Top eight incarnations of Ganesha

Incarnations of Ganesha

There are two dedicated scriptures for Lord Ganesha, the Mudgala Purana and the Ganesha Purana. Both the scriptures contain stories of Lord Ganesha’s childhood, his marriage and his various avatars. In Hinduism an avatar is a direct descent of a deity which is born for a purpose. Apart from Hinduism, only Sikhism and Ayyavazhi religions believe in the concept of avatar or incarnations. Thus, Hinduism believes in the principle of Avatarvada.

As per the Ganesha Purana, there are four incarnations of Ganesha, one for each “yuga” (cycle of life). The Mudgala Purana describes eight incarnations of Ganesha which are popular. This article talks about the eight incarnations of Lord Ganesha.

All the avatars of Ganesha have specific attributes. They differ in physical qualities like colour of the skin or the vehicle they use. However the purpose of all the avatars was one, to slay demons. All the avatars symbolize abstract qualities but have similar purpose of existence. The Mudgala Purana preaches that the importance of the stories of the eight incarnations of Ganesha is not in their literal recitation but it is in the understanding of their purpose.

The first of Lord Ganesha’s manifestation is called Vakratunda. The name is derived from the physical attributes of this manifestation of Lord Ganesha. Since the avatar has a twisted trunk it is called “Vakratunda”. The reason this avatar was born was to defeat the demon Matsaryasura. Symbolically Matsaryasura is the demon of envy and his defeat by Lord Ganesha is a testimony to triumph over envy.

The second incarnation was Ekdanta. The incarnation got the name because of Lord Ganesha being single tusked. This avatar was born to defeat the demon Madasura. The demon Madasura represents intoxication.

The third manifestation of Lord Ganesha is Mahodara or the big bellied one. He was born to kill the demon of delusion, Mohasura. This incarnation of Lord Ganesha also destroyed Durbuddhi (negative thought) and Jnanaari (Ignorance). Mohasura was born out of momentary confusion of Lord Shiva.

Gajanana, was the fourth incarnation of Ganesha. The name of the avatar is coined after the “elephant face” of Lord Ganesha. He was born to slay the demon of greed, Lobha.

The fifth incarnation of Ganesha is Lambodara who killed Krodha, the demon of anger. The name Lambodara means “potbellied God”.

Vikata, “the misshaped one”, defeated Kama, the demon of desire. Vikata is the sixth incarnation of Ganesha.

The seventh incarnation, Vighnaraja destroyed Mama, the demon of ego.  In Sanskrit, Vighnaraja means the king of obstacles.

The last or the eighth incarnation of Ganesha is Dhumravarna (smoke colour). The incarnation got victory over the demon Ahamkara (narcissism).

The purpose of the incarnations was to gain victory over vices. Lord Ganesha helps his devotees to overcome bad qualities and walk the path of righteousness.

Siddhi Vinayaka Temple

Siddhi Vinayaka Temple

The Siddhi Vinayaka Temple is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shri Ganesh. It is located in Prabhadevi, Mumbai,Maharashtra. It was originally built by Laxman Vithu and Deubai Patil on November 19, 1801. Though it is one of the richest temples in Mumbai, the current generation of Patil is staying in state of despair near the temple.

Siddhi Vinayaka Temple has a small mandap (hall) with the shrine for Siddhi Vinayak ("Ganesh who grants your wish"). The wooden doors to the sanctum are carved with images of the Ashtavinayak (the eight manifestations of Ganesha in Maharashtra). The inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold, and the central statue is of Ganesha. In the periphery, there is a Hanuman temple as well.

The Siddhi Vinayaka Temple evolved from a small, tiny place of worship to the Grand Temple that stands today in the later half of the twentieth century. Temple glory was bought not only by the politicians who frequented the temple but also Bollywood film stars who continuously visit to seek the blessings of Lord Ganesha.

Here, Ganpati is shown with four arms holding a lotus flower, an axe, plate of modakas and a garland of beads, in each of his hands respectively. The two consorts of the Lord, Riddhi and Siddhi, adorn the site being placed on the either side of Ganesha. The temple complex also comprises image of Lord Hanuman near the main entrance. 

On Tuesdays, people come to the Siddhi Vinayaka Temple in large number as it is regarded as the ruling day of Lord Ganesha. Devotees come here long before the opening timings (before dawn) of the Temple, just to ensure that they will get the glimpse of Lord Ganesha. It is believed that Lord Ganesha fulfills all the desires and wishes of his true devotees. 

Ganesha Kavacham

Ganesha Kavacham

A Kavach is the armour that a soldier wears for protection. Ganesha kavacham is also known as the Ganapathi Kavacham, Vinayakar Kavacham or Vinayaka Kavacham. The Ganesha Kavacham asks Lord Ganesha to act like a shield or armour and keep away the evils of the world. It is a devotional song that is sung to praise the Lord and his exceptional powers. When one recites this prayer they ask Lord Ganesha to protect them and also to remove all obstacles from their path so that they may have success and prosperity. Lord Ganesha is known to be the supreme symbol of wisdom, prosperity and success and when one recites this prayer and remembers Lord Ganesha with a mind clear of all negativity, Ganesha is said to be appeased and showers his unconditional love upon his followers. The extent to which the mantra shall help you depends totally on the strength of faith. It is through absolute faith and conviction that one can get the maximum benefits.

