WISH YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY GANESH CHATHURTHI:
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| Vedantic attributes of Lord Ganesh |
Let us now begin with a Lord Ganesha Stotram:
"Vakratunda Mahakaaya
Suryakoti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva
Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada"
[Oh, Lord Ganesh you are as Briliant as ten million Suns. I pray to you please remove all obstacles from my path].
"Ganpati Bappa Morya
Mangal Murti Morya"
SLOKAS ON LORD GANESH:
(i) "Shuklaambara Dharam Vishnum
Shashi Varnam Chatur Bhujam
Prasanna Vadanam Dhyaayet
Sarva Vighna Upashaanthaye"
[We meditate on Lord Ganesha - who is clad in white (representing purity), who is all pervading (present everywhere), whose complexion is gray like that of ash (glowing with spiritual splendor), who has four arms, who has bright countenance (depicting inner calm and happiness) and who can destroy all obstacles (in our spiritual and worldly path)].
Suryakoti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Mey Deva
Sarva Kaaryeshu Sarvada"
[The Lord with the curved trunk and a mighty body, who has the luster of a million suns, I pray to thee Oh Lord, to remove the obstacles from all the actions I intend to perform].
(ii) "Agajaanana Padmaarkam
Gajaananam Aharnisham
Anekadantham Bhaktaanaam
Ekadantam Upaasmahey"
[I worship day and night that elephant faced Lord Ganesha who is like sun to the lotus face of Mother Parvati. Giver of many boons, the single tusked Ganesh, I salute Thee to give e a boon].
(iv) "Gajaananam Bhoota Ganaadhi Sevitam
Kapitta Jamboophaala Saara Bhakshitam
Umaasutam Shoka Vinaasha Kaarnam
Namaami Vighneswara Paada Pankajam"
[The Lord with the elephant face, served by all the Ganas, One who takes as His food, the essence of Kapitta and Jamboophala (these are two favorite fruits of Ganesh), son of Uma (Mother Parvati), destroyer of misery of the devotees, controller of obstacles, we worship Your Lotus Feet].
(iv) "Ganaanaam Twam Ganapathi Gam Havaamahe
Kavim Kaveenaam Upamasra Vastamam
Jyeshta Raajam Brahmanaam Brahmanaspatha
Aanashrunvanna Oothibhi Seedha Saadanam"
[We invite You, the Lord of spiritual faith (of Lord Shiva). You are the wisest among the wise, the best to be given as a standard of comparison. You are the senior Lord, Lord of the Vedic manthras, listening to our prayers. Please visit our home with prosperous things and be seated here].
LORD KRISHNA HIMSELF WORSHIPS LORD GANESH:
Once Prasena, Satrajita's brother, went out hunting. He was wearing the Syamantaka.
A - lion killed him and went to a cave, carrying the gem. A bear by name Jambavanta killed the lion and gave the Syamantaka to his child to play with.
This Jambavanta was not an ordinary bear; he was the heroic follower of Shri Rama.Prasena did not return to Dwaraka. Satrajita suspected that Krishna himself had killed him for the sake of the Syamantaka. The rumor soon spread. Krishna had not done anything wrong. So when he heard about Satrajita's suspicions he was unhappy. He went in search of Prasena.
He found the corpse of Prasena. There were footprints of a lion nearby. Following these footprints, Krishna entered the cave of Jambavanta. He fought with Jambavanta for twenty-eight days. At last, Jambavanta understood that Shri Krishna was Shri Rama himself. Then he offered him the Syamantaka.
Krishna gave the Syamantaka to Satrajita and put an end to the evil rumors. However, he was surprised at what had happened.
"How could such things be said of me even when I had not done anything wrong".
Great sages told him the story of Ganesha's curse and said, " You saw the Moon on the fourth day. "
Then Krishna worshipped Ganesha.
Siddhi-Vinayaka Vrata-the worship of Ganesha-is performed on the fourth day of the bright fortnight of the month of Bhadrapada. The devotees believe that those who see the Moon on that day will not suffer, if they listen to the story of the Syamantaka.
