Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश, IAST: Gaṇeśa;), or Ganesh, also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon. His image is found throughout India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Bali (Indonesia) and Bangladesh and in countries with large ethnic Indian populations including Fiji, Mauritius and Trinidad and Tobago. Hindu denominations worship him regardless of affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists.He is also popular in Japan as Kangiten
Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles; the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits.
Ganesha may have emerged as a deity as early as the 1st century BCE, but most certainly by the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta period, though he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. Hindu mythology identifies him as the restored son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is a pan-Hindu god found in its various traditions. In the Ganapatya tradition of Hinduism, Ganesha is the supreme deity. The principal texts on Ganesha include the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic genre encyclopaedic texts that deal with Ganesha.
Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati (Ganpati) and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri (Sanskrit: श्री; IAST: śrī; also spelled Sri or Shree) is often added before his name.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana (gaṇa), meaning a 'group, multitude, or categorical system' and isha (īśa), meaning 'lord or master'. The word gaṇa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaṇas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva, Ganesha's father. The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaṇas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati (गणपति; gaṇapati), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". Though the earliest mention of the word Ganapati is found in hymn 2.23.1 of the 2nd-millennium BCE Rigveda, it is however uncertain that the Vedic term referred specifically to Ganesha. The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha: Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers),Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana (gajānana); having the face of an elephant.
Vinayaka (विनायक; vināyaka) or Binayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (Marathi: अष्टविनायक, aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vighnesha (विघ्नेश; vighneśa) and Vighneshvara (विघ्नेश्वर; vighneśvara) (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hinduism as the master and remover of obstacles (vighna).
A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai (Tamil: பிள்ளை) or Pillaiyar (பிள்ளையார்). A.K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".
In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne (မဟာပိန္နဲ, pronounced [məhà pèiɰ̃né]), derived from Pali Mahā Wināyaka (မဟာဝိနာယက). The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikanet. The earliest images and mention of Ganesha names as a major deity in present-day Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam date from the 7th- and 8th-centuries, and these mirror Indian examples of the 5th century or earlier. In Sri Lankan Singhala Buddhist areas, he is known as Gana deviyo, and revered along with Buddha, Vishnu, Skanda and others.
Although Ganesha has many attributes, he is readily identified by his elephant head. He is widely revered, more specifically, as the remover of obstacles; the patron of arts and sciences; and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rites and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits.
Ganesha may have emerged as a deity as early as the 1st century BCE, but most certainly by the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta period, though he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. Hindu mythology identifies him as the restored son of Parvati and Shiva of the Shaivism tradition, but he is a pan-Hindu god found in its various traditions. In the Ganapatya tradition of Hinduism, Ganesha is the supreme deity. The principal texts on Ganesha include the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa. Brahma Purana and Brahmanda Purana are other two Puranic genre encyclopaedic texts that deal with Ganesha.
Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including Ganapati (Ganpati) and Vighneshvara. The Hindu title of respect Shri (Sanskrit: श्री; IAST: śrī; also spelled Sri or Shree) is often added before his name.
The name Ganesha is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words gana (gaṇa), meaning a 'group, multitude, or categorical system' and isha (īśa), meaning 'lord or master'. The word gaṇa when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaṇas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva, Ganesha's father. The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation. Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the Gaṇas" to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements. Ganapati (गणपति; gaṇapati), a synonym for Ganesha, is a compound composed of gaṇa, meaning "group", and pati, meaning "ruler" or "lord". Though the earliest mention of the word Ganapati is found in hymn 2.23.1 of the 2nd-millennium BCE Rigveda, it is however uncertain that the Vedic term referred specifically to Ganesha. The Amarakosha, an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of Ganesha: Vinayaka, Vighnarāja (equivalent to Vighnesha), Dvaimātura (one who has two mothers),Gaṇādhipa (equivalent to Ganapati and Ganesha), Ekadanta (one who has one tusk), Heramba, Lambodara (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and Gajanana (gajānana); having the face of an elephant.
Vinayaka (विनायक; vināyaka) or Binayaka is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the Purāṇas and in Buddhist Tantras. This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the Ashtavinayak (Marathi: अष्टविनायक, aṣṭavināyaka). The names Vighnesha (विघ्नेश; vighneśa) and Vighneshvara (विघ्नेश्वर; vighneśvara) (Lord of Obstacles) refers to his primary function in Hinduism as the master and remover of obstacles (vighna).
