God Of New Beginnings

वक्रतुण्ड महाकाय सूर्यकोटि समप्रभ
निर्विघ्नं कुरु मे देव सर्वकार्येषु सर्वदा

O Lord Ganesh, of curved trunk, large body, and with the brilliance of a million suns, please make all the tasks that I undertake, free of obstacles, always.

Before he began creation, Lord Brahma, was unable to command unruly ‘ganas’ ( attendants of Lord Shiva), so he invoked Lord Ganesh to contain them. And hence the name - Ganesh ( Lord of the ganas ). He helped Brahma to create out of innumerable, unfathomable, unending, and imperishable a world that was numbered, spanned, born to die. Lord Vishnu is said to have invoked Ganesh, before he vanquished Bali, Lord Shiva,before he destroyed Tripura, the three cities of demons, Goddess Durga, before she killed Mahishasura, the great serpent Shesh, before he lifted the earth on his head, and the love god Kamadeva, before he conquered the universe with his arrows of passions.He was invoked by the great sage Vyas before he began composing his great epic the Mahabharata. Brahaspati, the teacher of gods in said to have invoked Lord Ganesh before he delivered his ever first lesson to gods.

Lord Ganesh is the god of new beginnings. He is invoked before every prayer or ritual. Nothing auspicious can take place without him. A child begins his education with a prayer to Lord Ganesh; every marriage ceremony starts with a prayer to him. Whether one is laying the foundation stone of the building or starting an industry or inaugurating something, He is always invoked to remove all obstacles on one’s path. He is recognized by his elephant head, symbolic of auspiciousness, strength and intellectual prowess. The largest and strongest animal of India, the elephant is gentle, affectionate and loyal; These are also the qualities of Ganesh. Although he is a powerful god, he is known as a loving, forgiving deity. Lord Ganesh’s large head is symbolic of the wisdom. His large ears allow him to hear everything yet able to separate good from bad, reality from the unreal.

Lord Ganesh is not only a popular god in India, but also in several other parts of the world. An essentially cool, soft, calm, simple and benevolent being, he does inflicts pain, harm or punishment. A mild smile, mischievously blinking eyes greedily looking at ‘laddus’ and a carefree relaxed mood, and an as mischievous mouse with a flag-like raised tail attending on, define people’s image of Ganesa. Whatever his form, he is essentially and fundamentally the god of good, ephemeral or transcendental. Except in Sri Lanka, here,he is perceived as a fierce personality inflicting severe punishment on those who dare ignore him, as also, as the fierce captain of wild elephants. Japan’s Kengiten or Sho-ten, a god exactly identical to Ganesh or just his yet another form, is venerated as the god of good fortune and the harbinger of happiness, prosperity and good. Japan has more than 200 temples of Kengiten. The Ganesh-like elephant faced Orenus, a Greek god, and Chinese Kuan-chi-Tien, are alike the gods of good fortune,riches and prosperity. Exactly, like lord Ganesh in India, Romans’ elephant-headed god is invoked before a work is begun for its auspicious and trouble-free beginning and completion.

So let us all begin this wonderful year with the blessing of Lord Ganesh. May he bestow us all with wisdom, good luck and remove the obstacles from our path towards righteousness and success.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiLkqPOTWP8