The Divine Grace of Shree Ganesh

Pt. Balram Persad, Spiritual Leader, Om Shakti Mandali

There once was a demon that conquered the three worlds – Bhu, Bhuvah, Swah (the earth or physical plane; the sky or astral plane and heaven or the causal plane). All the devotees were in distress so they gathered together and went to Guru Brihaspati to guide them. He advised them that they should ask a great and powerful king, Mandhaataa, to fight the demon and restore peace. As there was no other solution, they approached him and he agreed. However, he asked the Guru, “What special powers do I need? How can I destroy Dhoondaasur, a being who has conquered the three worlds? Guru Brihaspati said that the king already had soldiers, leadership qualities and great determination, but he also needed Ganapati Baba’s grace. So, the king worshipped Ganeshji, who was pleased and showered His grace upon them. The king’s power, authority and determination increased. He prepared for war and the demon was destroyed. He became known as King Mandhaatri.

This story can be interpreted on several levels. Beginning with the meaning of the king’s name, Mandhaataa, man means respect and character; dhaataa means preserver, sustainer and creator. Dhoond means haziness, impurities and pollution. The demon had conquered the three worlds, meaning that in all humans, the physical, mental and spiritual planes were polluted. How do we eliminate the impurities in our lives, as represented by the demon? How do we preserve and protect our environment through our own actions? There are many examples in the scriptures and, as Hindus, we must be careful not to pollute the water and the land.

On the spiritual plane, while we allow for some variations in our religious practices, the underlying substance must remain the same. As Shree Krishna say in the Bhagavad Gita, “Whoever offers to Me a leaf, a flower, a fruit or water, with love, I appear before that devotee and accept it.” (Ch.9, v. 36). We can make offerings with the elements that are available at a particular point in time, but the quality of devotion to the Lord should not change. King Mandhaataa was a man who practised dharma, moral and religious duty, which stems from the root, “to uphold or bind”.  Dharma also connotes change; religion is not static but dynamic. In our spiritual practices, we should always remember our ultimate goal, the fulfilment of God.

Why do we worship Lord Ganesh? What does devotion to Him achieve? The Ganesh Atharvashirsha explains:

1. The greatest difficulties are overcome;
2. The greatest sins are destroyed;
3. The greatest mistakes are forgiven;
4. Right knowledge manifests in that person.

There is the law of karma, but there is also Divine grace. We are all imperfect; we all face challenges and we all need more knowledge, not just for the sake of information, but for transformation. Lord Ganesh grants us that wisdom and discriminative power to transform our lives.

Extracted from 2019 Ganesh Yagya