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| Devi Parvati: Universal Mother |
A TRIBUTE TO HINDUISM:
Hinduism is often labeled as a religion of 330 million gods. This misunderstanding arises when people fail to grasp the symbolism of the Hindu pantheon. Hindus worship the nameless and formless Supreme Reality (Bramh) by various names and forms. These different aspects of one reality are symbolized by the many gods and goddesses of Hinduism. For example, Brahma (not to be confused with the over-arching Bramh) is that reality in its role as creator of the universe; in Vishnu it is seen as the preserver and the upholder of the universe; and Shiva is that same reality viewed as the principle of transcendence which will one day 'destroy' the universe. These are the Trimurti, the ' three forms,' and they are not so much different gods as different ways of looking at the same God. Each emphasizes a particular aspect or function of the one reality. "Ekam sat vipraha bahuda vadanti" or "Truth is One, the wise call It by many names."
The forms are many, the reality is one; the principle is very deeply rooted in Hindu thought, and was stated at the very outset in the Rg Veda:
"They call him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni
And he is heavenly nobly-winged Garutman.
To what is One, sages give many a title:
They call it Agni, Yama, Matarisvan. [Rigveda 1.164.46]
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| Vishnu receives the Chakra |
" He is the one, the one alone, in Him
all deities become One alone."
Eko’aham Bahusyaam
"Eko’aham Bahusyaam" (I am the One who became Many)
The One in Many, the Many in One: Hindu Notions of the Divinity as Unity
God his One, His names and Forms are Many:
They call Him Indra, Mitra, Varuna, Agni, and he is the Divine good winged bird (the sun with beautiful rays). The sages describe one and the same Agni in various ways and call it Agni, Yama and Matarisvan. [Rigveda 1.164.46]
Agni itself is Indra, Vayu, Brahma, Vishnu and Brahmanaspati. [Rigveda 2.1.3]
Varuna and Mitra are but functional manifestations of Agni. [Rigveda 2.1.4]
Vishnu, Rudra and Marut are also functional manifestations of Agni. [Rigveda 2.1.6]
That (Supreme Being) is Agni; that is the Surya; that is the Vayu; that is the Chandrama; that is Jyoti; that is Brahman; and that is Prajapati. (Madhyandina) [Yajurveda 32.1]
“For indeed Agni is that God. His are the names: as the easterners (prachyaah) call him ‘Sarva’ (all), Bahlikas (call him) ‘Dhava’ (one who shakes), ‘Rudra’ (one who causes weeping), ‘Pasunampatih’ (the Lord or the protector of beasts), ‘Agni’ (the first leader, he who was there at the outset).” [Kanva Shatapath Brahmana 2.7.1.7]
The perception of the worshipper makes the ONE Deity appear as three, but in their ontological essence, they are ONE. [Brhaddevata 2.18]
Different ‘gods’ are limbs of the ONE Supreme Soul:
“On account of superb excellence of the Divinity, One soul (i.e., the All-pervading Soul) is extolled in various ways. The other (manifest) gods are just like the limbs of the Great Soul, the secondary members of the body. The specialists in this branch of study (= spirituality) observe that the Sages praise the beings according to the plurality and Universality of their intrinsic nature. The gods are (figuratively described in the Veda as) born from each other (e.g., Rigveda 10.72.4). The gods are the primary source of each other. They owe their birth, i.e., coming into being, to their specific functions as well as to the (Universal) Soul. Soul alone is their chariot, horse, weapon and arrow, i.e., these things which are not different from the soul are only figurative appellations in their descriptions.” Nirukta 7.4
ONE God is Immanent and Transcendent:
Purusha is 1000 headed, 1000 eyed, 1000 footed; And, pervading the earth on all sides. He exists beyond the 10 directions. Rigveda 10.90.1 (Purusha = Immanent, Creator God)
Purusha indeed is all this, What has been and what will be, And the Lord of immortality, Transcending by mortal nurture. [Rigveda 10.90.2]
Such is his magnificence, but Purusha is greater than this; All beings are a fourth of him, Three fourths- his immortality-lie in heaven. [Rigveda 10.90.3]
“(It is) The Supreme Being (Who) first spread out the mighty powers collected in Him.
(It is) The Supreme Being (Who) first spread out the heavenly lights everywhere.
Verily, The Supreme Being was born as first Lord of all that exists.
