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*SHANMATHAM – GANAPATHYAM*

In this Section, we shall discuss the six major streams of Shanmatham. Let us make an auspicious beginning with *Ganapathyam.*

Ganapathy worship is common to both Vaishnavites and Saivites: he is worshipped in different names and forms and is the most popular amongst all Hindu Gods and has become one of the commonest icons associated with Hinduism.
Ganapathy or Ganesha, the elephant-headed deity, represents that aspect of the Ultimate Reality which removes obstacles. Hindus, therefore, invoke Lord Ganesha at the beginning of all undertakings, whether religious, spiritual or worldly. Followers of Ganapathyam, venerate Lord Ganesha exclusively as the form of the Ultimate Reality (Brahman) that is accessible to the mind, senses and the heart.
*Significance of the worship of Lord Ganesha*
The son of Shiva and Parvathi, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. As Vinayaka he is the destroyer of obstacles and as Vighnaraja he is also the lord of obstacles and controls them. He intercedes with gods on behalf of humankind and protects them from wicked influences.
He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. He is akin to Brihaspathi of Rig Veda, the personification of piety, purity and knowledge. He is known for his intelligence, and for his eloquence. He is Gishpati – the lord of speech. Ganapathi is the patron god of wisdom and all branches of learning : not merely spiritual or of art or music or literature but of all human endeavours.
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of the material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. He is the embodiment of all the grace, virtues and powers that we admire in any god and is the inheritor of the combined wisdom and glory of all the gods.

*Origins of Ganesha worship*
The earliest reference to Ganapathi appears in the second book of the Rig Veda in the rik starting with Gananam tva Ganapatigum Havamahe (RV 2.23.1).
Ganapathi worship has a history of about two thousand years. Perhaps the first reference to Ganapathi worship occurs in the Gobhila Grihya Sutra , which belongs to Sama Veda. It recommends praying to Ganapathi at the commencement of a ritual, seeking blessings and support for a smooth and successful completion of the ritual process.
Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the fourth and the fifth centuries during the Gupta period. . Ganesha images thereafter became prevalent in all parts of India and in many parts of the world. Perhaps no other god, either in Hindu or in any other religion, has been depicted in as many varieties of forms as Ganesha has been.
Volumes can be written about Ganesha’s birth, how he came to have the elephant head, why he holds a broken tusk in his hand, his powers of blessings – there are at least six versions prevalent with different regional variants in the country.
The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana (A.D. 1100– 1400) are upapuranas that include many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha. They are the core scriptures for devotees following Ganapathyam – an independent religious school dedicated to the worship of Ganesha as the pre-eminent deity considering Him to be the qualified (saguṇa) form of the ultimate unqualified (nirguṇa) Brahman. These Puranas are pervaded with this concept and interpret well-known Puranic stories in new ways to emphasize the importance of Ganesha and to explain his relationships with other divinities.

The Ganesa Purana is divided into two sections: the Upasanakhanda or “section on devotion” and the Kreedakhanda or “section on the divine play”. The Kreedakhanda narrates the stories of four avatars of Ganesha, each of which appeared in the four different yugas – Mahotkata Vinayaka, Mayuresvara, Gajanana and Dhumraketu.

In the Mudgala Purana, eight avatars are described – Vakratunda ,Ekadanta, Mahodara,Gajanana, Lambhodara, Vikata, Vighnaraja and Dhoomravarna.

These avatars can be understood to symbolize abstract qualities which triumph over personifications of evil and weakness. The Puranas explicitly state that the stories are to be meditated upon for their inner meaning, which will be revealed according to the inner
development of each individual and are not meant to be understood as literal narratives.
*The worship of Ganapathi*
Ganesha is worshipped on many religious and secular occasions, especially at the beginning of ventures such as entering a new home, buying a vehicle or starting a business. There can hardly be a Hindu home in India which does not have an idol or a framed picture of Ganapathi. He, being the most popular deity in India, is worshipped by almost all castes and in all parts of the country. Devotees believe that if Ganesha is propitiated, he grants success, prosperity and protection against adversity.

Ganapati Pooja is a precondition for the performance of any religious function or rite, individualistic or congregational. Pooja for Vinayaka is called Vishvaksena Aradhanam, among Vaishnavites.

The Maha Ganapathi that we know and adore represents the combination and culmination of the virtues and powers of all the Ganapathis. He is the embodiment of all their grace and wisdom. Let us open our heart to his love and worship him: we will then be able to realise His true radiance, divinity and blessings.

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