartikeya and Lord Vinayaka, but only one of them could get the sacred fruit.
To decide who deserves more fruit, Lord Shiva asked them to travel around the world three times and three times, and the first person to complete the voyage will be blessed by fruits.
The eldest son Lord Kartikeya is eager to win the game but stays in his car, a peacock, and Lord Vinayaka wants to know how he will get on his mouse victory.
After ambitiously orbiting the earth three times, Kartikeya returned and found that he had returned home.
Lord Vinayaka won the game, but he circled Lord Shiva and Parvati, this is not his world. He was blessed by the fruits of knowledge, so he was called the king of knowledge.
This story is about the lesson that parents will never become important even if you are a god. This class can change the fate of millions of abandoned parents today.
3. Compassion is the decisive quality
Legend has it that Lord Vinayaka cursed the moon. After all, he laughed at the potbelly because he came back from a feast dinner hosted by Cooper, Lord of Fortune.
Lord Vinayaka is a food and dessert lover. After a hearty meal, he stumbled over and was about to go home.
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The moon saw it from high altitude and gave a cynical laugh, mocked Lord Vinayaka, and forced him to curse him.
Lord Ganesha cursed the moon and completely disappeared from the sky, and he begged for forgiveness.
In the end, the generous Lord Vinayaka succumbed to his request, but because he could not undo the curse, the scope of the moon’s disappearance was reduced from the sky to one day.
The story of Lord Vinayaka explains how anger makes the best of us, but the power to overcome it makes us a better person.
4. Finish Every work you take up
Legend has it that the Sage Vyasa wanted to write the epic “Mahabharata”, and he asked Lord Vinayaka to write it down when describing the verses.
God agreed on a condition that Sage Vyasa should recite the scriptures nonstop, and Lord Vinayaka would write without interruption.
The two sat down to write one of the greatest epics known to mankind, but there was something else in the faith Lord Vinayaka’s pen was broken while he was still writing. Lord Vinayaka broke one of his ivory and continued to write epics.
Lord Vinayaka sacrificed his ivory to complete meaningful work. If we can all learn from him, then all of us are closer to success than we are.
5. Always Stand-up for your Self Respect
Legend has it that once all the gods and goddesses left Vinayaka to take charge of Swarga, and they sailed to the residence of the Goddess Lakshmi together with Lord Vishnu’s marriage procession.
Lord Vinayaka was deceived to take care of Swargalok because other gods were embarrassed by his appearance and heavy diet.
After learning the truth, Vinayaka wanted to avenge himself and made a smart plan to make them aware of his importance. He sent his mouse Gajasur to dig the road leading to the residence of Lakshmi, and he obeyed.
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Unsurprisingly, the gods could not move on and called for help. A farmer crossing the road decided to help the gods and pulled out the carriage in the first attempt after chanting Lord Vinayaka’s name.
He explained that only Vinayaka’s name could cause his power to lift the carriage because he was an obstacle clearer.
This made the gods realize that in addition to his appearance, there was still a presence, and they also apologized to the god.
The story of Hindu God Vinayaka is a lesson. Never let anyone destroy your ability, or your appearance obscures people’s judgments about you.
Prayer of Hindu God Vinayaka
To pray God Vinayaka, the devotee must fold his hands and chant this mantra:
Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha
This mantra is related to replenishing our root chakra, and Ganesha is said to govern the root chakra. Broken down, “om” is that traditional meditative primordial sound that means “wake up.” “Gam” is the sound of Ganesha.
“Ganapataye” is another word for Ganesha. And “nahama” means “I offer my salutations and bow to you.”
So one full translation of om gam ganapataye namaha is more or less, “salutations to the remover of obstacles.”
Famous Temples of Vinayaka
| S.no | Name of Temple | Place |
| 1 | Shree Siddhivinayak Temple | Mumbai, Maharashtra |
| 2 | Madhur Mahaganapathi Temple | Kasargod, Kerela |
| 3 | Ranthambore Ganesh Temple | Ranthambore, Rajasthan |
| 4 | Manakula Vinayagar Temple | Puducherry |
| 5 | Shrimant Dagdusheth Halwai Ganpati Temple | Pune, Maharashtra |
| 6 | Kanipakam Vinayaka Temple | Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh |
| 7 | Ganpatipule Temple | Ratnagiri, Maharashtra |
| 8 | Moti Dungri Ganesh Temple | Jaipur, Rajashtan |
| 9 | Khajrana Ganesh Temple | Indore, Madhya Pradesh |
| 10 | Ganesh Tok Temple | Gangtok, Sikkim |
Conclusion
Lord Ayyappa is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, Vinayaka is the most adored and beloved god, and is also worshipped before any God or Goddess
Our ancient Rishis are so smart that they chose to use symbols rather than words to express divinity, because words will change over time, but the symbols remain unchanged.
When we experience the omnipresent form of the elephant god, let us remember the profound symbolism, but be fully aware that God Vinayaka is indeed inside us.
People Also Ask (FAQs)
Where is Lord Ganesha now?
The agra pujya (the first worshipped god) live everywhere, especially in the heart of devotees. One needs to have a selfless mind to see him in the mind’s eye. As per Puranas, he lives in Kailash with his wives. He is the commander of Shivaganas, that’s why his other names are Ganapati, Ganadhkhya.
What does the Ganesh elephant symbolize?
The large elephant head of Lord Ganesha symbolizes wisdom, understanding, and a discriminating intellect that one must possess to attain perfection in life. The wide mouth represents the natural human desire to enjoy life in the world
What is Lord Ganesha Favorite Colour?
Red is the color of joy, happiness, and knowledge, prosperity, and strength, all the virtues for which lord Ganesh stands. The mythology depicts Ganesha as the harbinger of good times and the force behind the removal of obstacles in a task and thus he is offered red flowers and everything red to signify the power he holds.
Does Ganesha bring good luck?
Lord Ganesha among the various powerful Hindu Gods is said to be the god of prosperity and wealth. Lord Ganesha is believed to bring good luck and thus he is worshipped before anything new is started. Ganesha idols and statues are of great significance to people around the world and thus are in great demand.
Is Ganesh Hindu or Buddhist?
Ganesha also appears in Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka but also portrayed as a Hindu deity form also called Vināyaka. His image may be found on Buddhist sculptures of the late Gupta period.