Explain the Form, Nature and the Significance of Lord Ganesh

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(C) Explain the form, nature and the significance of Ganesha Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati, is considered to be the most popular god in Hinduism as he is always worshipped at the beginning of any work. He is called the Lord of success and the destroyer of evil and obstacles. Lord Ganesha is symbolized as an elephant- headed boy with a half cut curved trunk to show the quality of sacrifice in him and also to retain good and throw away the evil and bad things from one’s life. His big- ears symbolize his limitless capacity of hearing. His pot-bellied stomach shows that he is capable of digesting both good and bad things which takes place. His boundless intelligence is symbolized by his big head. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties. The laddoo/ modhak (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman and also shows that he is extremely rewarded. Riding on a mouse shows that he is extremely humble and passionate that he does not mind riding on the lowest of all creatures. The nature of Ganesha is considered to be the same as the nature of an elephant. Though, the elephant is the largest animal in the jungle it is extremely gentle and does not kill another animal for its food. The same way, though Ganesha is very powerful he is forgiving to his devotees. But at the same time the elephant can destroy a whole forest and is a one-man army when provoked. The same way Ganesha can be as ruthless as an elephant if he is provoked. The main significance of Ganesha is that, though he was made by his mother, Parvati he is still considered as the

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