Who, then is fit to be this Supreme Being’s rival” [Atharvaveda Paippalada VIII.8.1]
“He by Whom all this Universe is pervaded- the earth and the mid region, the heaven and the quarters and the sub-quarters, that Purusha is fivefold and is constituted of 5 elements. He who has attained the Supreme Knowledge through Samnyasa (renunciation) is indeed this Purusha. He is all that is perceptible in the present, was perceptible in the past and will be perceptible in the future. Though apparently human-like, His true nature is that which is settled by the Vedas and what is attained by his new birth is in right knowledge. He is firmly established in the richness of knowledge imparted by His teacher, as also in his faith and in Truth. He has become the self resplendent. Being such a one, He remains beyond/separate the darkness of ignorance. [Taittiriya Aranyaka 10.79.16]
There are, no doubt, two forms of Brahman- one having a form and the other formeless. The mortal and the immortal. The stationary and the moving. The discernible and the indiscernible. [Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 2.3.1]
That under which the year revolves with its days, the gods worship that as the light of lights and as life immortal, That in which the people of all the five regions of the Earth and space are established, that alone I regard as the Soul; know that Immortal Brahman, I too am immortal (=reference to Divinely enlightened). Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. 4.4.16-17
Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva are aspects of One Supreme Being:
“They said: ‘Revered one, you are the teacher, you are the teacher indeed. What has been said has been duly understood by us. Now answer a further question. Fire, air, sun, time, whatever it is, breath, food, Brahma, Rudra (Shiva), Vishnu- some meditate upon one, some meditate upon another. Tell us- which one is the best for us?’ Then he replied to them: “All these are merely the manifest/frontal forms of Brahman, the Immmortal, the Formless. To whichever form each man is devoted here, in the realm of that deity does that man rejoices. For it has been said- ‘Verily, this whole is Brahman. Verily, these, which are its manifest forms that one meditates on, worships and discards. For by meditation upon these forms, one moves into higher and higher realms. And when all things perish, he attains unity with the Purusha!” Maitrayaniya Aranyaka IV.5-6
God is the Ruler of the Universe:1
AUM iishaavaasyamid.h.N sarvaM yatkiJNcha jagatyaaM jagat.h |
tena tyaktena bhuJNjiithaa maa gR^idhaH kasyasviddhanam.h ||
“All sentinent and insentinent objects in this ever changing Universe are ephermal and pass away with time.
But the Lord Who is immanent in everything, and controls it in multifarious ways, is Eternal and Imperishable.
Seek to realize this Eternal Truth and do not get entangled in this world.
Enjoy the bounties of Nature, but with a sense of reunuciation.
To whom does all this belong?” [Ishavasya Upanishad 1]
1NOTE:
M K Gandhi once remarked that if all the sacred lore of Hindus were to be consigned to flames with the exception of this verse, Hinduism would still have survived in all its beauty. Thus, according to him, this verse represents the essence of Hindu spirituality. Note that this verse does not forbid the enjoyment of mundane things, rather it enjoins that we should not get unduly obsessed with them.
We can worship ONE God in ANY Form:
“In whatever form my worshipper chooses to worship Me, in that very form I accept his worship, and make his faith steady in that very form.” Gita 7.12
Meanings of the names of God: From Vayu Purana
He is called 'Atman' because whatever He attains (apnoti), takes up (adatte) and exists (asti) for the (enjoyment of) objects, that is his permanent being. 1.5.32
He is called Rishi because He goes everywhere. He is Vishnu because he pervades everything. He has the lordship over everything. He is the lord of the Physical body etc. 1.5.33
He is called Bhagavan because there are such (excellences) in him. He is Raga (lord of passion) because he controls passion. He is Para (Supreme) because he is the cosmic being. He is Om because he protects (all). 1.5.34
He is Sarvajna because he knows everything. He is sarva because everything originates from him. As men originate from him, He is called 'Narayana.' 1.5.35
Because He is the first to manifest, he is called the first god. He is called Aja because he is not born (is self existent). Since He protects his subjects, He is called the Prajapati. 1.5.37
He is called Mahadeva because he is the greatest deity amongst the Devas. He is Ishvara because he is the Lord of the worlds and because he is not subject to other's control. 1.5.38
He is called Brahma because of his hugeness. He is called Bhuta because of his (eternal) existence. He is Kshetrajna because he knows the unmanifest cosmic nature. He is Vibhu because he is omnipresent. 1.5.39
Because he lies in the subtle body (called Pur), he is called Purusha. He is called Svayambhu because he is not procreated and because he exists before the creation. 1.5.40
They who distinguish between Forms of ONE God suffer:
From Kurma Purana:
This great mediator, the Imperishable Vishnu Who is your protector is none other than Mahadeva, the Lord of gods- there is no doubt in it. 1.14.86
They, who regard Vishnu, the cause of the Universe, as different from Lord Shankara due to a deluded mind or due to lack of adherence to the Vedas indeed go to hell. 1.41.87
The followers of Vedas behold Lord Vishnu and Lord Rudra with the same feeling (of reverence) and thus become fit for Salvation. 1.41.88
He Who is Vishnu is indeed Rudra himself; and He who is Rudra is indeed Vishnu. He who worships God, with this understanding; reaches the supreme state (of salvation). 1.14.89
Narada Purana:
They who do not distinguish between Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva, but worship them both equally as ONE- these indeed are the true devotees of God. 1.5.72
The Gender of God: Either Both or None2
: God as Half Woman: In numerous iconic representations, God is shown as ‘ardhanariishvara’ or ‘God who is half woman’, to emphasize that either God has no gender or he is both woman and man.
