When reading about Ganesh Baba, one of the terms we come across is ‘mooshak vaahan’. He is that Lord whose vehicle is the mouse. But, how could that Lord who is Vighnahartaa (Remover of Obstacles) and Gyaandaataa (Giver of Knowledge) ride upon a mouse? Surely there must be some other creature that will better reflect His greatness? Those who simply look at the physical representation of the Lord, and fail to search deeper into the hidden significances of such a representation will never fully understand the message of Ganesh ji. In a sense, they will forever remain searching.
The Greedy Mouse
A mouse or rat is perhaps one of the greediest of all animals. It has a small mouth, but with many sharp teeth. Its greed and covetous nature is such that it steals much more than it can possibly consume – hoarding what it cannot eat – and often times, forgetting all about the hoarded food. It is said that this mouse of Shree Ganesh represents desire. Just like the mouse, with its relentless acquisitiveness, so too in the mind of man, there are a multitude of desires. Much more desires that can, or in fact should, realistically be fulfilled. Devotees engage in regular worship to the Divine Lord; and, the blessings that we derive from such worship are what keep us growing in spirituality. But, once we let our cravings overcome us, when we become slaves to our desires, then, we are doing ourselves a great disservice.
Baba’s Mouse
The mouse of Ganesh Baba, however, is quite different. The mouse is sitting in front a bowl of laddoos, yet it does not touch it. Instead it either appears to be offering it to the Lord, or seeking the permission of the lord before consuming it. This signifies that the desires in an enlightened man must be totally under control. Ganesh ji blesses us with vivek, that power of discrimination, which allows us to make the right choices in life. The Lord displays complete dominance over these desires that cause regression in life. When we have the grace of Shree Ganesh Bhagvaan, then we will be capable of distinguishing between our wants and our needs. In this way we will not be motivated by emotional craving, but rather by sound judgement. The only desires that we will entertain are the desire to do good and the desire to move closer towards God.
Greater Rewards
If we go a little deeper, we will understand that Ganesh Baba is the Lord of the muladhaara chakra, while the laddoo that represents the reward that may be bestowed upon us, can be realized only at the sahasra chakra. Think of the action of a mouse, slowly gnawing away until it bites through even the toughest of fibres. The symbolism here is that the mouse with the Lord seated upon it will slowly gnaw through the tangled consciousness of man until the Kundalini Shakti reaches the sahasra chakra, where the reward awaits the true devotee.
