Ganesha Symoblism

Hinduism believes in one God.  This often comes as a surprise to people in the west and of course, to many Hindus as well.  Hinduism is a collection of diverse philosophies with Vedas as its basis.  

The Vedas proclaim, "God, the Omnipresent is one without a second and is formless".  It has a lot of significance and meaning.  It does not fit into a theory that God sits above the clouds judging the world.

"Then why are there so many Gods in Hinduism?" Though God is one, there are several forms of worship in Hinduism.

While the Vedas declare God to be formless, there are the Puranas which bring out various aspects of eternal human values such as love, compassion, goodness and clarity of thought in a world that is temporary and fleeting.  Strategically, forms of worship are mixed into tradition and festivals.

The form of Ganesha is also very symbolic and traditionally viewed with meaning.

Two innocent eyes of the elephant says, "look at the world with innocent eyes".  An innocent eye does not carry the burden of past interpretations and judgements.  Every day is seen as new beginning.  

Two large ears of Ganesha symbolises, "listen more and talk less".  We talk not just with our mouth but also with our minds.  The constant chatter in the mind is also a kind of needless talking.  Good listening skills and good learning skills are one and the same, where mind is without self-made noise.

The ash in the forehead symbolises the meaning that, "the body will finally turn into ash".  This remembrance brings about purity and objectivity in our day to day transactions.

The two tusks of Ganesha symbolises our likes and dislikes.  We are programmed to do what we like and avoid doing what we dislike.  However productive activities require us to do what is needed though we may not like it.  One broken tusk symbolises our need to break our addiction to likes and dislikes.  This value system needs to be broken.

One hand has Abhaya mudra.  A psychological symbol of fearlessness and trust.  

One hand with an axe symbolising, "cut your unwise attachments".  Swami Sukhabodananda describes this beautifully.  Unwise attachment is one that says, "Without this thing (whatever the object), I refuse to be happy".  How often we think, "if this does not happen, I cannot be happy". That is an unwise attachment.  Action is to be out of happiness.  Not for happiness.

The rope in one hand symbolises, "the opportunity to climb up is here and now."

A baby elephant takes nearly one year to master using its trunk.  But once mastered, it is all powerful. Similarly the mind is hard to master.  Once mastered, it is all powerful.

While one leg is on the ground, the other leg is placed off the ground.  While our body is in the world and of the world, let all serious thoughts be placed above the material reality.

Finally, the form of Ganesha is dissolved in water after a week long worship.  Once the learning is complete, the created form goes back from where it came. A form made of clay becomes clay again.  As Swami Vivekananda said, the idol signifies the ideal.