Lord Ganesh drinks milk – is there a deeper meaning?

The recent marked increase in oblations to Lord Ganesh has attracted quite a variety of opinions world-wide by both believers and non-believers of the Hindu faith. This has been sparked by a worldwide phenomenon whereby murtis of the Lord have been apparently drinking the milk offered by his devotees. Many have proclaimed this as miracle; a positive sign from the Divine; an act of God; a message of reaffirmation and a reason for restoration of faith. Yet, others have opined that such an event is nothing more than idol-worship. In midst of such emotionally-charged opinions, one should dig deeper and be guided by the rich Hindu philosophies that serve as a beacon in times like this. Such principles cut across barriers of age, gender, creed, place and circumstance.

The promise of the Lord to partake of everything that is offered to Him with love is enunciated clearly by Lord Krishna in Chapter Nine, verse 26, of Bhagavad Gita: “Whosoever offers to Me with love, a leaf, a flower, a fruit or even water, I appear in person before that disinterested devotee of sinless mind, and delightfully partake of it”. This is also exemplified in Shrimad Bhagavat Puraan when the Lord appeared to partake of all the offerings made to him on Mount Goverdhan. Without a doubt, the Lord stretches His hand in acceptance to anything that is offered to Him, with love. These words are echoed through every Hindu scripture and through the lives of every devotee who surrenders his total faith to the Divine. The key factors are faith and love. If these are the chief ingredients in all our offerings, there should be no need to claim ‘miracle’ or ‘phenomenon’.

In proclaiming the attributes of Lord Ganesh, the Ganapati Atharvasheersh stotra states that the Lord is everything, including the five elements from which matter is made. Metaphysically speaking, this milk that is offered signifies consciousness. Incidentally, the elephant head and human body of Lord Ganesh symbolises this state of non-duality. In order to ascend to such a state where one’s vision is one of subjectivity, and unity in diversity, the individual needs to assume a lifestyle that accords him the tool of discriminative power, permitting full awareness of this consciousness. This takes place symbolically, when matter is merged in consciousness.

In this light, one can interpret recent happenings in quite a different way. The act of Lord Ganesh drinking milk is representative of man’s consciousness being consumed by matter. This indicates a loss of knowledge, and a weakening of man’s discriminative ability. Man will find himself now less able to decipher and discriminate right from wrong. Lord Ganesh’s drinking of milk therefore presages greater problems both for the individual, and the world as a whole. Man will find himself further burdened socially, physically and mentally. This event also forewarns an increase in natural disasters.

As expected, news of the milk-drinking event has brought about a rapid increase in Ganesh-awareness and an instant rise in religiousness. Such ‘flashes of faith’ are to be regarded with careful and mindful eyes. Many have claimed that their faith has been strengthened and that they have been motivated to move ahead in the path of religion. While these spurts of outpouring love for the Lord help to inculcate positive vibrations, it is recommended that such emotions become a way of life. Lord Ganesh is the Remover of obstacles, and today He advocates that man embark upon a life of intense austerities and devotion in order to overcome the impending challenges that are foreshadowed by recent milk-drinking.

Pt. Hardeo Persad
Paramacharya Swaha International