The well known freedom fighter and statesman, Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, was the man behind Ganesh festival a way of uniting people in a common cause and in this manner a possible means of bringing about political consciousness under the guise of a religious celebration during british rule, Lokmanya Tilak also started celebrating Ganesutsav as a public festival by establishing a Sarvajanik Ganpati at Vinchurkarwada in 1894 and today it is the most popular event in the State. It was a unique move by this freedom fighter, which he achieved with the Ganpati Visarjana or immersion procession which is taken out on the final day of the ganesh festival.
VEDIK GYAN
According to Shiva Purna. Reason behind the birth of Ganesha
One day Goddess Parvati was at home on Mt.Kailash preparing for a bath, she prepared a baby boy with the turmeric paste and breathed life into it, she created Ganesha, declaring him to be her own loyal son.
Later she told Ganesha to guard at entrance gate and she went for bath, In due course, Lord Shiva came home, only to find this strange boy telling him he couldn’t enter his own house.
This surprised Lord Shiva. Seeing that this was no ordinary boy, the usually peaceful Shiva decided he would have to fight him, and in his divine fury severed Ganesha’s head, killing him instantly.
When Parvati learned of this, she was so enraged and insulted that she decided to destroy the entire Creation! Lord Brahma, being the Creator, naturally had his issues with this, and pleaded that she reconsider her drastic plan. She said she would, but only if two conditions were met: one, that Ganesha be brought back to life, and two, that he be forever worshipped before all the other gods.
Shiva, having cooled down by this time, and realizing his mistake, agreed to Parvati’s conditions.
He sent Brahma out with orders to bring back the head of the first creature he crosses that is laying with its head facing North. Brahma soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant, which Shiva placed onto Ganesha’s body. Breathing new life into him, he declared Ganesha to be his own son as well and gave him the status of being foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings), Ganapati.
People refrain from looking at the moon on Ganesha Chaturthi to avoid Mithya Dosha. What is Mithya Dosha? Mitha Dosha is a curse that could falsely implicate a person of stealing something.
When Lord Ganesha was returning home along with his Vahana ( a mooshak or a mouse) on a moonlit night on Chaturthi in the Bhadrapada month, the Moon God poked fun at the Lord’s round belly and his vahana. Hence, he said that sighting the moon on Chaturthi would be as good as a curse.
According to Puranam, it is said, If anyone sees the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi by mistake they will undergo false blame put on them and they will be inviting insult. According to one legend, once Lord Krishna visited the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi, he was falsely accused of stealing the Syamantaka gem.
LEARN Sanskrit-
When do they play? ‘ taaha kada kreedanti? (ताः कदा क्रीडन्ति)?’
They play at 8 o’clock. ‘ taaha ashtavaadane kreedanti (ताः अष्टवादने क्रीडन्ति)’
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Ch Narmada Naveen Kumar |