A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is Pillai (Tamil: பிள்ளை) or Pillaiyar (பிள்ளையார்). A.K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that pillai means a "child" while pillaiyar means a "noble child". He adds that the words pallu, pella, and pell in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk". Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word pille in the name Pillaiyar might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word pillaka means "a young elephant".
In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as Maha Peinne (မဟာပိန္နဲ, pronounced [məhà pèiɰ̃né]), derived from Pali Mahā Wināyaka (မဟာဝိနာယက). The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is Phra Phikanet. The earliest images and mention of Ganesha names as a major deity in present-day Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam date from the 7th- and 8th-centuries, and these mirror Indian examples of the 5th century or earlier. In Sri Lankan Singhala Buddhist areas, he is known as Gana deviyo, and revered along with Buddha, Vishnu, Skanda and others.
श्रीगणेशः | - Shree Ganesh
गणेशः(Ganesha) प्रसिद्धा हिन्दुदेवता । शिवपार्वत्योः प्रथमः पुत्रः भवति। गणः नाम समूहः, गणानाम् ईशः गणेशः इति। सः विनायकः इति नाम्नि अपि प्रसिद्धः। सः गजवक्त्रः वर्तते। स एव विघ्ननाशकः। अतः एव सः कार्यारम्भे पूज्यते । सः भक्तप्रियदेवः। तस्य भक्ताः गाणपतेः इति ख्याताः। गणेशोपनिषद् गणेशपुराणं मुद्गलपुराणं च तस्य स्तुतिं कुर्वन्ति। सः न केवलं हैन्दवैः किन्तु बौद्धैः जैनैः अपि पूजितः।
नामानि
तस्य नामानि गणेशसहस्रनामनि वर्णितानि। कानिचन नामानि ः
गणेशः - गणानाम् ईशः
गणपतिः - गणानाम् पतिः
गजाननः - गजस्य आननमिव आननं यस्य सः
गणाधिपः - गणानाम् अधिपः
विनायकः - विशिष्टः नायकः
विघ्नेशः - विघ्नानाम् इशः
एकदन्तः - एकः दन्तः यस्य सः
लम्बोदरः - लम्बम् उदरं यस्य सः
गजवक्त्रः - गजस्य वक्त्रं यस्य सः
वक्रतुण्डः - वक्रान् तुण्डयति/ वक्रं तुण्डं यस्य सः
वैशिष्ट्यानि
गणेशः पौराणिकशास्त्रानुसारेण गजशिरधारिदेवतारूपेण पूजिता अस्ति। तस्य एकः दन्तः अर्धः वर्तते। बृहदाकारोदरम् अस्य अवयवे विलक्षणतया दृश्यते। गणेशस्य चरणदेशे विविधभक्ष्याणि भवन्ति। तत्पुरतः मूषिकः स्थितः वर्तते।
कर्णमस्तकञ्च
आध्यात्मिकशिक्षायाः प्रथमसोपानं भवति 'श्रवणम्', तन्नाम वेदान्ते विद्यमानानां परमसत्यानां श्रवणम् । द्वितीयसोपानं 'मननं' तत्सत्यस्य स्वातन्त्रप्रतिच्छाया एव। श्रवणमननमाध्यमेन सर्वज्ञताम् अर्जयितुं शक्यते। गजाननस्य बृहदाकारकं कर्णं मस्तकञ्च तदेव द्योतयति।
हस्ताः
गणेशस्य हस्तचतुष्टयं मन- बुद्धि-अहंकार-चित्तं च द्योतयति। गणेशः स्वयं सच्चिदानन्दस्वरूपः भूत्वा आत्मोपलब्धेः चत्वारि उपादानानि प्रदर्शयति।
