The annual celebration of Ganesh Utsov or that period of festivities during which Lord Ganesh is specially worshipped is upcoming. Ganesh Utsov is an eleven-day period of sacrifice and intense worship of Lord Ganesh. This year, the Utsov will be observed from September 12th to 24th 2018.
Why dedicate eleven days to the worship of Lord Ganesh? What are we meant to achieve at the end of this period and furthermore, how can the worship of Ganesh impact everyday living? All relevant and elemental questions that we ought to ask. While there is certainly merit in performing ritual worship of the Lord, a deeper understanding of the whys and whats of this celebration is germane to an application of its principles to life. Why are we advised to worship Ganesh and how is this supposed to help us?
Most Hindus identify Ganesh as the remover of obstacles. He is usually the form that is glorified before undertaking any life-changing event because it is believed that He will remove hurdles and hindrances that may prevent us from achieving success. It goes without saying that we all want to be successful. It also goes without saying that failure is a certainty in life. It is in such moments of failure that the worship of Ganesh holds great power.
I want to encourage you to think differently about Ganesh. Rather than simply being the remover of obstacles, let us see him as the bestower of vivek or discriminative insight which enables us to see and find solutions to our own problems. Lord Ganesh, like all other forms of the divine in Hinduism, represents a concept. He personifies the power of discrimination which allows one to see beyond worldly problems and failures. In fact, bestowed with the gift of discriminative thinking, one is able to differentiate between real and unreal; truth and illusion; solution and problem. In other words, sincere worship and unwavering focus on Ganesh result in the ability to see the bigger picture and therefore, find solutions to life’s challenges that we face daily. To discriminate is to distinguish, to differentiate and to disambiguate two sides to one story. True discrimination precedes a recognition and understanding of similarities and differences. True discrimination enables objectivity when faced with challenges so that one is able to rise above an issue and perceive it from different angles.
Who is without problems? Once we exist and live in this world, challenges will continue to happen. It seems that in today’s world, challenges are on the rise necessitating more than ever the ability to see things with a discriminating mind. Right now, amidst upcoming Ganesh Utsov celebrations, our country is faced by myriad issues: the loss of jobs by hundreds of workers in various institutions, an exponential surge in crime, the resurfacing of kidnapping, the unavailability of basic drugs to treat basic illnesses, and the omnipotent threat of natural disasters. It is dangerous to pretend that these social ills have no impact on everyday living. Our lives are mirror images of events in the country and world at large. As a result, depression and suicide rates have increased because individuals feel hopelessness in the face of such challenges.
In such situations, we must rekindle and breathe new life into the Lord Ganesh that resides in each of us. We must remind ourselves of the power that we wield over our own lives. Ganesh brings to life buddhi (the intellect) and gyaan (divine wisdom). When combined, Ganesh brings about discrimination or that divine insight to overcome all obstacles. Such discriminative acumen is an indispensable tool in rising above the darkness that can threaten.
In keeping with this line of thinking, the mere physical appearance of Lord Ganesh is loaded with symbolism from which lessons can be drawn. He is depicted with an elephant head but human body. He also has a single tusk. The merging of the elephant head and human body indicates the state of non-duality or non-distinction which we should all strive to attain. In present circumstances, it suggests that despite changes, we should be independent enough to change the scenery, not the vision. The single tusk points to the ability to overcome all forms of duality and thereby reason dispassionately and discriminately about life’s challenges. There is great depth in the form of Lord Ganesh. There is even greater depth to be reached when worshipped in the right way, with the right thinking.
I challenge you to worship differently this Ganesh Utsov. I challenge you to invite the worship of Ganesh in all aspects of your life. Ganesh worship is neither limited to Ganesh Utsov nor to the temple. His worship should permeate all places and all aspects of life. May this auspicious period bring an understanding of the true meaning, relevance and application of Ganesh. May you be blessed with discriminative power so that you are able to move beyond life’s challenges and perceive the reality with fresh eyes and insight.
Paramacharya Pt. Hardeo Persad
Spiritual Head
SWAHA Inc.
