Monday, September 9, 2013

Ganesha and Swastika

Ancient symbol of the swastika (from Sanskrit svasti: sv - well; asti - is) is associated with Lord Ganesha who often shown with this symbol on his palms. Certainly, this auspicious sign is connected with the good luck. But always in the sacred symbol it is possible to find something more.
The whirling Swastika represents the constantly changing world, the expanding nature of the universe from a central Point, an unchanging center, which is unpredictable, beyond limit or affirmation, which is God. If Shiva is the centre, that Ganesha, as offspring of Shiva's Shakti, became the representative and the guardian  of that Centre, around which all aspects of the manifest world revolved. His enormous belly reflects the expanding circumference of his domain.
The swastika, symbolizing the development of multiplicity from basic unity, is rightly an attribute of Ganaphati, who is the master of ganas: categories, principles or elements. They are also all obstacles, interruptions and troubles (vighna) which hide the original Truth and Ganesha as Vighneshvara can remove or destroy them at will.
In Ganesha the macrocosm and the microcosm meet, offering the key to mastery and synthesis of numerical ganas-categories, the key that can unlock the inner sanctuary's door. The path to this door may be crooked as swastik, but he lead us from outward appearances to the central point.  After all, all paths are contained in Ganesha's huge belly, which accommodates the innumerable beings in space.
gaṇānāṁ tvā gaṇapatiṁ havāmahe kaviṁ kavīnāmupamaśravastamam|
jyeṣṭharājaṁ brahmaṇāṁ brahmaṇas pata ā naḥ ṣṛṇvannūtibhiḥ sīda sādanam ||

O Lord of Categories, thou art the Lord, the Seer of Seers, praise be to Thee. Thou art Omniscient and the unmatched wisdom of the wise. Thou art the precursor (OM) of all prayer and the Lord of all souls; we pray for Thy guidance for success in all good actions.
(Ṛk Veda II.24.01)
May the blessings of Sri Ganesha be upon you all!
May He remove all obstacles in your spiritual path!
|| Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha ||

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