Ganapathi Part 2

Ganapathi Part 1

Salutations unto the Lord of Catagories Ganapati

"Everthing that our mind can grasp can be expressed in terms of kind, or category. So category is a fundemental element of existense. All that can be comprehended is a catagory (gana). The principle of classifications through which the relations can be understood between different orders of things, between macrocosm and microcosm, is called the Lord of Catagories. He is Ganapati."
---Satguru Siva Subramuniyaswami

Introduction to the Ganesha Purana

Please accept my respectful pranams. Let me offer my heartfelt prayers to those Mahajans who have dedicated their lives to disseminating transcendental knowledge to the masses of people in this temporary world full of the threefold miseries. It is those great souls who we owe a great debt of gratitude and service and by doing so we are uplifted to that uppermost platform of spiritual bliss and understanding.

Thousands of years ago the sages at Naimasaranya, in what is known as the subcontinent of India, under the auspicious guidance of Sri Saunaka Rsi, decided that for the benefit of mankind a twelve year sacrifice of hearing the holy Puranas was to be performed. During this time the renowned son of Sri Vyasadeva, Sri Sukadeva Gosvami made his holy appearance before the sages. As part of this great sacrifice he recited and explained the Bhagavat Purana for the benefit of the entire world. After the completion of this Purana, the sages, being desirous for more of the same nectar, asked the great sage Sri Suta Gosvami to continue reciting some of the other blessed literatures. The sage Suta concluded that the recitation of the holy Ganesha Purana was the best remedy for the anxious transcendentalists.

In modern history, there have many books written on the subject of Lord Gananath or Ganesha, the Hindu (elephant headed) God who bestows material blessings on his devotees. In fact, along with being the most revered God of the Hindus, He is probably the most misunderstood. To the western world He is know as the God of good luck and the remover of obstacles, to others He is the Son of Lord Siva and the goddess Parvati and is known by any one of a thousand names. And to those who are absorbed in meditation on His transcendental form, He is none other than the original Lord of Creation, OM Sri Ganeshaya Namah.

So who is He actually? Which god is He in the hierarchy of Gods and Goddeses of the Hindu pantheon. Is He a mythological character or is His existence based in reality? Only the sincere reader of the Ganesha Purana can conclude. It is also a matter of realization. There is a good analogy in this regard. When Sir Isaac Newton saw an apple fall from a tree and hit the ground, he saw the Law of Gravity. When others see an apple fall from a tree, it is only an apple hitting the ground. So one may conclude that Sir Isaac was educated in this regard and that is why he saw differently. So in the same way, in order to understand or realize spiritual knowledge one must also try to become educated and learn this science, preferably under the guidance of a bonafide teacher. The Bhagavad Gita gives us a perfect example of learning transcendental science between master and disciple. After learning the basics from a Guru, then we may dive deeper and acquire more understanding from the Puranas and other spiritual texts.

Since the beginning of time saints, sages and philosophers have been meditating on three questions. Who am I? What is my purpose on earth? And where am going after I leave this mortal coil? These three questions have led many souls on a quest for self-realization. We are not this temporary body but an eternal spiritual entity. Our purpose in this life is to try to understand God and serve Him with love. And by trying to understand these things we can realize that our real home is in the spiritual kingdom. These basic spiritual precepts and more will be understood from the study of this Purana.
http://home.nctv.com/omganesh/index.html

Vinayaga Velava - Seergali

Lord Vinayaka

Lord Ganesh is the prominent God of Hindu people. He is being cordially and humbly celebrated in the daily life of all Hindu people. Lord Ganesh has temples in almost all parts of the world where Hindu people live in. He is given importance in every Hindu temple. He is associated with success and Education. So people are praying Him before starting any new work. Students are praying this God to get succeeded in their studies. His vehicle is mouse as the idol of that one is placed infront of Him in every temple.

Lord Ganesh is celebrated as the elder son of Lord Shiva. He is also known as God of averting obstacles. Lord Vignesh, Lord Ganapathy, Lord Vinayaka and Lord Pillayar are some of His other names. http://www.xomba.com/lord_vinayaka

Dr. Sirkali Govindarajan, the great singer with the golden voice, is respected by millions all around the globe as a maestro of Indian Classical, Devotional and Film music, with an excellent voice range and tonal purity. His ringing voice, rendering the songs with expression and expertise, with clear pronounciation of the language, and with classicism intact, was his speciality. He is regarded as an embodiment of humility and an excellent humanitarian among his contemporaries. His film songs carried a speciality of its own, which are cherished by his fans popularly as "Sirkali's songs", even today! This 'principled singer' has thousands of songs which add honour to Indian music.
http://www.sirkali.org/

Lambotaraya Namo Namo

Lambodara ("pendulous belly") is the first of four incarnations that correspond to the stage where the Purāṇic gods are created. Lambodara corresponds to Śakti, the pure power of Brahman. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Krodhāsura (anger). His mount is a mouse.

Vinayaganae Part2

Before the arrival of Islam, Afghanistan had close cultural ties with India, and the adoration of both Hindu and Buddhist deities was practiced. A few examples of sculptures from the 5th to the 7th centuries have survived, suggesting that the worship of Ganesha was then in vogue in the region.[198]

Ganesha appears in Mahayana Buddhism, not only in the form of the Buddhist god Vināyaka, but also as a Hindu demon form with the same name.[199] His image appears in Buddhist sculptures during the late Gupta period.[200] As the Buddhist god Vināyaka, he is often shown dancing. This form, called Nṛtta Ganapati, was popular in northern India, later adopted in Nepal, and then in Tibet.[201] In Nepal, the Hindu form of Ganesha, known as Heramba, is very popular; he has five heads and rides a lion.[202] Tibetan representations of Ganesha show ambivalent views of him.[203] A Tibetan rendering of Ganapati is tshogs bdag.[204] In one Tibetan form, he is shown being trodden under foot by Mahākāla, a popular Tibetan deity.[205] Other depictions show him as the Destroyer of Obstacles, sometimes dancing.[206] Ganesha appears in China and Japan in forms that show distinct regional character. In northern China, the earliest known stone statue of Ganesha carries an inscription dated to 531.[207] In Japan, the Ganesha cult was first mentioned in 806.[208]

The canonical literature of Jainism does not mention the worship of Ganesha.[209] However, Ganesha is worshipped by most Jains, for whom he appears to have taken over certain functions of Kubera.[210] Jain connections with the trading community support the idea that Jainism took up Ganesha worship as a result of commercial connections.[211] The earliest known Jain Ganesha statue dates to about the 9th century.[212] A 15th century Jain text lists procedures for the installation of Ganapati images.[209] Images of Ganesha appear in the Jain temples of Rajasthan and Gujarat.[213

Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ganesha#Beyond_India_and_Hinduism