शुण्डम्
शुण्डं गजाननस्य अवयवे लाक्षणिकतया तिष्ठति। स्थूलसूक्ष्मकार्ययोः सम्पादनं गजशुण्डस्य अत्याश्चर्यगुणं भवति। यथा शुण्डेन वृक्षोत्पाटनं कर्तुं शक्यते तथैव शुण्डेन भूमौ पतितां सूचीं अपि स्वीकर्तुं शक्यते। वक्रतुण्डस्य बुद्धिमत्ता स्थूल(वस्तुनिष्ठजगत्)-सूक्ष्म(पारमार्थिकजगत्)जगतोः मध्ये सेतुबन्धं करोति। परमात्मनः प्राप्त्यर्थं तन्मार्गेण (स्थूलात् सूक्ष्मं प्रति) एव गमनीयेति जनान् सूचयति ।
उदरम्
महत् उदरं सूचयति यत् खादितानि सर्वाणि खाद्यानि जीर्णीकर्तुं समर्थं वर्तते इति । तथैव आदर्शः पुरुषः स्वस्य जीवने घट्यमानाः सर्वविधघटनाः अपि निश्चलमनसा जीर्णीकुर्याद् इति ।
पादौ
गणेशः सर्वदा एकस्य उपरि अपरं पादं संस्थाप्य उपविशति। एकः पादः भूमौ स्थितः भवति । तस्य व्यक्तित्वस्य कश्चन अंशः पार्थिवलोके भवति अपरः तु सर्वदा परमसत्ये एकनिष्ठतया स्थितः भवति। तथा मनुष्योऽपि पार्थिवलोके स्थित्वा योगबलेन मूलभूतात्मोपलब्धिं कर्तुं शक्नोति।
मूर्तिः
तस्य मूर्तयः मन्दिरेषु गृहेषु च प्राचुर्येण दृश्यन्ते। तस्य एकदन्तकं गजवक्त्रम् अस्ति। तस्य उदरं भाण्डाकारम्। सः नागयज्ञोपवितम् धरति। तस्य चत्वारः बाहवः सन्ति। सः पाशम् अङ्कुशं मोदकं च धरति। सः एकहस्तेन आशिषं ददाति।
विवर्तनम्
गणपतेः उल्लेखः प्राचीनतमे हिन्दुधर्मग्रन्थे ऋग्वेदे अस्ति। तत्र ऋक् मन्त्राः यथा-" गणानां त्वा गनपतिं हवामहे...."(२\२३\१) एवं "विषु सीदा गणपतेः"(१०\११२\९) गणपतेः धारणां जनयन्ति। यद्यपि पौराणिकगणेशस्य वर्तमाने पूज्यमानस्य गणेशस्य च भेदाः सन्ति तथापि नैके विशारदाः मन्यन्ते यत्-"गणपति-ब्रह्मणस्पति"-तः एव "गजवदन-गणेश-विघ्नेश्वर"स्य धारणा विवर्तितास्ति।(Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Swami Harshananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, 1981, p.125)
ऋग्वेदकालिकस्य गणपतेः वृहस्पतिः, वाचस्पतिः इति च अपरनाम आसीत्। गणेशः सर्वदा नृत्यसंगीतकारीसमूहे (यच्च 'गणः’ इत्युच्यते) विराजमानः भवति । तथा देवतानां रक्षकरूपेणैव कल्पितः आसीत्।(Hindu Gods and Goddesses, Swami Harshananda, Sri Ramakrishna Math, Chennai, 1981, p. 125-27)
भिन्नमतानुसारेण, भारतवर्षस्य आदिवासीजनैः पूजिता हस्तिदेवता एवञ्च लम्बोदरयक्षस्य कल्पनायाः मिश्रणेन एव गणेशस्य उद्भवः जातः ।
अवताराः
गाणपत्यसम्प्रदायस्य प्रधानग्रन्थौ द्वौ स्तः । गणेशविषयके द्वे उपपुराणे (गणेशमुद्गलश्च) पृथग्पृथकतया गणेशस्य क्रमशः चत्वारः एवं अष्ट अवताराः सन्ति इति कथयति ।-
गणेशपुराणम्
गणेशपुराणे उल्लिखितम् अस्ति यत् गणेशस्य सत्य-त्रेता-द्वापर-कलियुगेषु एवम् अवताराः भवन्ति -
महोत्कटविनायकः(सत्ययुगः), मयूरेश्वरः(त्रेता), गजाननः(द्वापरः), धूम्रकेतुः(कलिः)
मुद्गलपुराणम्
मुद्गलपुराणं गणेशस्य अष्टावताराणां विषये सूचयति यथा-
वक्रतुण्डः, एकदन्तः, महोदरः, गजाननः, लम्बोदरः, विकटः, विघ्नराजः, धूम्रवर्णः इत्यादि।
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