2NOTE:
The very word ‘Brahman’ used to denote Supreme Being in Hindu texts is in neuter gender. Likewise, many words used to denote Universal Virtues such as Truth (Satyam) are considered neuter gender in Sanskrit, the sacred language of Hindu Dharma.
God as a Divine Couple:
Sage Parashar said:
O Maitreya! Always a companion of Vishnu and the Mother of this Universe,
Devi Lakshmi is eternal. Vishnu is omnipresent, so is She.
If She is speech, Vishnu is the object of description.
Vishnu is the Law, and She is the Policy.
Lord Vishnu is knowledge, she is intelligence.
He is Dharma, She is good karma.
If Vishnu is the Creator, She is the Creation (that abides eternally with Him).
He is the mountain, She is Earth.
He is the virtue of contentment, She is the all satisfying.
If Lord Vishnu is desire, She is the object of desire.
He is the sacred Vedic ritual, she is the priestly fee…( Vishnu Purana 1.8.17-20ab)
ORIGIN OF GANAPATHY FESTIVAL IN MAHARASHTRA:
This colourful festival is a very Maharashtrian one, which is celebrated with great gusto. In fact it is the most popular festival in the State. There are several reasons for this. Ganpati is after all a popular god. His blessings are invoked at most religious ceremonies as he is the god who can remove all obstacles to success. He is the giver of fortune and can help to avoid natural calamities. He is also the god who brings prosperity.
Ganpati, the god of wisdom and the benevolent deity of the dynasty of Peshwas who ruled Maharashtra inculcating a special culture in the state. Ganpati is the herald of auspicious beginnings and is the beloved deity of all Maharashtrians.
The Ganeshutsav was celebrated at the houses of leading Sardar families like Patwardhan, Mujumdar, Khasgiwale etc. In 1893, Sardar Nanasaheb Khasgiwale for the first time celebrated the utsav as a public festival and that year Ghotawdekar, Kasgiwale and Bhau Rangari these three Savajanik Ganesh utsav's were celebrated and for the first time There was a procession also taken out on the roads. The well known freedom fighter and statesman, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, saw in the festival a way of uniting people in a common cause and in this manner a possible means of bringing about political consciousness under the guise of a religious celebration, with freedom for India being the ultimate goal. Lokmanya Tilak also started celebrating Ganesutsav as a public festival by establishing a Sarvajanik Ganpati at Vinchurkarwada in 1894 and today it is the most popular event in the State.It was a unique move by this freedom fighter, which he acheived with the Ganpati Visarjana or immersion procession which is taken out on the final day of the ganesh festival.
The ten-day festival starts fr, m the fourth day of the bright half of the lunar month, Bhadrapada and continues till the fourteenth day.Thousands join in and form the many processions that fill the streets when the time comes for the image to be immersed in water...the sea, river or lake. The festival brings with it a feeling of comradeship. Everyone wants to participate.
On the first day the clay form of Ganpati is brought home with great devotion. Prayers are said and songs chanted to the accompaniment of music from the mridanga or two-sided drum and the jhanj or cymbals. Some devotees select and buy their Ganpati on the same day and others place their orders months in advance. The figures are often very large, standing several metres high. These larger Ganesh images are usually ordered by neighbourhood puja committees, the entire neighbourhood contributing towards the purchase.
