This August 25 begins ganesh chaturthi, the 10-day festival with which Hindus celebrate the birthday of one of their pampered gods. They honor him with offerings, create clay statues that are finally left to melt in the water, and chant mantras to him. In a pantheon that has literally thousands of divinities, why is Ganesha so beloved?
There are several reasons that make it adorable and, before continuing, I want to remind you that all the mythology that surrounds yoga part of a energy understanding. It is not about becoming a Hindu, but about having information about the attributes of these archetypes and learning to connect with them to nurture our intentions.
Something curious is that Ganesha is not an elephant, but a boy with an elephant head. Because? In summary: his father, Shiva, did not know that his mother, Parvati, had had a baby because she went away for a long time to meditate; returning home and seeing a stranger, she cut off his head without thinking. (I know, not exactly the cutest story.) Upon learning of his grave mistake, he ran out to get a new head for his son and the first thing he found was an elephant.
Ganesha will never grow; he is a playful and generous god, an eternal child. He is the one who opens the paths, blesses the new cycles and removes obstacles.. That is why its energy is used when we undertake something, move, change jobs, take a trip or experience any beginning. And that explains how much they love it.
If its myth and attributes have inspired you, here I share three ways to connect with its energy; you can try them separately or combined.
1. Mantras
In all music services online you can find a large number of mantras dedicated to this deity; if you like traditional sounds, I recommend you look for the album ganesha by Suresh Wadkar and Lalitya Munshaw, and if you prefer western mixes download Ganapati (this is also what they call this god) Mantraby singer Deva Premal.
2. Mudra
To do Ganesh Mudra place your left hand in front of chestwith the palm facing out and bend the fingers. Hook your right hand therewith the back forward.
3. Meditation
Into your practice introduce the qualities of its energy, which I wrote about a few paragraphs ago. Visualize your path, your new project or the cycle you undertake free of obstacles.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!
NAMASTE.