Ganesha On Canvas

On the eve of Vinayaka Chaturthi, P C JAIN and DALJEET revisit stories of the most popular deity in the Hindu pantheon, Ganesha

Child-like, cool, benign, with mischief-filled eyes, a carefree disposition, a soft, curved trunk, large body and exuding the brilliance of multi-million suns, Ganesha removes obstacles and ensures a smooth start to any enterprise and enables accomplishment.

Essentially the god of auspiciousness, Ganesha does not ever bless, punish or destroy. ‘Wrong’ is not in his dictionary. He carries weapons of war, at least a battle-axe, but is not known to have ever used them. Even when annoyed, as with the moon’s conceit, he removes his own tusk and hurls it on the moon; it not his nature to hurt. The compassionate Ganesha accepts the pain of punishment on himself as well. To punish Vasuki for its arrogance Ganesha holds the serpent and ties it around his belly, curtailing all movement.

The god of beginnings, Ganesha does not sanctify ends, except when end precedes a beginning. Death rites do not begin by invoking Ganesha. His name or graphic symbol would not appear on papers seeking dissolution of marriage, partnership or declaring bankruptcy, lunacy or disentitlement.

Remover Of Obstacles
Yajur Veda, the earliest of texts alluding to Ganesha, lauds him as Gananama twa Ganapati, the Lord of Ganas - known and unknown cosmic forces influencing human life, order and environs, not always adversely but often uncontrollably. Early texts equate ganas with vighnas, the forces that obstruct. Ganesha, Vinayaka or Vighnesha - vighna nighna karam - one who eliminates obstacles, commands both. Hence, for ensuring obstruction-free beginning and accomplishment Ado pujya Vinayaka - worship Vinayaka first, is what Vishnu himself ordained and this is reflected in the Vedas, shrutis, smritis, Upanishads, Puranas.

The Brahmavaivarta Purana alludes to Vishnu proclaiming: Sarvagre tawa puja … sarva pujyashcha yogindra bhava - you are the first I worshipped, O conqueror of passions, you would be worshipped by all for Yasya smaran matren sarvavighno vinasyati - just by commemorating him the forces that impede are eliminated, and objectives, achieved.

God Of Beginnings
When unable to command unruly ganas, the cosmic elements, pramatha the innumerable, bhuta the unfathomable, yakshas the unending, and rakshasa the imperishable, Brahma commemorated Ganesha, and Ganesha commanded them, helping him create a world to rule, number, span, end and decay - the mortals’ world. Vishnu, before he vanquished Bali, invoked Ganesha. Shiva did so before he destroyed Tripura. Durga invoked Ganesha before she killed Mahishasura. The great serpent Shesha, prayed to Ganesha before it lifted the earth on its hood. Kamadeva did so before he shot his arrows of love for conquering the universe, and sage Vyasa, remembered the deity before he composed the great epic Mahabharata. As patron of letters, in learning rituals Ganesha precedes Saraswati, the goddess of learning, and as revealed in the universally uttered Ganesha-mantra: Shri Ganeshaya Namah, Lakshmi - Shri, the goddess of abundance, reaches the commemorator even before he completes the hymn. A belief, tradition, or a literary culture, even a number of medieval texts in Persian begin with invocation to Ganesha.

A trans-sectarian divinity in the Hindu pantheon, Ganesha has a status on par with, or rather above the great Trinity for it was with his help that Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva, the Trinity, functioned.

Shiva revives Ganesha by transplanting the elephant head on his torso and nominates him as commander of ganas, but all this amounts to mere correction of the error he committed and to pacify an enraged mother threatening to destroy the universe unless her son was revived, and Shiva knew she could do it. Whatever the metaphysical position, tradition perceives duality between the manifest cosmos on the one hand and the Trinity on the other; Ganesha himself is the manifest cosmos, duality diluting his very form.

Coming To Life
Ganesha is said to rise out of the waste of herbal paste rubbed off Parvati’s body to which she inadvertently gives anthropomorphic shape. Idol in hand, she wished it had life, and lo and behold, the idol transformed into a living child. This strange origin: not born of Parvati but produced by sharing her every inch - the body and the mind, and all playfully - shapes Ganesha’s basic character, not so much like a god but more like a human being. A product of playful mind, the innocent, plump Ganesha is ever full of zeal, energy and sportiveness. He enjoys dancing, plays the flute and musical instruments, engages in sports with his mount, a mouse.

He’s Cool And Collected
The utterly lovable Ganesha has a weakness for laddus. And he loves mango, pomegranate, sugarcane, and banana. He has a massive build and elephant trunk; a calm and cool Ganesha is more feminine than masculine. His simplicity, compassion, benign and soft nature, disinclination to harm anyone, positiveness, and weakness for ornaments are perhaps why he seems to prefer the company of female devotees.

Ganesha has a strange power to inspire artists’ imagination to discover his ever new forms, now in thousands. A mild smile, mischievous, twinkling eyes and a carefree, relaxed disposition defines the popular image of this god. Ganesha is everywhere, a lovable deity.

In the preceding century, during India’s freedom movement, Ganesha was the subtlest instrument of social reform and political awakening. The tradition of holding a week-long country-wide annual celebration invoking Ganesha continues: ‘Let love prevail/Let prevail good and right wisdom, good sense and mutual trust, prosperity and wealth/Make us liberal, considerate and responsible/ Whatever thy name, form, or origin/We love thee as thy name hath associated with it/ Only the good and the right-doing.’