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Divine Life Society of South Africa celebrated Sri Ganesha Chaturthi at its Ashrams on Saturday 7, September 2024. At Sivanandashram, Reservoir Hills, Ganga Arati commenced at 5.30pm followed by Satsang. The Satsang programme comprised Kirtans, Bhajans, a reading, and recital of the Sri Ganesha Arati.

The reading from Hindu Fasts and Festivals by Sri Swami Sivananda aptly captures the essence of Sri Ganesha Chaturthi. Regarding the symbolic form of Lord Ganesha, Sri Swami Sivananda said, “Lord Ganesha is the first God. Riding a mouse (one of nature’s smallest creatures) and having the head of an elephant (the biggest of all animals), denotes that Ganesha is the creator of all creatures. Elephants are very wise animals; this indicates that Lord Ganesha is an embodiment of wisdom. It denotes the process of evolution also - the mouse gradually evolving into an elephant and eventually becoming a man. This is why Ganesha has a human body, an elephant’s head, and a mouse as His vehicle. This is the philosophy of His symbolic form”.                                                                                

Sri Swami Sivananda explains some of Lord Ganesha’s divine attributes, as follows, “The Vaishnavites also worship Lord Ganesha. They have given Him the name of Tumbikkai Alwar which means ‘the Divinity with the proboscis’ (the trunk of an elephant). Lord Ganesha’s two powers are the Kundalini and the Vallabha or power of love.

“He is very fond of sweet pudding or balls of rice flour with a sweet core. On one of His birthdays, He was proceeding from house to house accepting the offerings of sweet puddings. Having eaten a good number of these, He set out on His mouse at night. Suddenly the mouse stumbled - it had seen a snake and became frightened - with the result that Ganesha fell down. His stomach burst open and all the sweet puddings came out. But Ganesha stuffed them back into His stomach and, catching hold of the snake, tied it around His belly.

“Witnessing this, the moon laughed heartily. This unseemly behaviour of the moon annoyed Ganesha greatly. So, he pulled out one of His tusks and hurled it against the moon, and cursed that no one should look at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day; if anyone does, he will surely earn a bad name, censure or ill-repute. However, if by mistake someone does happen to look at the moon on this day, then the only way he could be freed from the curse would be by repeating or listening to the story of how Lord Krishna cleared His character regarding the Syamantaka Jewel. This story is quoted in the Bhagavatam. Lord Ganesha was pleased to ordain thus. Glory to Lord Ganesha! How kind and merciful He is unto His devotees! 

“Lord Ganesha and His brother, Lord Subramanya once had a dispute as to who was the elder of the two. The matter was referred to Lord Shiva for final decision. The Lord decided that whoever would make a tour of the whole world and come back first to the starting point had the right to be the elder. Subramanya flew off at once on his vehicle, the peacock, to make a circuit of the world. But the wise Ganesha went, in loving worshipfulness, around His divine parents and claimed victory”. Lord Shiva said that He could not give Lord Ganesha the prize as He did not go around the world.  Lord Ganesha’s response was that He had gone around His parents who represent the entire manifested universe. Thus, the dispute was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha, who was thereafter acknowledged as the elder of the two brothers. 

The following lines from the Sri Ganesha Arati are indicative of Lord Ganesha’s nature, compassion and benevolence. “You have a single tusk. You are filled with compassion and You have four hands. You have a beautiful vermillion mark on Your forehead, And You ride on Your vahana (carrier) which is in the form of a mouse”. Regarding Lord Ganesha’s prowess, the verse says, “You bestow vision to the blind, and heal the leper. You bestow children to the barren woman, and wealth to the destitute”.

Sri Swami Sivananda advises that we all take fresh spiritual resolves on Sri Ganesha Chaturthi, and pray to Lord Ganesha for inner spiritual strength to attain success in all our undertakings, material and spiritual, and also aspire for spiritual illumination and liberation.

May Lord Ganesha’s Grace and Blessings be upon us all.

CLICK HERE TO READ DIVINE LIFE MAGAZINE NO.139