From a satsang with Pundit Balram Persad, Spiritual Leader, Om Shakti Mandali
When we understand the glories of Lord Ganesh, or any another form of the Lord, we understand that there is no beginning, no middle and no end. The word Ganesh is made up of three syllables, Ga – na –esh. Ga means mind and speech, na means what is beyond and esh means the Lord of Master. Therefore, Lord Ganesh is the Lord and Master of what is beyond mind and speech. He is infinite, indescribable and indivisible. He is also the Lord of the ganas or followers. The scriptures state there are four categories of devotes: jan gana, the human society; Deo gana, divine beings; pitra gana, ancestral beings; and Shiv gana, the followers of Lord Shiva. He is universal Brahm, the Supreme Force and Father.
Atharva Rishi says that He is Agni, Indra, Surya, Chandramaa, and much more. He represents the five tattwas or elements in us as well as in the external world: earth, ether, fire, air and water. He also represents four types of speech: vaikhari or gross speech, madhyama or mental communication, as with Shree Raam and Hanuman who communicated with each other mentally when Shree Hanuman was in Lanka; Pashyanti, seeing a mental image creation; and Paraavaani, the heavenly or divine voice.
Lord Ganesh is also the Muladhaara chakra. In our bodies, there are seven energy vortices. Lord Ganesh is the first chakra. He is also the voice of divinity, memory and intuition. He is the primordial sound, Om. He is beyond the three states of time: past, present and future. As humans, he leads us to transformation. He is not inside a murti or picture. He is a living dynamic force. Once invoked, he goes to His devotees’ aid. He is beyond the three bodies: the physical, the astral and the causal bodies. He is also beyond the three gunas or modes of existence: sat, raj and tam (goodness, materialism and inertia). He is beyond the four states of being: jaagat (waking state), swapna (dream state), sushupti (deep sleep) and turiya (the state of realization).
How can we realize the Supreme Being, Ganesh Baba? In life we must go forward, upward, onward and Godward. In order to achieve this, we must proceed along four darpan (mirror): Guru darpan, helps us to rise spiritually, to enhance the intellect and move forward. The second mirror is murti darpan, the image of Ganapati Baba, which will lead to that awakening, realization and consciousness of Lord Ganesh. Vishwa darpan means the universe itself offers its experience and life lessons, which will take us to Lord Ganesh. The last mirror is Vivek darpan, which is Ganapati Baba Himself. He represents the power of discernment and right vision.
When we practise these four important darpans, there are several blessings that we gain: vidya (wisdom), riddhi (progress, prosperity and material enjoyment), buddhi (intelligence, intellect) and siddhi (powers or divine perfection). It is the blessing of true wisdom. It is not just the acquisition of information but knowledge with the goal of transformation in life. Then our buddhi will be sharp and we will be able to see through any trickery, deceit or deception. We will also be blessed with spiritual powers which, if used wisely, can advance us along the spiritual path.
