OM and Lord Ganesha

On 14^th August 2013, at around 14:30 hrs at Candies restaurant in Pali Hill I got a silver coin from an affectionate & a very nice lady I’ve ever met. The silver coin had the symbol of OM on side & the symbol of Lord Ganesha on the other.

I wondered whether these 2 symbols are connected & found that OM is written in different ways at different places. One of its forms symbolises Lord Ganesha. The upper curve is the head with trunk. The lower curve is the stomach.

Both OM & Lord Ganesha are very significant. People following Hinduism know that Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles & many pray to him before starting anything auspicious. Similarly people following Hinduism begin their auspicious work by saying OM once. Most mantras that Hindus recite begin with the word OM. Hindus while praying also use the word OM. OM is the symbol of the unchanging eternal universal supreme GOD. OM is the sound of the movement of the stars in the firmament; it’s the sound that manifested when the dawn of Creative Will stirred the Niraakaara (the Attributeless) into activity. (Bhagwan Shri Sathya Sai. SSS6, Chap. 42. Pranava the praana.) OM is also the most sacred of symbols, representing the primeval sound of creation & our most powerful mantra in prayer & meditation.

Lord Ganesha’s head is of an elephant. An elephant is a very nice animal. It eats satvic food only & has immense strength. It signifies the importance of eating satvic food to progress spiritually.

Lord Ganesha’s large head & ears indicate that he gained wisdom from listening. An elephant’s trunk is one of the few instruments in nature that can perform both gross & subtle actions. It can not only uproot a huge tree but also pick up the tiniest of needles. It inspires us to be able to develop our intellect, our powers of discrimination, in both gross & material world & also in the subtle or spiritual world.

Lord Ganesha in his right hand holds a hook or Ankusa & in his left holds a noose or Paasa. These tools were & are used by elephant-trainers to tame wild elephants. Symbolically, mind at times is like a wild elephant that runs between past, present & future. So one must use ankusa to tame & control his/her mind & noose to tie it down & keep it close to self.

Lord Ganesha also has a big belly which contains the whole universe. It symbolises an art to live i.e. one must accept & digest whatever experiences one goes through be it good or bad. Thus during all the trials & tribulations one must be equal-minded & realise that all experiences are learning experiences which brings us closer to GOD.

Lord Ganesha sits with one leg folded up & another leg rests on the ground. The leg on the ground signifies that one can live in the world like anyone. But the leg pointing upwards signifies that one’s concentration & meditation should remain focussed on the godhead within.

Lord Ganesha holds a Lotus flower, a Lotus flower grows in spite of being in stagnant or polluted water. It inspires all to grow in spite of living with the negative & political people around us.

References

1. Bhagwan Shri Sathya Sai. “Meaning behind the symbol of Lord Ganesha” [Online] Available: http://www.saibabaofindia.com/deeper_meaning_behind_the%20symbol_of_Ganesha.html (accessed August 16, 2013).

2. Bhagwan Shri Sathya Sai. “SSS6, Chap. 42 Pranava the praana” [Online] Available: http://sathyasai.org/search/volume06/sss06-42.pdf (accessed August 16, 2013)