Lord Ganesh or The Elephant God as known in the western world (due to his elephant head) is the god of removal of Obstacles.Easy to please and hence the first one to be worshiped in any and every kind of pooja or beginning of a new good venture/task.
Lord Ganesh is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.There are several stories of his birth or how he got his elephant head. I won’t go in the details of it, but if you need the info do post the comment and I will be happy to explain.
Like every Indian rituals that have some scientific base to it similarly every Indian deity represents something. Lord Ganesh not only is the removal of all obstacles, but also teaches many lessons through his idol. One of the first few lessons that we teach our little ones is body parts , Have you ever wondered when they grow up a little bit and are able to understand basics you can include it and teach them some of the basics of life. Here are few things that can be taught through Lord Ganesh’s body parts :
Head : The big head of Lord Ganesh teaches to think big. Have good thoughts in the mind. Rather than entangling your mind in worldly affair ,think up and beyond that. It can also be interpreted as think out of the box.
Mouth : Mouth of Ganesh is small and in worldly affair it teaches individuals to think more use the brain more but speak less, meaning to use your words wisely.Talking less and after thoughtful thinking will land you in less troubles and also take you towards the path of success and calmness.
Large Ears : The large ears of Ganesh symbolizes to be alert in life. Pay attention to the details and always be open to grasp knowledge from whatever source you can.It also means get opinions from all and then pick the best ones.This might give you a chance to ponder upon some of the aspects that you might have never registered.
Little eyes : The head of Ganesh is so big yet he has so small eyes. The reason for this is that even though one has to utilize maximum efficiency of his or her brain and think out of box, but once you have taken a task in the hand never loose focus from it. Focus is the basis for success in life , one can be good in so many things but concentrate on what you can do best and then focus all your energy in the same direction.
One tusk : One tusk of Ganesh has also given him the name “Ek Dant”. Elephant tusk is very strong in nature. We all go through many good and bad experiences in life be it people or be it incidents, hence it teaches one to be strong enough to make wise judgments and retain the good and leave the bad behind. There is no point in wasting your energy and sulking over the wrongs but to be strong and hold on to good and move on.
Trunk: Trunk represents strength, flexibility and adaptability of mind. The Ganesh’s trunk is sometime turned left which symbolizes the moon energy of the body (Ida nadi) which denotes calmness,tolerance,patience. When the trunk is twisted on the right side it represents sun energy of body (Pingala nadi) which in turn symbolizes masculinity and fierceness with which one can attain worldly happiness. The other name for right sided trunk Ganesh is “Siddhi Vinayak”. Most of the temples have right sided trunk idols of Ganesh, but in homes its suggested to always keep idol in a sitting pose and with left sided trunk. The way to find if the trunk is right or left sided is not from the end turning of trunk but in what direction the trunk is turned at the very beginning.Very rarely you will find a straight trunk Ganesh which signifies Sushumna Nadi and represents ultimate happiness or destination.
Big Belly : Lord Ganesh is also always shown with big belly. The big stomach means one should know how to digest the good and bads. People may say favorable things to you and they may also say things that might hurt you. Giving some one “piece of mind” should not be your ultimate aim, but to take the negative in without it bothering you and moving on is what is the sign of intelligence. It also tells you not to get involved in the gossips or tattle tale.
Mouse : Mouse by nature is very restless and it represents our mind or desires.If desires are not controlled properly they can lead you to wrong path. You need to make wise judgments in life so as not to land in any troubles.The way you can tame your mind or desires is by always using your brain. Hence Lord Ganesh is seen riding the mouse indicating how our desires are have very little significance if we know how to control them and lead in the right direction.
Happy teaching and Happy learning !!!
Om Ganeshay Namah !!