Do we plunge Ganpati Ji on the day of Anant chaturdashi, ‘inside out’?
We carry out the rituals and all pompus activities. We celebrate and frolic all the ten days, but we begin gathering money, with the aim of making a bigger idol, for the next event. Do we need it?
We are aware that Ganesh Ji’s head was replaced by that of an elephant, according to Divine will. But, the choice of an elephant makes us think about the reason of such an option? We will find these answers.
This celebration of Ganesh Puja began few hundred years ago. Before Indian Independence, Lokmanya Tilak or rather Bal Gangadhar Tilak wanted to repel the Britishers, from India, through Non-violence. He decided to gather congregation for the Ganesh Puja, for ten days. Though it was a difficult job, as congregation was a cause of grave unrest amidst the British officials. He did the same, and tried to propagate the message of peace and non-violence, and finally, the Britishers left the nation. This became a custom, from that day onwards. This event happened in Poona, of undivided India. This makes us clear why Maharashtra performs grand celebrations for this event.
Now, let us see the reason for choosing the elephant head.
1- Elephant is the largest terrestrial animal.
2- It is the one who causes least harm to the environment. Though, it destroys trees and tramples a lot of flora and fauna, but that degree of destruction is mandatory for maintaining the balance in nature. It is never violent. Even lion can’t kill it.
3- Its feces contains large amount of undigested protein, which can be assimilated by other smaller animals like monkeys, and even tiny microorganisms.
4- In the context of virtues of Ganesh, large ears indicate that we should listen more, and thus speak less, through the little mouth. Tiny eyes indicate that we need to have eyes of Yogi.
We saw the virtues of the elephants. If we learn from them that we all are one, irrespective of geographical or cultural backgrounds (which are uniform as well), then we will become impeccable for all the traumas, we face from the society.
These messages and reels flood in the social media, during the Ganesh festival. Do we follow whatever we forward? We know that the vehicle of a mouse suggests that we should conquer our mind. But, do we really practice it? The act of visarjana suggests that we should not be attached to the physical form of the Lord as well. Only the Formless Ganesh, which is nearest to us, in our own existence, is worth being attached to. But, actually, we forget after the visarjana.
The hymn we offer to Ganesh Ji actually means,