Ganesh Chaturthi 2021 | Part 2 | Special blog | Life lessons | Root Chakra | Significance | Spirituality

 

Today is Anant Chaturdashi and Ganesh Visarjan and it's time to bid adieu to Vignaharta Shri Ganesh. So say a loud with me.....

गणपति बप्पा मोरया, अगले बरस तू जल्दी आ.... 🌺🙏🏼❤️

Lord Ganesha, the Elephant God, is not only the Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles, but also a teacher if you pay close attention to the tales of Hindu mythology. Also known as Ekdant, his anecdotes form an integral part of Hindu mythology and impart great life lessons to his followers. We can all learn a thing or two about life from these tales. So, let's bid our goodbye to bappa for this year and learn something from him to implement in our lives. Also, don't forget to know where he resides inside us in his cosmic form other than our hearts....

A good listener is as effective as a good talker.

With two large ears, Ganesha exemplifies this message. When people share their grief and sorrow with Ganesha, what they actually have is two-way communication, where Ganesha is playing the role of an active listener.

Most of the time what people really seek is a person whom they can talk to, a person who will listen without being judgemental. It is not important for a listener to shell out opinions or advice, you simply have to let them pour their hearts out.

A good listener always has a better understanding of the situation at hand. In decision-making, listening to others helps you analyse the situation from a different perspective and hence, guides you to a better solution.

So the next time someone walks up to you to communicate something, remember that listening is a crucial part of the process.

Forgiveness is the ultimate virtue

The legend says that Lord Ganesha once cursed the moon for mocking his pot-belly after he was returning from a satiating dinner party thrown by the Lord of Fortune, Kuber. The lover of food and desserts, Lord Ganesha was returning home after having a hearty meal, when he stumbled and rolled over on his belly. The Moon saw it from high above, and burst into a cynical laughter that miffed Lord Ganesha, and compelled him to curse him. Lord Ganesha cursed the moon to disappear from the sky completely, while he begged for forgiveness. Ultimately, the generous Lord Ganesha gave in to his requests, but since he couldn't revoke the curse, he reduced the disappearance span of the moon from the sky to one day.

Lord Ganesha's story explains how anger gets to the best of us, but it is our power to overcome it that makes us a better human being.

Always stand up for your self-respect

Legend has it that once, all the gods and goddesses left Lord Ganesha in-charge of the Swarg lok, as they left with Lord Vishnu's marriage procession headed towards Goddess Laxmi's abode. Lord Ganesha was tricked into taking care of Swarg lok, because the other deities were embarrassed of his physical appearance and massive diet. On getting to know the truth, Lord Ganesha wanted to avenge himself, and devised a clever plan that would make them realise his importance. Ganesha sent his rat-vehicle, Gajasur, to dig up the roads that led to Goddess Laxmi's abode, and he obeyed. As expected, the deities couldn't proceed further, and called for help. A farmer who was crossing by the road decided to help the deities, and pulled out the carriage stuck in the road in the first attempt after chanting Lord Ganesha's name. He explained how only Lord Ganesha's name could have induced the strength in him to lift the carriage, since he is the Remover of Obstacles. This made the deities realise that there's more to a being than his physical appearance, and they returned to offer their apologies to Lord Ganesha.

Lord Ganesha's story is a lesson to never let anyone undermine your abilities, or your physical appearance cloud people's judgement of you.

 You should finish every task you take up

The legend says that sage Vyasa (Ved Vyasa) wanted to write the epic, Mahabharata, and he requested Lord Ganesha to write it down while he narrated the verse. The Lord agreed on one condition--Sage Vyasa was supposed to finish reciting the verses without a pause, and Lord Ganesha would write without taking a break. The two sat down to write one of the greatest epics known to mankind which contains 1.8 million words, but faith had something else in store--Lord Ganesha's pen broke while he was still writing. Lord Ganesha broke one of his tusks, and continued writing the epic.

Lord Ganesha sacrificed his own tusk to finish a task meant for greater good. If we could all imbibe this lesson from him, we'd all be closer to success than we already are.

