Ganesh Chaturthi 2019: Incredible Facts About Lord Ganesha

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Lord Ganesha is the embodiment of perfection. He is the one known to not only remove hindrances from the lives of his devotees, but also guide them in the right direction. We have read that Ganesh, who is the son of Lord Shiva, was born out of the sandalwood paste that his mother Goddess Parvati had applied on her body. This year the Ganesh Chaturthi is on 2 September and the festival will continue till 12 September.

On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi and Ganesh Festival, here are a few more interesting facts about Lord Ganesha that you may not know of. Check Out!

Embodiment Of Perfection After Imperfection

Lord Ganesha was once guarding the door when Goddess Parvati was taking a bath. When Lord Shiva came and wanted to go inside his house, Lord Ganesha did not know him and therefore did not let him enter. Enraged with this, Lord Shiva, who also had no idea who this new boy was, struck off Ganesha's head.

When Lord Shiva realized his mistake, he got arranged the head of an elephant and thus brought the boy back to life again.

Now, as it appears, the set up of a human body with an elephant head looks imperfect at the face of it. However, this deity, Lord Ganesha, was further given a blessing by his father that he would bring everything to perfection by removing all the obstacles in the way.

Therefore, he is also known as the embodiment of perfection after imperfection.

He Wrote The Mahabharata

It is believed that Lord Ganesha had actually written the Mahabharata. While Vedvyas the author of the Mahabharata was reciting it, it was Lord Ganesha who wrote it. Lord Ganesha agreed to write it on the condition that Vyas would recite it uninterrupted and Vyas on the other hand made him promise that he would first understand it and only after that, put it into writing whatever was being said.

His Image On The Currency Notes In Indonesia

Lord Ganesha's image is printed on the 20,000 Rupiah note of Indonesia too. In Indonesia, there are approximately four million Hindus.

He Is Also Worshiped In Buddhism

Lord Ganesha is also very popular as a deity in the Mahayan sect of Buddhism. He is seen as a dancing deity there.

Lord Ganesha's Family

Lord Ganesha is believed to have had two wives Ridhi and Sidhi. Ridhi means prosperity and Sidhi means success. He has two sons too - Shubh and Labh. Shubha meaning auspiciousness is believed to be the son of Ridhi and Lord Ganesha, while Labh is believed to be the son of Sidhi and Lord Ganesha.

That is why, he is said to be the one who brings prosperity, success, auspiciousness and profit all together. Hence, we invoke Lord Ganesha at the beginning of every task and event.

Lord Ganesha Has A Broken Tusk

We know that Ganesha has an elephant head. But do you know that his tusk too is broken? Why is it so, read on.

Once when Lord Ganesha was standing like a guard at the gates. Parashuram, the warrior sage, came to see Lord Shiva. Now, Lord Parashuram is that form of Lord Vishnu, who is known for his high temperament. When Lord Ganesha did not let him enter, Lord Parashuram, threw his axe at him. Lord Ganesha knew that the axe had been given to Lord Parashuram by his father Lord Shiva, so he happily accepted it, which cut off Ganesha's tusk.

Why A Mouse As His Mount?

Lord Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya had an argument one day. They undertook a race to make one round of the universe, in order to decide who was the better one of both of them. As the race began, Kartikeya was seen riding his mount peacock. How easy it was for him to do that.

However, Lord Ganesha, having no vehicle to ride upon, asked his father Lord Shiva to grant him a vehicle too and make the race a fair game. Lord Shiva, therefore, gave him a mouse. Well, estimating the difficulty, he soon realized that since parents are the universe for every child, he took one round around his parents. It would, of course, signify the universe.

Lord Ganesha, along with the mouse, took a round, completed the race and became the winner.

Why Is He Also Known As Gajanan

Gaja means an elephant. Anan means head. He is also known as Gajanana. Gajanan and therefore it means he is the elephant-headed deity.

Yet another interpretation says that while Ga means Gati, Ja comes from the word Janma, which means birth. That means everything originates from him and is destined to get assimilated into him finally.

Why Is He Known As Ganapati

He is also known as Ganapati. The word Gana is just another name for the word category. He is the lord of categories. All that exist in the universe and that which can be perceived by the five senses are classified on the basis of which sense they belong to.
Lord Ganesha is the Lord of all these categories. He is the one where the things originate from.

Also, the guards that used to guard Goddess Parvati's abode were known as the Ganas. However, when once they had gone out for war with Lord Shiva, it was Lord Ganesha who was guarding the house. When Lord Shiva came to know about this, he named him Ganpati, meaning the Lord of all the Ganas.