Lord Ganesha: The God of Prosperity and Overcoming Obstacles

Even though Hinduism does not have a very strong community here in Brazil, many people have already had contact with Lord Ganesha, the Hindu god who overcomes obstacles and attracts prosperity.

You know that little elephant on top of the fridge with its head facing the front door? Yes, this is one of the representations of Ganesha. But he is not always represented that way.

You’re likely to know him in a more traditional form, a chubby man with an elephant’s head. Full of symbology, Ganesha represents many things.

Let’s get to know a little more about its history. Check out!

The Legends of Lord Ganesha

The legend of Ganesha’s birth

According to ancient scriptures, Parvati was feasting and dancing with Shiva when she noticed that she was covered in dust and mud. She decides to bathe, however, before beginning the cleansing rites, Parvati removes all the mud and dust, giving her the form of a boy.

She is enchanted and then grants him life. This is where Ganesha is born, a beautiful boy who was soon ordered to stand guard while his mother, Parvati, bathed.

A short time later, Shiva appears and is surprised by the presence of a boy. As he approached, he was interrupted by Ganesha, who did not recognize his father. Shiva, enraged by the petulance and suspecting that it was a beggar spying on his wife, rips off Ganesha’s head, but not before fighting him.

Upon exiting the bath, Parvati encounters the heartbreaking scene: Ganesha beheaded by Shiva. Enraged, upset and hurt, Parvati said that she would destroy the heavens and the Earth. Ashamed of the action and wanting to ease his wife’s pain, Shiva ordered his helpers to bring the head of the first living being that was sleeping.

So the helpers brought an elephant’s head. Immediately, Shiva places it around Ganesha’s neck, who comes back to life.

The legend of why Lord Ganesha is depicted with one of his fangs in his hand

When the philosopher Vyasadeva was first inspired to write the Indian epic the Mahabharatahe asked Ganesha, who is famous for having a sharp memory and a subtle intellect, to be his scribe.

Ganesha agreed, but he did so on one condition: that Vyasadeva dictate the entire account without stopping even once. Vyasadeva agreed, but not before presenting his own condition: that Ganesha could only write a stanza after fully understanding its essence.

Ganesha accepted and began writing. However, the feather he was using began to fail. In order to keep the account from being interrupted, Lord Ganesha broke his own tusk to use as a writing medium.

So Vyasadeva continued to recite and whenever he wished to take a break to catch his breath, he would give a particularly complex clause that would require Ganesha to pause to fully understand its meaning.

Another legend that also marks the origin of the broken tusk is that Shiva decided to sleep to rest and asked Ganesha to protect him. A proud Brahmin warrior named Parashuram came to visit Shiva, but was prevented from waking him up by Ganesha.

Parashuram was furious at not being able to speak to Shiva and fought Ganesha. In the midst of the brawl, Parashuram hurled his sharp ax towards Ganesha’s head, which stopped him with his prey which ended up being damaged.

The Legend of the Snake Tied to Ganesha’s Waist

Legend has it that on one of his birthdays, Ganesha went knocking from door to door to collect offerings, which were mostly ladoos (balls of chickpea flour toasted with almonds and sugar) and puddings.

After collecting many offerings, Ganesha was riding home on his mouse (yes, his means of transport was a small mouse) when an accident happened. A snake crossed their path and the mouse got scared, backing away and knocking Ganesha down in the middle of the road.

Upon falling, Ganesha’s belly opens, spilling all the candy. Fearing to hurt the feelings of those who presented it, Lord Ganesha collected all the sweets from the road and placed them back in his belly. To keep it from opening again, he took the snake and tied it around his waist.

So they went on their way without further incident.

The symbology behind the representations of Ganesha

This dear and worshiped god is full of symbologies. Let’s understand more what it represents.

elephant head: The huge elephant head signifies wisdom and knowledge. Elephants do not go around obstacles, nor are they stopped by them. They just remove them and move on, meaning ease. So when Lord Ganesha is worshipped, those qualities within us are ignited and are assumed.

big belly: generosity, prosperity and total acceptance. That’s why he is known as a god of prosperity.

Possess only one of the fangs: means unidirectionality.

Mouse as a means of transport: the mouse cuts and nibbles the strings it holds. The mouse is like the mantra that can cut through layers and layers of ignorance, leading to the supreme knowledge represented by Ganesha.

Raised Hand of Ganesha: represents protection and means “Fear not, I am with you”, and its lowered hand, palm facing outward, means endless giving, as well as an invitation to bow.

Snake above the head or tied around the waist: represents the kundalini. Kundalini is an ancient Sanskrit term meaning “coiled by a serpent” and is related to the expansion of consciousness.

Want to know more about the gods of the Hindu pantheon?

Did you like the story of Lord Ganesha? We have separated some materials for you to complement your reading.

A big kiss and until next time! ✨