Lord Ganesha is one of the celestial deities holding the divine prominence in Vedic scriptures. His form, intellect, divinity and strengths are glorified in the Ganesh Purana.  He is the ruling deity of the Muladhara Chakra and blesses his devotees with wisdom and ability to face challenges and obstacles in life. He has a pot belly signifying contentment and fullness. He holds a fragrant Modak in His left hand signifying the bliss of satisfaction that he provides. His vehicle, the Mouse, signifies that one needs to curb wishes (signified by mouse) to achieve his state. 

Puranas mention that Lord Ganesha is the god of letters, learning and wisdom. In Sanskrit, the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The Ganesh Purana and Ganesh Sahasranama (thousand names of Ganesha) mention one of the names as Buddhipriya, the one who is fond of intelligence. Buddhi (sense or intellect) is a female word meaning Lord Ganesha is the husband (priya or lover) of Buddhi.

As per Kundalini Yoga, the human body receives its subtle cosmic energies from seven chakras that are ruled by different gods. Every chakra has an emotional significance and a physical or biological significance, which is related with our hormonal system. The root chakra is the first of the chakras of matter. Balancing the root chakra creates the solid foundation for opening the chakras above.The root chakra is comprised of whatever grounds you to stability in your life. This includes your basic needs such as food, water, shelter, and safety, as well as your more emotional needs such as letting go of fear. When these needs are met, you feel grounded and safe, and you tend to worry less day to day. Biologically, it is associated with reproductive glands i.e. testes in men; ovaries in women, which controls reproductive development and secretes reproductive  hormones.

The energy resides in the Root or Muladhara  Chakra, which is dormant & the main purpose of life, as we know it, is to make this Energy or Shakti or Kundalini, rise, go through each Chakra & then reside in the Crown Chakra. Lord Ganesha rules Muladhara Chakra, the Root Chakra associated with family, stability and knowledge. Mula means ‘main, root or original’ and adhara means ‘base or foundation’, meaning the Lord Ganesha is the root cause of our familial happiness and domestic peace that are absent without his blessings. The Ganapati Atharvashirsa mentions a verse: “O Ganesha! You reside at the base of the spine”.

In the Kundalini Yoga sutras, Lord Ganesha mentioned as the ruler of Root Chakra (Muladhara Chakra) connected with the foundation or stability in your life. Also in Ganapati Atharvashirsa it is given that "Lord Ganesha continually dwells in the sacral plexus at the base of the spine, Mūlādhāra Chakra. He resides permanently in every living being at the Muladhara. He guides all other chakras, thereby leading the forces that propel the wheel of life”. Therefore, Lord Ganeha is the primal force that supports the foundation of every aspect of your life. He removes all the obstacles to all your undertakings. One should meditate on him every day in the morning. 

Captured and edited by : Kamya 

As no spiritual growth can take place without chopping of the head of false ego & directing the Consciousness upwards towards The Mother Energy, the most auspicious of all things in Creation, that is why, for every auspicious beginning we pray to Lord Ganesha. It is only via Him, that all good can take place & take place calmly. Energy needs to be first & foremost pure & that pure Energy needs to be channelled upwards. But Energy in its Original Form is neither pure or impure, it is just energy. 

Curated by : Kamya

I hope you learnt something from this blog on Ganapati Bappa and enjoyed it as much as I did. Even I have learnt very much about chakras while researching for this blog, and therefore it is one of my favourite and informative blog ever. So, if you learnt anything or loved any shot or my new editing style from this blog, or want more spiritual blogs like this, do let me know in the comments section below and do share this blog with the world. And for more content like this, Stay tuned to your favourite blog.....

See you in the next blog soon, till then,

Have a wonderful day, take care and....

always remember to love yourself first!! ❤

May this pandemic end from this world till Bappa arrives the next year. And may Bappa shower you with lots of good luck, fortune, health, happiness, prosperity and his blessings the whole year. ✨🌺🙏🏼

 गणपति बप्पा मोरया, पुढच्या वर्षी लवकर या ✨🙏🏼❤️🌺

Ganesh Chaturthi 2021 | Part 1 | Special blog | Symbolism | Significance | Spirituality

 Ganesh Chaturthi Special blog  - Part 1

ॐ एकदन्ताय विद्महे वक्रतुंडाय धीमहि तन्नो बुदि्ध प्रचोदयात।। 

Hi there! and a very happy Ganesh Utsav to you and your family! 🙏🌺

It was my dream since childhood to visit a potter's home or workshop before Ganesh- utsav or Durga Puja to see the statues before the world  and capture the beauty and essence of it. I wondered how beautifully the photographers captured the beauty of half finished statues, by seeing pictures in the newspaper or internet. And Voila, this time, this dream of mine came true . I visited one of the potter's house in Bagbahra during this time and here are the glimpses of my visit, highly loaded with a combo of  spirituality and art. Literally, it was a divine experience....

Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati is popularly worshipped under different names like Sumukha, Ekadanta, Kapila, Gajakarna, Lambodara, Vikath, Vidhnanashaka, Vinayaka, Dhumraketu, Ganadhayaksha, Bhalchandra and Gajanana.

Ganesha’s form is highly charming and mesmerizing. The cute little chubby boy like body with an elephant head, a broken tusk. A rounded body carrying the wisdom of the universe. A tray of sweets by his side. A tiny mouse on the other. A lotus in one hand. A crown on his head. The second arm raised with an axe. A third lifting in benediction and blessing, has been inspiring devotion and love in the hearts of millions down the history. While the form of Lord Ganesh evokes our imaginations and pleases us beyond compare, there is also deep spiritual symbolism behind the form of Lord Ganesh.

Interesting symbolism behind Lord Ganesha's form - 

Usually elephants are the path makers in forests. When an elephant passes through thick woods, a way is created for the other animals to follow. Lord Ganesh is worshiped first before starting anything new. Lord Ganesha clears the obstacles and paves the way for us to move forward in life.

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. The large ears signify that a perfect person is the one who possesses a great capacity to listen to others and assimilate ideas. Ganesha being the ruler of the worlds, he possesses large ears to keenly listen to the prayers and needs of all his subjects.

The trunk can hold anything and everything existent in this universe. Likewise, the individuals should possess qualities of high adaptability and efficiency in life. This in other words can make them attune to any circumstances of life. It also represents OM ( ॐ) the sound symbol of cosmic reality.

The two tusks denote the two  aspects of the human personality, wisdom and emotion. The right tusk represents wisdom and the left tusk represents emotion. The broken left tusk conveys the idea that one must conquer emotions with wisdom to attain perfection. 

The right foot dangling over the left foot illustrates that in order to live a successful life one should utilise knowledge and reason to overcome emotions.

The elephant eyes are said to possess natural deceptiveness that allows them to perceive objects to be bigger than what they really are. Thus it indicates to surrender one's pride and attain humility.

The Trishul (weapon of Shiva, similar to Trident) over forehead symbolises time (past, present and future) and Lord Ganesha's mastery over it.

The four arms of Lord Ganesha represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body, that is: mind (Manas), intellect (Buddhi), ego (Ahamkara), and conditioned conscience (Chitta). Lord Ganesha represents the pure consciousness - the Atman - which enables these four attributes to function in us. The hand waving an axe is a symbol of the retrenchment of all desires, bearers of pain and suffering.

With this axe Lord Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles. The axe is also to prod man to the path of righteousness (dharma) and truth. The second hand holds a whip, symbol of the force that ties the devout person to the eternal beatitude of God. The whip conveys that worldly attachments and desires should be rid of; the third hand, turned towards the devotee, is in a pose of blessing, refuge and protection (abhaya); the fourth hand holds a lotus flower (padma), and it symbolizes the highest goal of human evolution, the sweetness of the realized inner self.

The human body possesses a human heart, which is a symbol of kindness and compassion toward all. Lord Ganesha is usually portrayed wearing red and yellow clothes. Yellow symbolizes purity, peace, auspiciousness, sense control, and truthfulness. Red symbolizes the activity in the world. Thus an individual should perform all duties in the world, with purity, peace, and truthfulness.