The Ganesha Kavacham recital explicitly requests Lord Ganesha to protect the body, home, assets and overall existence. The chant is for both one’s-self and one’s loved-ones. And since it is a chant, it is available in many languages. The main ones are English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Gujarati, Oriya and Bengali.

In Ganesha Kavacham Lord Ganesha is asked to protect each and every body part ranging from eyes, forehead, skin, tongue, ears, nose, face, speech, smile, heart, legs, fingers, arms nails, etc. Ganesha is asked to protect from all directions namely north, south, east and west. He also askedto protect all loved ones, wealth, property, intellect and spiritual life.

Choose the language that you want or listen to the enchanting hymns and let your soul take a plunge into the divine world of wisdom of Ganpati.

Ganesha Kavacham Salutations to the Lord
Let the ever pleasing remover of obstacles protect my head,
Let the God who is as great as the sea protect my eyes,
Let he who killed the elephant asura protect my hair,
And let the leader of Shiva’s army protect my eyes.

Mudgala Purana

The Mudgala Purana is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the Hindu deity Ganesha (Gaṇeśa). It is an upapurāṇa that includes many stories and ritualistic elements relating to Ganesha. The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana are core scriptures for devotees of Ganesha, known as Ganapatyas (Gāṇapatya). These are the only two Purana that are exclusively dedicated to Ganesha.

The Mudgala Purana considers Ganesha to represent the ultimate reality of being. As such, Ganesha's manifestations are endless but eight of his incarnations are of most importance. The eight incarnations are introduced in MudP 1.17.24-28. The text is organized into sections for each of these incarnations. These are not the same as the four incarnations of Ganesha that are described in the Ganesha Purana.

The incarnation described in the Mudgala Purana took place in different cosmic ages. The Mudgala Purana uses these incarnations to express complex philosophical concepts associated with the progressive creation of the world. Each incarnation represents a stage of the absolute as it unfolds into creation. Granoff provides a summary of the philosophical meaning of each incarnation within the framework of the Mudgala Purana: Along with the philosophy, typical Puranic themes of battles with demons provide much of the story line.

The incarnations appear in the following order:

1. Vakratunda, first in the series, represents the absolute as the aggregate of all bodies, an embodiment of the form of Brahman. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Matsaryāsura (envy, jealousy). His mount is a lion.

1. Ekadanta represents the aggregate of all individual souls, an embodiment of the essential nature of Brahman. the purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Madāsura (arrogance, conceit). His mount is a mouse.

1. Mahodara is a synthesis of both Vakratuṇḍa and Ekadanta. It is the absolute as it enters into the creative process. It is an embodiment of the wisdom of Brahman. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Mohāsura. His mount is a mouse.

1. Gajavaktra is a counterpart to Mahodara. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Lobhāsura (greed). His mount is a mouse.

1. Lambodara 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. His mount is a mouse.

1. Vikata corresponds to Sūrya. He is an embodiment of the illuminating nature of Brahman. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Kāmāsura (lust). His mount is a peacock.

1. Vighnaraja, corresponds to Viṣṇu. He is an embodiment of the preserving nature of Brahman. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Mamāsura. His mount is the celestial serpent Shesha.

1. Dhumravarna corresponds to Śiva. He is an embodiment of the destructive nature of Brahman. The purpose of this incarnation is to overcome the demon Abhimanāsura. His mount is a mouse.

32 forms of Ganesha

32 forms of Ganesha

Every God in Hindu mythology is believed to have different forms or incarnations or avatars. Every avatar symbolises something unique. The elephant-headed God, has displayed himself in 32 forms of Ganesha, each form having special powers and characteristic features. Two shaktis of Ganesha, Siddhi and Riddhi, are often depicted on images of the mighty God’s forms.

Ekadanta Ganapati

The Single-Tusked One (Eka=One Danta=Tusk) is blue in color. His axe cuts through ignorance. Another hand holds prayer beads, while a third grasps his broken tusk. For Ekadanta, a sweet laddoo is a delightful snack.

Kshipra Prasada Ganapati

“Kshipra” means the quality of quickness. Ask of him what you will with devotion and faith – this Ganapati, seated on a throne of kusha-grass, will reward you in no time at all. His other attributes: the goad, tusk, noose, pomegranate, lotus and the kalpvriksh.

Uddanda Ganapati

This ten-armed form of the Lord is the one who enforces Dharma, the moral law of the Universe. For this task, he bears ten attributes: the blue lily, sugar cane stalk, lotus, mace, noose, paddy, a broken tusk and a garland.

Srishti Ganapati

The red-hued Lord who presides over manifest creation sits astride Mooshika, his divine mouse vehicle. The noose, goad and a ripe mango are his attributes. His broken tusk represents his willingness to sacrifice.

