15 Amazing Facts About Ganesha Symbolism
Table of Contents
Who is Ganesha?
Ganesha is the cutest, auspicious, and most divine god believed in Hinduism. Ganesh is the remover of obstacles, pilgrims first thank him when they visit a temple. People generally seek knowledge concerning the Ganesha Symbolism, i.e. to know elaborately why Ganesha is so auspicious and considered as the leader of positivity and holiness. Remembering Ganesha before any important task helps a devotee in concentrating and strengthening his belief to accomplish it, as Ganesha is also is known as the God of wealth, sciences, knowledge, wisdom, and prosperity.
Ganesh is also a leader of letters and learning. He is considered the master of knowledge and enlightenment. In this part of the content, I will try to explain everything linked to Ganesha Symbolism and its involvement in our day-to-day life. Ganesha also spelled Ganesh, also called Ganapati, Vighnaharta, Vinayagar, elephant-headed Hindu god of beginnings, who is traditionally worshipped before any major initiative and is the patron of academics, bankers, scribes, and authors.
It is assumed that Ganesha is ‘Ajam Nirvikalpam Niraakaaram Ekam’. Which indicates he is Ajam (unborn), Nirvikalpa (attributeless), and he is Nirakara (formless). He also symbolizes the mindfulness that is omnipresent. Ganesha is the power from which everything manifests and into which everything will dissolve.
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What Ganesha Name Denotes?
His name denotes both “Lord of the People” (Gana means the common people) and “Lord of the Ganas” (Ganesha is the chief of the Ganas – the goblin hosts of Shiva). Ganesha is potbellied and usually depicted as holding in his hand a few round Indian sweets known as Modak, of which he is inordinately connected. His appetite for these sweets is legendary and offerings of them are often given at his shrine. People devotedly please him with various mantra chantings and hymns. For a brief encounter with some of the most famous Lord Ganesha Mantras, which are used to please him you can click on the link.
Before devoting ourselves entirely to the thoughts of Ganesha, let us enlighten ourselves with the symbolic teachings of our deity. Take a glance at the pictorial short description of Ganesha’s body parts and their significance as every body part of Ganesha illuminate us with positivity and compassion.
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GANESHA SYMBOLISM: Significance of the different parts of Ganesha statue
What big head of Ganesha signifies?
Think Big: Ganesha is a god of intellect and wisdom. He is considered the most knowledgeable and intelligent deity. Whenever we rise with something related to intellect and judgments, we memorialize our precious Ganesha. The big elephant head of Lord Ganesha symbolizes enlightenment, judgment, and an individualizing intelligence that one must maintain to attain fulfillment in life. Ganesha’s big head signifies good fortune and understanding.
Ganesha is considered the lord of knowledge and wisdom. There is a tale that connects to these facts. Once Lord Shiva and Mata Parvati, origins of baby Ganesha, decided to take a playful test of Lord Kartikeya and Lord Ganesha. They declared whoever will first circumnavigate the whole world three times, will get a magical fruit of knowledge and wisdom. Lord Kartikeya who is the older one decided to do some rush.
He took his vahana (vehicle) peacock and left to travel encompassing the world. But, Lord Ganesha with his vahana Rat, using his astonishing intelligence he took his best decision, and instead of the earth, he had circled Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati – who were his idea of the world. He won the Game and was blessed with the magical fruit of knowledge and viewed as the master of wisdom. This Part of Ganesha Symbolism is the vital part of the series.
What Ganesha large ear signifies?
Listen to More: Ganesha’s large ears signify the power of listening and understanding more. His large ears suggest us to listen to the things and upgrade ourselves accordingly. Surrender self in grasping positive thoughts and refine the words which are befalling our ears. Listening plays a vital role in a person’s life. We learn and discover new information while listening. It not always formulates a positive thought in our mind but sometimes it leads to bad outgrowths, anxieties, and concerns. So, Ganesha’s big ears suggest us to listen more but take in the good vibes and strain out the negative ones.
