Hello friends,
Here is an article from my friend Rajesh Kamath. Rajesh Kamath is very passionate about Indian culture and a proud Indian. When you read his such various article, you can connect this with your day to day life. He is also a co founder of More Than HR Global.
*The true significance of Ganesh Festival: Part 3: Why "elephant-headed" deity?*
_The story of Gajasura explains that the rakshasa called Gajasura was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva who underwent penance for many years to receive special boons. Siva, who is easily pleased by prayers (Bholenaath), was moved by Gajasura's devotion, and offered a boon. Gajasura asked Siva to reside in his belly, and Siva agreed. So now Siva went missing_
Meanwhile on Mount Kailash, Parvati was anxious to know the whereabouts of her husband and finally approached Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu disguised himself in the form of a street player along with Nandi, Siva's bull carrier, and the two set out in search of Shanker (Siva). In Gajasura's kingdom, Nandi performed a dance to please the demon. In thanks, Gajasura let Siva out of his stomach, but prayed that he would be allowed to be immortal in the memories of people. To fulfill this wish, Lord Siva severed Gajasura's head and freed him from the cycle of birth and death. He carries the head along with him. On Mount Kailash, Parvati comes to know of Vishnu's victory and is very happy. She creates a doll out of the dough that she uses in her bath, and calls him Vinayak - the one who overcomes all obstacles. This boy having never seen Siva, prevents his entry into the palace. In a fit of fury Shiva beheads the boy and enters the palace. Parvati is unaware of the happenings and receives Siva with warmth, for he had returned after a long period. During the course of their conversation, Siva mentions the incident at the palace gates and tells her about severing the child's head. Parvati is shocked to hear the news and pleads with Siva to bring the child back to life for he is like a son to her. Shiva who had with him the head of Gajasura, immediately puts it on the torso of the dead child, thus bringing him back to life and blessing him with a boon that the entire world would worship him in remembrance of that day.
*Meaning?* The chopping of the head and replacing with the elephant head is the significance of the replacing your thought with the bigger one. Vinayak, the boy could not recognize the Lord and fought with his father. It is the indication of ignoring the divinity. In order to make lord Ganesha a divine one, he replaced his head with bigger and intelligent one.
The elephant is a symbol
of might and magnitude. The elephant's foot is larger than that of any other animal. The
elephant can make its way through the densest jungle. In this way, it signifies the quality of a
leader who shows the way for others. The elephant is highly intelligent. The elephant is also
known for its fidelity and gratitude. In any circumstance it will not forget its master. Even in its
last moments, if it hears the voice of its master it will open its eyes and look for him. It will
sacrifice its life for its master. These are the lessons man should learn from the elephant.
Intelligence without gratitude is valueless. Every man should be grateful to those who have helped him.
*Again, why elephant head?* For that, let us understand the brain of an elephant. The brain of the elephant is the biggest brain among all living animals in comparison with their body. The hippo- campus, the part of the brain is for a long memory, Cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that enables problem solving ability.These parts are found in the brain of an elephant which absent in most of the other animals. Elephant has post-traumatic disorder, means, he cries on something wrong happens with him or with someone associated with him. They work cooperatively to accomplish the task. It shows his concern of the society and living in co-operation. Its big ears are the symbol of listening ability - help to hear something from far. On many occasions, it uses his body language to communicate the things. Elephant creates arts by choosing different colors and elements. Elephant can recognize twelve distinct tones of music. It has sense of empathy, altruism and justice. This is the only animal who performs the burial rituals and returning to visit graves like humans. They show concern for other species as well. Elephants safeguard human from injuries. It is one of the few species who can recognize faces in the mirror. It is a conscious, intelligent and emotional being.
The trunk is the symbol of intelligence and sensitivity. Its intelligence prevents insects entering into his body. The elephant, by using the strength of his body, makes the way for other animals in the dense forest. The small eyes of an elephant makes the image of an object focused. It implies that it looks at everyone big and ignores no one. With small eyes, it can still see the objects, far off. It implies the vision. In this way, the big head of elephant is the significance of big thought, emotion, intelligence, vision, listening ability, caring for others and wisdom.
*What's more, the ventral view of the human brain is a clear representation of the Ganesh formation. This includes the spine that connects the brain which is represented as the truck of the Elephant. The Parietal Lobe, the Occipital Lobe, the Temporal lobe, the Brain stem, and the spinal cord structure combined together form an image imitation of Lord Ganesh.*
Thus, Ganesha the lord of intelligence having visual similarities to Brain, is no co incidence but how intelligence has been carefully depicted using a deity.
