More Information in
 |
Like us on
 |
Origin, and Related Story
Ganesha, the elephant-headed diety, is the Hindu god of wisdom. Also called "Phra Phikanet" (Thai: พระพิฆเนศ) in Thailand, Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, and has a brother Murugan (also known as Kartikeya), god of war.
Ganesha's two consorts are "Buddhi" (meaning "wisdom") and "Siddhi" (meaning "spiritual power" or "success"), and Ganesha has two sons: "Labha" (meaning "wisdom") from Buddhi, and "Kshema" (meaning "prosperity") from Siddhi.
There are various accounts explaining why Ganesha is elephant-headed:
1. Lord Shiva and Parvati transformed themselves into elephants and had sexual intercourse, and gave birth to a son with a head of an elephant.
2. Vishnu was asleep when invited to participate the hair-shaving ritual of Ganesha after Ganesha was born. Vishnu, seemingly still unawake, unintentionally uttered words "head lost". His saying unfortunately turned out to be a reality; as a result, Ganesha did lose his head. Vishnu immediately went to the secular world to find a head to transplant to Ganesha's body; what he ultimately got, though, was the head of an elephant, which lead to the elephant-headed Ganesha.
One story said that Chandra, the god of the moon, and Ganesha didn't match each other. Once Ganesha was having too much desserts that made his stomach burst. Ganesha tucked the outflowed food into his belly and had the belly tied with a snake. Chandra, witnessing the funny scene, couldn't help but laugh at Ganesha. Ganesha was so raging at Chandra that he extracted one tusk and threw it to the moon, which led to the wane of the moon.
Consequently, it's absolutely forbidden to look at the moon when worshipping to Ganesha, who might be offended and punish those who disobey. When making worships to Ganesha, if one unintendedly takes a look at the moon, he would curse the moon god in order to please Ganesha.
In the past, during the Ganesha worship ceremony, Ganesha statues would be carried out to be paraded along the river, and got sunk into the river after the ceremony to pray for a plentiful harvest.
Items held in Ganesha's Hands
Ganesha is portrayed with multiple arms and hands, in which hold different symbolic items:
※Trident (three-pronged spear): meaning continuous advancement, and the eradication of all obstacles
※Rope: meaning the protection against impediments, and the connection to good fortunes
※Broken tusk: the symbol of wisdom and creation; or the sacrifice for human beings
※Lotus flower: indicating happiness, purity, and sacredness
※Modak (a favorite sweet of Ganesha): meaning affluent life
※Ax: meaning the defense of three worlds—heaven, earth, and hell
※Conch shell: representing the grant of all requests
※Snake: meaning endless power
.JPG)
Method to Pray
● What to Pray For
※wisdom
※wealth, affluent life
※development in art
※removal of obstacles
※good fortune
※safety
※dispelling of misfortune
※wisdom
※wealth, affluent life
※development in art
※removal of obstacles
※good fortune
※safety
※dispelling of misfortune
● Offerings
In India, "Laddu" (coconut balls) and "Modak" (sweet dumpling) are known as two Ganesha's favorite sweets.
.jpg) |  | |
Laddu
|
Modak
|
In Thailand, "Khanom Tom Daeng" or "Khanom Tom Khaow" (red or white glutinous flour dumpling) are popular food offerings for Ganesha.
 |  | |
Khanom Tom Daeng
|
Khanom Tom Khaow
|
※dairy product: fresh milk, yogurt
※fresh flowers: lotus flower, marigold, jasmine, rose, or other red, yellow, or orange flowers
※fruits: banana, sugarcane, mango, sesame, pomegranate
※candle: one piece
Source:
No comments:
Post a Comment