What Ganesha small mouth signifies?
Speak Less: Ganesha’s small mouth suggests us to speak less, good and as and when required. When we speak we try to take out everything that we have. Sometimes it looks good but sometimes our statement puts us in trouble. Our words can make a huge change in somebody’s life, it may be emotional or environmental. So, we should always be cautious about the words we utilize, think before speaking, and should converse less. This mode can make us more productive and profitable.
These two Ganesha Symbolism, Listen to more and Speak less, are something that every person should adopt to lead a peaceful life.
What Ganesha one tusk signifies?
Preserve Good and Discard The Bad: One tusk of Ganesha signifies that we should always preserve good thoughts, gestures, and intellects. We should discard the bad thoughts and behaviors. His one tusk teaches us that sometimes a little sacrifice is worth it. To do a good task, at times we need little losses. Here’s again a story to share related to the broken tusk of Ganesha.
Maharshi Ved Vyasa was commanded to record the epic by the Gods – Mahabharata. He desired it to be inscribed by the most learned one in the universe. Lord Brahma asked Maharishi Ved Vyas to visit Lord Shiva and beg for his son Ganesha to be approved for the task. When approached, Lord Ganesha had a condition which said while reciting the verses, if Ved Vyas paused for a while, and Lord Ganesha would have to stop writing the verses because of that; he would stop his writing of the epic and Maharishi Ved Vyas would have to seek for another writer. That is, Maharishi Ved Vyas would have to recite the complete epic at one go, without resting at all.
Maharishi Ved Vyas from his side kept another clause before the commencement of the book, that when he will recite the hymns, Ganesha has to understand every word of the hymn and then write it. Maharishi Ved Vyas thought of giving some really hard verses which Ganesha will take time to understand and he will gain time to catch some break in between.
But this is not the case, Ganesha started writing and he didn’t stop, He finished penning down the sacred hymns even before the sage had imagined of the next. In the meantime, the pen he used for writing down the verses, began to fade away. Aware of His earlier condition, and not finding out any other choice, the Lord pulled out his left tusk and used it to finish writing the famous epic Mahabharata. From this incident, he seized the name of being Ekadanta.
This Ganesha Symbolism is one of my personal favorites as it has an amazing story connected to it.
What Ganesha long trunk of signifies?
Strength and Adjustability: Ganesha’s long trunk defines that we should always be focused on the future and how to increase the adaptability for the coming situations. Just like the trunk of the Lord can be moved into any direction, we should be able to get evidence from all directions to detect opportunities, possibilities as well as warnings. We must be able to detect dangers. So, by following this Ganesha Symbolism, we can smell the future and get the exact path to work on.
What does Ganesha Trunk direction signify?
Significance of Ganesha Right side trunk: This structure calls for immense dedication and purity. You need to worship the Ganesha with all the rituals and customs every day, the way it’s done in temples.
Significance of the Left Side Trunk: If you are planning to place the Ganesha idol in Home or Office, the left side trunk statue is highly recommended as it is the calmest and coolest form of deity.
Significance of the Trunk to the Front Or Straight: If you get a Ganesha idol with its trunk totally straight then it is rare and must be worshiped at home for the mental health of kids in the family.
To read More about the Ganesha Trunk Significance click here.
What Ganesha big belly signifies?
Peacefully Digest Every Good and Bad in Life: Life is full of ups and downs, sometimes we adjust to them peacefully and sometimes we get into a lot of mental distress to overcome that particular reason of stress. In this Ganesha Symbolism, his big belly signifies that we should always absorb everything peacefully, good and bad occurrences both.
He bestows us with the courage to stay focused and move constantly towards the goal and intentions.
Ganesha is also considered as the Vighnaharta because he always deals with problems with courage and enthusiasm. He indicates us to be as fearless as he is and to conquer every single circumstance in life.
What do Ganesha eyes resemble?