After the Ganpati image is collected it is ceremoniously installed in a place of honour and various rituals take place. The Ganpati is decorated with ornaments, flowers and lights. Puja and aarti are performed every morning and evening using flowers, rice, betel nuts and leaves, turmeric, red powder, coins and oil lamps. Men and women, the old and young all join in.Special sweets called modaks are steamed or fried for offering to Ganpati. Modaks are small rice or wheat flour dumplings stuffed with coconut and jaggery. These are served at the festive meals during the festival. Additionally, a large variety of savoury and sweet snacks such as karanjis, ladoos, chaklis, kadbolis and anarsas are distributed to devotees and guests during the pujas.
On the tenth day of the festival this happy loving god leaves for his celestial home and is immersed in water. Huge processions made up of different groups all accompanying the image of Ganpati that they have worshipped, make their way by foot to the immersion site. The very large images are transported by truck. All this is done to the accompaniment of dancing and singing. The mood is jovial with everyone chanting, over and over again, "Ganapati Bappa Morya, Pudhchya Varshi Lavakar Yaa..." calling Ganpati to come again soon next year.
The sight of the crowded streets, the different Ganesh images and the happy people is an amazing spectacle. In large towns special roads are demarcated for these processions and the traffic police and users of cars, buses and two-wheelers display notable patience with the crowds and never-ending processions.
However, it is the stupendous scale of this festival, celebrated by communities of people in the cities and villages of Maharashtra, which attracts millions of people to the state. Some of the community idols are as tall as 20 metres. These are set up in large pandals, worshipped for 10 days and then taken to the sea in immense processions for immersion. Not only are the massive idols the attraction of the festival, the plays, musical soirees, contests of skill, bullock cart races, swimming galas -all of which are planned in different venues -are events which show the enthusiasm of the people. Undoubtedly, Maharashtrians love Ganpati.
A BRIEF ON LORD GANESH:
Ganesha was born on the fourth day of the month of Bhadrapad, the sixth month of the Hindu lunar calendar. In the south, especially in Maharashtra people celebrate 'Ganesh Chaturthi' by buying or making of clay image of Ganesha, worshipping the idol at home or a community center and then taking it in a procession to be immersed in a river, lake or sea.
Vighneshwara (Remover or controller of all obstacles), Who is Ganapati/Ganesa? Ganapati is the Self.
In a sentence, Ganesa simply means "Self-realization is but the removal of obstacles to the recognition of the eternal, immanent, inner self, here and now."
[Source: Ganapati: Song of the Self - By John A. Grimes p. 194].
Lord Ganesha (henceforth only Ganesh) has been a major deity, since the seventh and eighth centuries, in Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Ganesha Buddha - as he is also known as Shoden in Japan. It is from Vinayaka that the old Myanmar name for Ganesha, Mahapinary purha, was derived. Other names with a similar meaning occur frequently in Cambodian inscriptions, such as Vighnesha and Vignesvara, both of which mean "Lord of removing obstacles". A popular temple at Futako Tamagawa, Tokyo, Japan, displays Ganesha far more prominently than Buddha. Ganesha was extremely popular in the art of Indonesian islands, especially of Sumatra and Java and compare favorably with the eighth-century Ellora caves, in images, style and iconography. At Chandi Sukuh in central Java, a remarkable fifteenth century relief shows three figures, with a dancing Ganesha in the centre. There are paintings and stone sculptures of the deity found in China, apart from the textual references to Ganesha in the Chinese Buddhist canon. In Japan, there is the Shingon ritual practice that centers on Ganesha, with texts tracing back to China. To some Chinese He is Kuan-shi t'ien or Ho Tei, the large-bellied God of Happiness. To the Polynesians He is God Lono. The Tamils call him by the affectionate term Pilliar, Noble Child. The Tibetians know Him as ts' ogs-bdag, and the Burmese worship Maha-Pienne. In Mongolia His name is Totkhar-our Khaghan. Cambodians offer worship to Prah Kenes, and the Japanese supplicate Vinayaksa or Sho-ten. By some He is envisioned as the feminine Mother Nature, and even non-believers seek to understand Him through personifying His great powers as Fate, Destiny or Numen. The Greeks called Him Janus and sought His blessings at the outset of any new venture.
Ganesha is the most widely worshipped deity in India , Ganesha also becomes the most versatile in appearance. The lack of restrictions on his iconography means that each Ganesha can reflect local aspirations. But Ganesha was not restricted to India alone. There was a time when there were as many foreign versions as Indian, and some of the earliest images of Ganeshas are found outside India .