Rinamochana Ganapati

Marble skinned and clad in red silk, this Ganapati offers salvation from guilt and attachment. His trunk holds another favored fruit, the wood apple, while his hands bear the noose, goad and broken tusk.

Every avatar is depicted as a red, golden, blue or white image. The names of these 32 forms of Ganesha suggest what each of them symbolises. For example, ‘Bala’ means child-like,‘Bhakti’ means devotion and ‘Nritya’ means dance and ‘Lakshmi Ganapati’ is the Giver of Success. While some say Ganesha was an unmarried bachelor, others say that he was married to Siddhi (spiritual power) and Buddhi or Riddhi (intellectual power). But Lakshmi Ganapati has two consorts –Saraswati, goddess of culture and arts and Lakshmi, goddess of luck and prosperity. Vighna Ganapati is the Lord of Obstacles. Destruction of obstacles for those who are on their way to glory is one of Ganesha’s important tasks. On the other hand, Bhakti Ganapati is calm.

Uncover the meaning of Ganesha

Meaning of Ganesha

Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in a clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors. The meaning of Ganesha and his popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism in the 9th century.

Lord Ganesh is a Hindu deity who is quite easy to identify with his elephant head. When Lord Shiva in his ire removed the head of his own son, the inconsolable Devi Pārbati threatened to annihilate the world. In order to placate the grief-stricken Parvati,Shiva immediately asked his envoys to bring back the head of any living creature that facing north. After much searching the ganas, as they were called, found an elephant’s head. Shiva took the head and attached it to ganesha’s body. And so the loyal, loving son was returned to his mother’s lap happy and alive albeit a bit altered.

There is a lot behind the meaning of Ganesha and the symbolism inherent in the way mythology has conjured up the image of Ganesha. In order to uncover the meaning of Ganesha one must look beyond the obvious and understand the symbolisms behind Ganesha. First of all let us take a look at the trunk itself. It is really a versatile appendage. Not only is it all-powerful with the ability to wreath destruction in its worst form but it can also get on with delicate tasks with finesse.

The extra-large ears of Ganesha are for hearing with any problems everything that his devotees ask. Besides his trunk and his large ear, there are four hands holding separate items. There is a lotus, a hatchet, a Modak and the fourth hand is held up palm forward in the form of a blessing. The vahana or vehicle of Ganesha is a rat. By riding a rat, Ganesha shows himself as a wise man who has been able to control all his senses and has emerged victorious. Ganesha the elephant equals dignity and maintaining a cool head in any situation. When we gradually uncover the meaning of Ganesha a lord with calm and even happy disposition comes to mind, with wisdom and intellect shining through.

Wives of Ganesha

Wives of Ganesha

In Indian mythology there are so many stories about Ganesha that determining his proper marital status is quite difficult and may easily be considered as a subject eligible for scholarly reviews. There are some myths that depict Ganesha as a confirmed bachelor – a bramhachari without any consort. While there are also some stories that show Riddhi and Siddhi as the wives of Ganesha – known as the goddesses of prosperity and spiritual powerrespectively.

As per Mudgala Purana and Ganesha purana the wives of Ganesha, Riddhi and Siddhi are born from the mind of Bramha – the creator of the universe and were offered to Ganesha as his consorts by the creator himself. Ganesha accepted them as his wives and in many part of north Indiathey accompany Ganesha but there is actually no rituals associated with Shakti worship to worship them. The story that relates Riddhi and Siddhi as lord Ganesha’s wife is quite interesting and fascinating at the same time.

As Ganesha has an elephant head on his shoulders no girl was ready to marry him and the absence of a consort made him really angry. Out of frustration Ganesha started to create problems in the marriages of other demigods and asked his rat to dig up the path though which their marriage procession will pass. The demigods faced innumerable hardship to reach their bride’s houses and ultimately complained to Brahma who took the responsibility of solving the problem. To bring the situation under control Brahma created two beautiful women Riddhi and Siddhi to become the wives of Ganesha and Ganesha was ultimately satisfied with the offerings.

In Hindu pantheon Riddhi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Siddhi stands for intellectual and spiritual powers – the ultimate goal of this mortal world and the means of achieving that. Anybody who satisfies Ganesha with his devotion and prayer are also blessed by the wives of Ganesha and can attain every success in their life. in Riddhi and Siddhi Ganesha had two sons – Subha the auspicious and labha, the profit. Ganesha has also one daughter – Santoshi Mata or the goddess of satisfaction.

There is another story describing the wives of Ganesha and their marriage and that is both Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya were rivals for marrying Siddhi and Riddhi. In order to decide who will get their hands a race was arranged in which both of them were to circle the globe and who comes first will get the twin girls. Promptly Kartikeya went away riding his peacock. But instead of following him Ganesha started circling round his parent lord Shiva and goddess Parvathi and when asked why he did so he said that his parents were the universe in themselves and by circling around his parents he has circled around the universe. No one even the great scholar Narada had any answer to this and thus there was no other way but to marry him with the twin girls Riddhi and Siddhi. When Kartikeya returned home Ganesha was already married and Kartikeya had to satisfy himself by listening to stories of how he lost to greater wisdom and intelligence.