Ganesha: Not an elephant ‘God’
By Dr R Neerunjun Gopee
There is no important activity or auspicious occasion which the Hindu starts without invoking Shri Ganesha, who is Vinayaka (the Best of Guides), Vighneshwara (Remover of Obstacles) as well as being possessed of wise learning: He was the scribe who wrote down the well-known epic, Mahabharata, as Vyasaji was narrating it.
Ganesha. Pic – CNBC
According to late Dr Sarvapelli Radhakrishnan, Philosopher-President of Bharat, as it evolved Hinduism chose colourful diversity over dull uniformity. The many festivals in the Hindu calendar are a living expression of this truism – the richness of Hindu culture – through the plurality of customs and practices that they have been associated with since practically time immemorial in Bharat. Hindu festivals are strewn along its calendar throughout the year, for the gift of life is meant to be always glorified.
This can only happen to a healthy body possessed of a pure mind – which prepares the individual to live life in the Hindu spirit, which is – again according to Dr S Radhakrishnan, ‘that attitude towards life which regards the endless variety of the visible and temporal world as sustained by the invisible and eternal spirit’. If properly understood and celebrated, Hindu festivals meet all these objectives of a purposeful and meaningful life.
The fundamental aspect of the festival is of course the symbolism that underlies it in all its dimensions. Through the ideas and concepts that symbolism encompasses, an attempt is made to represent the Hindu vision of existence. The objective is to facilitate understanding of the profound truths and abstract concepts by means of forms and objects which are more or less familiar to all of us.
Symbols that are more frequently used are either geometrical forms, such as the triangle, the circle, the dot, or natural objects from the world of plants and animals.
For the latter possess characteristics which can be similar, different or even surpass those of man – such as strength (the lion), speed (the cheetah), hearing (the bat), vision (the owl) and so on. If we have any superiority in the spectrum of the living, it is that we possess chaitanya or consciousness which supports a mind with which we can think and reason. This allows us to explore and seek knowledge of the external world with which we transact, which in Hindu tradition we call lower knowledge.Read More… Become a Subscriber
Mauritius Times ePaper Friday 6 September 2024
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