Here is an article from my friend Rajesh Kamath. Rajesh Kamath is very passionate about Indian culture and a proud Indian. When you read his such various article, you can connect this with your day to day life. He is also a co founder of More Than HR Global.
*The true significance of Ganesh Festival: Part 3: Why "elephant-headed" deity?*
_The story of Gajasura explains that the rakshasa called Gajasura was an ardent devotee of Lord Siva who underwent penance for many years to receive special boons. Siva, who is easily pleased by prayers (Bholenaath), was moved by Gajasura's devotion, and offered a boon. Gajasura asked Siva to reside in his belly, and Siva agreed. So now Siva went missing_
Meanwhile on Mount Kailash, Parvati was anxious to know the whereabouts of her husband and finally approached Lord Vishnu for help. Vishnu disguised himself in the form of a street player along with Nandi, Siva's bull carrier, and the two set out in search of Shanker (Siva). In Gajasura's kingdom, Nandi performed a dance to please the demon. In thanks, Gajasura let Siva out of his stomach, but prayed that he would be allowed to be immortal in the memories of people. To fulfill this wish, Lord Siva severed Gajasura's head and freed him from the cycle of birth and death. He carries the head along with him. On Mount Kailash, Parvati comes to know of Vishnu's victory and is very happy. She creates a doll out of the dough that she uses in her bath, and calls him Vinayak - the one who overcomes all obstacles. This boy having never seen Siva, prevents his entry into the palace. In a fit of fury Shiva beheads the boy and enters the palace. Parvati is unaware of the happenings and receives Siva with warmth, for he had returned after a long period. During the course of their conversation, Siva mentions the incident at the palace gates and tells her about severing the child's head. Parvati is shocked to hear the news and pleads with Siva to bring the child back to life for he is like a son to her. Shiva who had with him the head of Gajasura, immediately puts it on the torso of the dead child, thus bringing him back to life and blessing him with a boon that the entire world would worship him in remembrance of that day.
*Meaning?* The chopping of the head and replacing with the elephant head is the significance of the replacing your thought with the bigger one. Vinayak, the boy could not recognize the Lord and fought with his father. It is the indication of ignoring the divinity. In order to make lord Ganesha a divine one, he replaced his head with bigger and intelligent one.
The elephant is a symbol
of might and magnitude. The elephant's foot is larger than that of any other animal. The
elephant can make its way through the densest jungle. In this way, it signifies the quality of a
leader who shows the way for others. The elephant is highly intelligent. The elephant is also
known for its fidelity and gratitude. In any circumstance it will not forget its master. Even in its
last moments, if it hears the voice of its master it will open its eyes and look for him. It will
sacrifice its life for its master. These are the lessons man should learn from the elephant.
Intelligence without gratitude is valueless. Every man should be grateful to those who have helped him.
*Again, why elephant head?* For that, let us understand the brain of an elephant. The brain of the elephant is the biggest brain among all living animals in comparison with their body. The hippo- campus, the part of the brain is for a long memory, Cerebral cortex is the part of the brain that enables problem solving ability.These parts are found in the brain of an elephant which absent in most of the other animals. Elephant has post-traumatic disorder, means, he cries on something wrong happens with him or with someone associated with him. They work cooperatively to accomplish the task. It shows his concern of the society and living in co-operation. Its big ears are the symbol of listening ability - help to hear something from far. On many occasions, it uses his body language to communicate the things. Elephant creates arts by choosing different colors and elements. Elephant can recognize twelve distinct tones of music. It has sense of empathy, altruism and justice. This is the only animal who performs the burial rituals and returning to visit graves like humans. They show concern for other species as well. Elephants safeguard human from injuries. It is one of the few species who can recognize faces in the mirror. It is a conscious, intelligent and emotional being.
The trunk is the symbol of intelligence and sensitivity. Its intelligence prevents insects entering into his body. The elephant, by using the strength of his body, makes the way for other animals in the dense forest. The small eyes of an elephant makes the image of an object focused. It implies that it looks at everyone big and ignores no one. With small eyes, it can still see the objects, far off. It implies the vision. In this way, the big head of elephant is the significance of big thought, emotion, intelligence, vision, listening ability, caring for others and wisdom.
*What's more, the ventral view of the human brain is a clear representation of the Ganesh formation. This includes the spine that connects the brain which is represented as the truck of the Elephant. The Parietal Lobe, the Occipital Lobe, the Temporal lobe, the Brain stem, and the spinal cord structure combined together form an image imitation of Lord Ganesh.*
Thus, Ganesha the lord of intelligence having visual similarities to Brain, is no co incidence but how intelligence has been carefully depicted using a deity.
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