Ganesh Chaturthi is an auspicious time for Hindus worldwide as it commemorates the birth of the Elephant God, Lord Ganesha. Lord Ganesha is often regarded as the God of bravery whose meaning helps us derive courage to fight against all our obstacles in life. It is popular to observe devotees worshipping Lord Ganesha by bestowing him with flowers, modaks, and other famed sweets. This year, as Ganesh Chaturthi falls on 19th September, it is a common sight to see idols of the Hindu God flourishing in the vicinity of people’s homes and public spheres across the Indian subcontinent with grand celebrations.
STORY OF GANESH CHATURTHI
The story of Ganesh Chaturthi revolves around the virtues of love, affection, loyalty, respect and kindness that lead to Ganesha’s birth and explains his resemblance to an elephant. Goddess Parvati had created a son made from clay and ghee (clarified butter) as she had been experiencing loneliness and longed for a company to share her joy. She gave life to her clay son Ganesha, while her husband, Lord Shiva, meditated on Mount Kailash. Goddess Parvati became extremely fond of her son, and one day, she asked him to guard the doors while she bathed.
Ganesha’s promise to his mother not to allow anyone to enter while she was bathing set a great example as he barred Lord Shiva from entering the premises. Lord Shiva became furious as he had been unaware that he was Ganesha’s father and in the heat of the moment, he slaughtered Ganesha’s head. Goddess Parvati became highly dismayed and heartbroken at discovering this. She vowed to never speak to Lord Shiva until he does not bring back life to their son. Lord Shiva reflected on his mistake and went into the forest with his followers to replace Ganesha’s head with something. Their aim was to find a creature not with his mother. They stumbled upon an elephant calf and brought back his head. Lord Shiva replaced it with Ganesha’s broken head and granted life to him again. He realised his mistakes and worked on improving them. Thus, the Elephant God had been born on this auspicious day that reflects the acts of forgiveness, acceptance and appreciation. The story sets a beautiful example to the present generation of how it is a part of life to make mistakes. Still, one should learn from them and try their best to find solutions to improve the problem. Had Lord Shiva become regretful at seeing his wife’s condition and gone into depression without doing anything, Ganesh Chaturthi would not have existed.
GANESH VISARJAN
Ganesh Visarjan is a tradition signifying the immersion of Lord Ganesha’s statues into a water body like a river or a sea. This ritual happens at the end of the ten-day festival of Ganesh Chaturthi when a pompous procession of devotees follow their path to the riverbanks accompanied by singing and dancing. The act of Ganesh Visarjan provides a vital meaning to humanity that life is a constant change, nothing is permanent, and we must be able to let go of things we love deeply through appreciation and harmony without falling victim to the illnesses of stress, anxiety and depression. The example of Ganesh Visarjan teaches us all that everything is moral in life and eventually comes to an end. This year, Ganesh Visarjan will take place on 28th September.
DEEP BONDING
The festival of Ganesh Chaturthi remains a synonym for the deep bonding between communities as everyone takes time out from their busy schedules and dances to the divine tunes of Ganpati Bappa Moraya. Everyone remains excited about the celebrations planned to occur in 2023.