Lord Ganesha's belly represents the whole cosmos, the seven realms above and below and the seven oceans are inside Ganesha's cosmic belly. These are held together by the cosmic energy (kundalini) symbolized by the huge snake around him. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. The big belly signifies that a person should face all pleasant and unpleasant experiences during his life span with patience and calmness.

The mouse represents ego. Lord Ganesha using the mouse represents the need to control ego and so it's said that one who controls his ego has Ganesha consciousness. Ganesh Chaturthi is a celebration of  The Lord who controls the universe. The wandering mouse also signifies the wavering human mind. As Lord Ganesh (elephant head) controls the mouse, we must also learn to control our mind with intellect.

Yet another interpretation explains why Lord Ganesh has the mouse as his vehicle. The king must be accessible to all the subjects equally. Ganesh with a huge body and elephant head is close to the mouse which is a tiny creature. This indicates all lives are equal and it is the duty of every human to take care of the humble lives around.

                                    

Photographist : Kamya 📸

Facts curated from various websites...

Mouse also symbolizes uncontrolled desires and ego that can nibble all that is good and noble in a person. A mouse sitting near the feet of lord Ganesha and gazing at the Laddus denotes that with purified or controlled desires one can live in the world without being affected by the worldly temptations.

Like this  blog loaded with spirituality and photography or my new editing style? Don’t forget to share it and tell me what are your memories with lord ganesha or ganesh utsav in the comments section below!!

See you in the next blog soon, till then,

Have a wonderful day, take care and....

always remember to love yourself first!! ❤

May lord Ganesha give you a rainbow for every storm, a smile for every tear. A promise for every care and an answer to every prayer. Wishing you a happy Ganesh Paksh. ❤️🙏🏼✨

Ganapati bappa morya! 🙏❤🌺

पोला विशेष ब्लॉग

 

सबले पहिली, आप मन ला पोरा तिहार के गाड़ा गाड़ा बधाई 🐂🌾

( First of all, wish you a very happy Pola. 🐂🌾 ) 

 लोक परंपरा का प्रमुख त्योहार पोला पर्व (Pola Festival) प्रदेशभर में 6 सितंबर 2021 को धूमधाम से मनाया जा रहा है है. भारत कृषि प्रधान देश है, यहाँ कृषि को अच्छा बनाने में मवेशियों का भी विशेष योगदान होता है. भारत में इन मवेशियों की पूजा की जाती है. पोला का त्यौहार उन्ही में से एक है, जिस दिन कृषक गाय, बैलों की पूजा करते है. यह पोला का त्यौहार विशेष रूप से छत्तीसगढ़, मध्यप्रदेश एवं महाराष्ट्र में मनाया जाता है. पोला के दिन किसान और अन्य लोग पशुओं की विशेष रूप से बैल की पूजा करते है, उन्हें अच्छे से सजाते है. पोला को बैल पोला भी कहा जाता है.

पोला का त्यौहार भादों माह की अमावस्या को जिसे पिठोरी अमावस्या भी कहते है, उस दिन मनाया जाता है. यह अगस्त – सितम्बर महीने में आता है.

• त्यौहार का नाम पोला क्यों पड़ा?

विष्णु भगवान जब  कृष्ण  के रूप में धरती में आये थे, जिसे कृष्ण जन्माष्टमी के रूप मे मनाया जाता है. तब जन्म से ही उनके कंस मामा उनकी जान के दुश्मन बने हुए थे. कान्हा जब छोटे थे और वसुदेव-यशोदा के यहाँ रहते थे, तब कंस ने कई बार कई असुरों को उन्हें मारने भेजा था. एक बार कंस ने पोलासुर नामक असुर को भेजा था, इसे भी कृष्ण ने अपनी लीला के चलते मार दिया था, और सबको अचंभित कर दिया था. वह दिन भादों माह की अमावस्या का दिन था, इस दिन से इसे पोला (Pola) कहा जाने लगा. यह दिन बच्चों का दिन कहा जाता है, इस दिन बच्चों को विशेष प्यार, लाढ देते है.

