Symbols of Lord Ganesh

Tomorrow we will celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi.  Lord Ganesh, who is also called Ganpati or Vinayak, is worshipped before every auspicious work. He is the God of intellect, wisdom and new beginning.  He is the son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. He is considered as a remover of obstacles. We have been heard so many stories about Lord Ganesh from our grandparents and parents and learnt many good things from those stories.

It’s very common to place Ganeshji statues in Hindu homes and workplaces as He is a symbol of good luck and prosperity. We have seen Lord Ganesh’s huge body in His images which attracts our attention. Though His whole life is a lesson, we can learn from His images too.

There is a deep meaning attached with every feature and body part of Lord Ganesh.  If we follow them in our life, we can achieve a lot.

Here are the meanings of those symbols of Lord Ganesh.

His large head represents immense wisdom and big thinking:  

He has a big head. It tells us that we should think big. Big thinkers can change the world. All the inventions are the result of big thinking. Big thinking allows us to grow because when we think big, we have to do something out of the box and for this, you have to move out of your comfort zone. (You can read more about comfort zone here https://womania99.blogspot.com/2021/08/leave-your-comfort-zone-if-you-want.html?m=1) If you find out your ability you have to think big. Wise thinking before doing is extremely important to get success in life.

His large ears show acceptance of new ideas and ability to listen more:

His long ears teach us that we should listen more and speak less. In my previous blog (://womania99.blogspot.com/2021/09/what-is-less-is-more.html?m=1), I have already discussed this point that why it is important to listen more. One thing I want to add here is that being a good listener is important for a good social life as well as for our personal development. Listen carefully and pay more attention. It also indicates acceptance of new ideas.

His small mouth teaches us to speak less and think before we speak:

Ganesh’s small mouth teaches us to talk less. It indicates that we should talk less and do more. Think before you speak. People want to listen to that person more who speaks less. We all have two ears and one mouth, remember this ratio and act according to this. So basically Ganesh wants to tell us. Listen more and talk less.

Small eyes teach us to be focused:

Ganesh has small eyes which teach us to be focused. Concentration is the key to being successful in your tasks, job or goal. It is very beneficial to be focused on every aspect of life. It helps in studying, improves memory and enables you to be focused on your goal and ignore irrelevant thoughts which are just meaningless.

One tusk tells us to fulfil your promise at any cost and keep the good things with you, not bad ones:

There is a story when Ganeshji was writing Mahabharat, his pen had broken. So he broke one of his tusks and kept writing because he promised Sage Veda Vyasa that he would not stop while writing the epic at any cost. Ganeshji gives us a lesson that we should complete our commitment at all costs.

His one tusk represents that one should retain good and throw away bad. If you want to carry lesser emotional baggage, keep the good memories and throw away the bad ones.

Lord Ganesh’s trunk teaches to be flexible in life and adapt to all the situations with efficiency:

His trunk represents high efficiency and adaptability. When we have bad days, we all have many excuses to run away from problems. We can learn from Lord Ganesha’s trunk to be flexible and adjust with changes and try to solve the problems with efficiency.

Lord Ganesh holds the rope in His one hand, symbolizes work hard to achieve goals:

One of his four hands Ganeshji holds a rope which symbolizes pulling us closer to our highest goal. Work hard to achieve your goals.

Axe in another hand indicates to cut off your evil desires:

In another hand, he holds an axe which means to cut off all the bonds of attachments. It symbolizes that a person should cut off his anger, greed and evil.

Modak represents the reward of hard work:

In another hand, he has modak which symbolizes the reward of penance or sadhana. It represents the success that we get from hard work.

His fourth hand gives blessings to His devotees:

His fourth hand is in the position of blessings which symbolizes the blessing of supreme to the devotees to protect them and bless them to move forward towards the goal.

Large belly teaches us to digest all ups and downs in life:

His large belly is a sign of digesting the good and bad experiences of life peacefully. The life of humans is full of ups and downs and it is normal. What we learn from Lord Ganesha is to take it in your progress and try to improve the situation. If you hold those things which harm you emotionally, it may lead you to several problems like depression. So relax, calm down and move on!

Mouse symbolizes the vehicle of desire:

The mouse is the vehicle of Ganesha that represents desires. It signifies that humans should ride on their desires and keep them under their control and be masters of all their desires to live a peaceful life and happy life.

Prasad at His feet indicates that material wealth and power should not overwhelm you:

 When we offer Prasad to Ganpati, we keep it at the feet of Him which indicates that all the comfort, richness or luxury of the world is at your feet. You can achieve anything with determination but don’t let your success dominate you.

One foot on the ground teaches us to deal with the world:

The foot on the ground indicates that we should perform our worldly duties effectively. Don't turn your back on your duties.

One foot up teaches us to don’t forget the divinity within you:

It symbolizes that we should do our worldly duties but remember our spiritual duties too. Don’t forget your real purpose in this materialistic world.

 There are many more things that we can learn from Lord Ganesha. . The occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi gives us a chance to remember what lord Ganesha stands for.  We can implement the above qualities to grow as humans and we will be able to live a happier life.