Concentration: Among all the Ganesha Symbolism his eyes play a vital part. Ganesha’s small eyes symbolize being focused and concentrate on a particular goal. When we concentrate on a single task we become experts in it. Expert in a specific field creates us as more proficient in a particular aspect and that will help us to lead our life competently.
In today’s world focusing is the major issue among everyone and this is the reason I recommended this Ganesha’s Significance as the most beneficial one among others.
It is assumed that Ganesha eyes are small and it means that he takes matters very seriously and is also thoughtful. With this, the small eye shows that a person should study every situation intensely, and should take the judgment accordingly, such a person will never get cheated in life and the decisions he makes will be correct and precise.
What do Ganesha feet resemble?
Stability and Balancing: Ganesha having a huge body heightens the task of the feet to balance it all. His tiny feet balance and stabilize the body in any situation. Ganesha’s tiny feet suggest we be balanced in any situation. To handle every deed of life with love and compassion. He indicates to be stable in any circumstances. In our fast-paced lives, we need to be mentally and emotionally stable, worthily sensible, realistic, and modest. These qualities of this Ganesha Symbolism not only help us to stabilize our lives but also bless us with a positive and favorable environment to live in.
What do Ganesha hands resemble?
Importance of giving and taking in life: Ganesha’s four hands resemble the grace of giving and taking as well. When we give something to someone it should not only contain our love but also our attention. When we receive something not only our hand but our heart should also be thankful for it. The right hand at the back holds an axe, it signifies retrenchment.
One should know when to cut, economize, reduce and retreat. The rope in the left hand at the back implies the significance of apprehending good things. It demonstrates that one has to seize things that are helpful to our benefit. It also indicates that ‘opportunities knock at your door once, if you grab them, they are yours’.
The modak is one hand implies the love we hold when we give or take something. The right hand is raised to bless. Blessing is a very valuable part of our belief. This Ganesha symbolism helps us to believe in the power of giving and receiving.
What does Ganesha prasadam signify?
This world is a gift: The Prashad kept near the feet of Ganesha symbolizes that the whole world is under our feet. This world is full of wonders and choices. We have to select the best out of it. It’s us who will elect, which path to walk on. Every part of life is equally critical, it’s our responsibility to make it worse or best.
Prasadam implies the richer part of our life and the best-selecting abilities of a person. It signifies material, wealth, and power. This is not a body part of Ganesha but plays a vital role in his prayer.
Why Lord Ganesha Rat is considered his vehicle?
Lord Ganesha’s vehicle is a Rat. He suggests us to believe in small things in life. No matter how small the opportunity is we should always believe in it. Small things sometimes take us out of the big burdens. So, we should always respect every small thing in our existence. He instructs us to leave aside the limitation of our big egos and to ride on the right path in life. We need to become small, remove our ego burden, be attentive to understand the purposes, which others have ignored.
Talking about Ganesha Symbolism and not taking his favorite rat into consideration, makes this write up unworthy.
What does Ganesha Mouse signify?
The mouse, who is better understood as Ganesha’s carrier, describes a lot of human traits. First and foremost, it denotes the wants we all are crowded with. It instructs us to control our desires or else they might end up ruining us. Another thing that the little mouse sitting at Ganesha’s feet represents is that nobody should be egoistic. Ganesha or god is the supreme power. The fact that a mouse can carry Ganesha everywhere teaches us to stay settled and overcome all the obstacles that we may come across in our lives.
Because of these attributes of Ganesha’s body parts, Ganesh is widely revered by almost all castes and in all parts of India, despite any other spiritual associations. Ganesha statue is found everywhere, in many different forms, and he is invoked before the undertaking of any assignment. Ganesha Symbolism is also associated with the first Chakra, or energy wheel, which underpins all of the other Chakras and represents conservation, survival, and material well-being. He is considered to be a patron of the arts, sciences, and letters. Followers consider that if Ganesha is worshiped, he grants success, expansion, and strength against adversity. In a lesser-known role, Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, greed, and pride.
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Excellent explanations about the significance of each body part of the deity.