The earliest elephant-headed human figure appears on a plaque found in Luristan, in Western Iran. Dating back to between 1,200-1,000 BC, this proto-Ganesha stands dressed as a warrior, holding a sword and a snake in one hand and a quill in another, a multi-hooded snake at his feet. A marble Maha Vinayaka (today partly destroyed) was consecrated by King Shahi Khingala in the 5th century AD in Gardez in Afghanistan, and an earlier undated Ganapati was worshipped in Sakar Dhar. Since Afghanistan was once a land of Hinduism and Buddhism, there were probably other Ganesha images in Afghanistan that were later destroyed.
According to legend, Asoka’s daughter Charumati built a temple for Ganesha in Nepal, and the earliest surviving Ganeshas in Nepal belong to the 8th century. Vinayaka dances, a rat or lion under each foot, multi-armed, carrying several Tantric symbols including a radish, and is canopied by the snake. This form is also found in Mongolia, where Ganesha travelled with the Tibetan monk P’agspa.
In Tibet, Ganesha is placed above the entrance of Buddhist monasteries or painted on the doors, often holding a trident and identified with Shiva.
In Khotan, or Chinese Turkestan, Ganesha was painted on wooden panels and bronze tablets at Khaklik, the Endere stupa and the rock-cut temples of Bezaklik.
From Khotan, Ganesha reached China, and the earliest Chinese image of Ganesha is found at Kung-hsien, a two-armed seated figure holding a lotus and the chintamani jewel. Dated to AD 531, this image is described as the ‘‘Spirit King of Elephants’’.
The Chinese and Japanese knew two forms of Ganesha: Vinayaka and Kangiten, the latter being a secret esoteric form of the deity. Kangiten symbolised the union of the Individual with the Universal Spirit and consists of two Vinayakas embracing each other. Another form, Vajra Vinayaka or Kakuzencho, had three heads with three eyes, holding a sword, radish, sceptre and modak.
In the Gupta period, Ganesha travelled east to Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia and Borneo — with Hinduism and Buddhism. In the Tibetan Buddhism, the practice associated with Ganesha, as Buddhist Tantric deity, survives up to this day. In Jainism, Ganesha occasionally found a place alongside Mahavir. The Tibetan Ganesha appears, besides bronzes, in the resplendent Thangka paintings alongside the Buddha. In a single Kathmandu valley of Nepal, there are four principal manifestations of "Binayak" in a protective role: Ashok, Surya, Chandra and Bighna. In that valley, Ganapati guards the Buddhist viharas where bhajans are sung in his praise. In Greece, Janus, the god in Greek mythology after whom the month of January was named, has the head of an elephant. Sometimes, he is depicted as a two-headed deity. Like Ganesha, Janus is worshipped at the beginning of any auspicious occasion. In Sri Lanka, the oldest image of Ganesha is found in the Kantak Chaitya in Mihintale which is dated to 1st century BC. The Ganesha idol at Subrahmanyam temple in Katargama town is still worshipped. People who do not practice Hinduism also visit this temple for this Ganesha is believed to grant the wishes of his devotees. Ganesha is a vibrant presence whose benediction is sought by traders, travelers, artists and statesmen. As lord of business and diplomacy, he sits on a high pedestal outside Bangkok's World Trade Centre, where people offer flowers, incense and a reverential sawasdee. A gilt Ganesha presides over the bustling charivari of lucrative tourism in the lobby of the Rama Hotel. Even Muslim Indonesia reveres him and European scholars call him the 'Indonesian God of Wisdom'. Bandung boasts a Jalan Ganesa, and his image adorns 20,000 rupiah notes. The Indonesian Government’s 20,000 rupiah note has Lord Ganesha's picture. According to the Finance Minister of Indonesia - The biggest Islamic Nation- the reason for putting Ganesha picture is to "remove all obstacles from the financial development of the State, whose economy during the last ten years has suffered many a crises."
The importance of Lord Ganesha in the life of Indians has been beautifully expressed by Sir Edwin Arnold (1832 - 1904) in his famous The Light of Asia:
'And on the middle porch God Ganesha,
With disk and hook-to bring wisdom and wealth,
Propitious sate, wreathing his sidelong trunk'
References:
(i) http://www.hinduwisdom.info
(ii) http://www.discoveringganesh.com
(iii) http://ganpatibappamorya.faithweb.com
(iv) http://www.balagokulam.org
(v) http://amitslok.blogspot.com
(vi) Source: http://www.ganapatibappa.com
(vii) http://www.letindiadevelop.org