• पोला त्यौहार का महत्व

भारत, जहां कृषि आय का मुख्य स्रोत है और ज्यादातर किसानों की खेती के लिए बैलों का प्रयोग किया जाता है. इसलिए किसान पशुओं की पूजा आराधना एवं उनको धन्यवाद देने के लिए इस त्योहार को मनाते है. पोला दो तरह से मनाया जाता है, बड़ा पोला एवं छोटा पोला. बड़ा पोला में बैल को सजाकर उसकी पूजा की जाती है, जबकि छोटा पोला में बच्चे खिलौने के बैल या घोड़े को मोहल्ले पड़ोस में घर-घर ले जाते है और फिर कुछ पैसे या गिफ्ट उन्हें दिए जाते है.

पोला पर्व की पूर्व रात्रि को गर्भ पूजन किया जाता है। ऐसा माना जाता है कि इसी दिन अन्न माता गर्भ धारण करती है। अर्थात धान के पौधों में दूध भरता है। इसी कारण पोला के दिन किसी को भी खेतों में जाने की अनुमति नहीं होती। रात में जब गांव के सब लोग सो जाते हैं तब गांव का पुजारी-बैगा, मुखिया तथा कुछ पुरुष सहयोगियों के साथ अर्धरात्रि को गांव तथा गांव के बाहर सीमा क्षेत्र के कोने-कोने में प्रतिष्ठित सभी देवी-देवताओं के पास जा-जाकर विशेष पूजा आराधना करते हैं। यह पूजन प्रक्रिया रात भर चलती है। इनका प्रसाद उसी स्थल पर ही ग्रहण किया जाता है घर ले जाने की मनाही रहती है। इस पूजन में ऐसा व्यक्ति नहीं जा सकता जिसकी पत्नी गर्भवती हो। इस पूजन में जाने वाला कोई भी व्यक्ति जूता-चप्पल पहनकर नहीं जाता फिर भी उसे काटा-कंकड़ नहीं चूभता या शारीरिक कष्ट नहीं होता।

( P.S. her smile... :) )

सुबह होते ही गृहिणी घर में छत्तीसगढ़ी व्यंजन जैसे गुड़हा चीला, अनरसा, सोहारी, चौसेला, ठेठरी, खूरमी, बरा, मुरकू, भजिया, मूठिया, गुजिया, तसमई आदि बनाती हैं। वहीं किसान अपने गौमाता व बैलों को नहलाते हैं। उनके सींग व खूर (पैरों का निचला हिस्सा) में पेंट या पालिस लगाकर कई प्रकार से सजाते हैं। गले में घुंघरू, घंटी या कौड़ी से बने आभूषण पहनाते हैं। तथा पूजा करके आरती उतारते हैं।

तस्वीरें: काम्या साहू और इंटरनेट 📸

पोला के लिए अपने बेटों के लिए कुम्हार मिट्टी से बनाकर आग मे पकाए गए बैल या लकड़ी से बनाए बैल के पैरों में चक्के लगाकर सुसज्जित करके तथा बेटियों के लिए रसोई घर में उपयोग किए जाने वाली छोटे छोटे मिट्टी के पके बर्तनों (चुकिया, जाता, पोरा आदि) को पूजा कर बनाये हुए पारंपरिक पकवानों को भोग लगाने के बाद ये खिलौने खेलने व मनोरंजन के लिए बच्चों को देते हैं। इसके पीछे का तर्क यह है कि इन मिट्टी या लकड़ी के बने बैलों से खेलकर बेटे कृषि कार्य तथा बेटियां रसोईघर व गृहस्थी की संस्कृति व परंपरा को समझते हुए जीवन में योगदान देंगे।

मुझे लगता है कि अगर आपने यहां तक ​​स्क्रॉल किया है तो आपको ये शॉट्स और दिए गए ज्ञान पसंद आया होगा। मैं किसी भी टिप्पणी, प्रतिक्रिया या सुझाव के लिए बहुत आभारी रहूंगी। और मुझे यह जानना अच्छा लगेगा कि आपको कौन सा शॉट या तथ्य सबसे ज्यादा पसंद आया.....

मिलते हैं अगले ब्लॉग में जल्द ही, तब तक,

आपका दिन मंगलमय हो, अपना ख्याल रखें ❤