Om Sri Ganeshaya Namah!
Om Namo Bhagavate Sivanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Chidanandaya!
Om Namo Bhagavate Krishnanandaya!

Namaste!

Ganesh Chaturthi
by Sri Swami Sivananda

SALUTATIONS to Lord Ganesha who is Brahman Himself, who is the Supreme Lord, who is the energy of Lord Shiva, who is the source of all bliss, and who is the bestower of all virtuous qualities and success in all undertakings.

Mushikavaahana modaka hastha,
Chaamara karna vilambitha sutra,
Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra,
Vighna vinaayaka paada namasthe

MEANING: "O Lord Vinayaka! the remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!"

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular of Hindu festivals. This is the birthday of Lord Ganesha. It is the day most sacred to Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August-September). It is observed throughout India, as well as by devoted Hindus in all parts of the world.

Clay figures of the Deity are made and after being worshipped for two days, or in some cases ten days, they are thrown into water.

Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed God. He is worshipped first in any prayers. His Names are repeated first before any auspicious work is begun, before any kind of worship is begun.

He is the Lord of power and wisdom. He is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and the elder brother of Skanda or Kartikeya. He is the energy of Lord Shiva and so He is called the son of Shankar and Umadevi. By worshipping Lord Ganesha mothers hope to earn for their sons the sterling virtues of Ganesha.

The following story is narrated about His birth and how He came to have the head of an elephant:

Once upon a time, the Goddess Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva), while bathing, created Ganesha as a pure white being out of the mud of Her Body and placed Him at the entrance of the house. She told Him not to allow anyone to enter while she went inside for a bath. Lord Shiva Himself was returning home quite thirsty and was stopped by Ganesha at the gate. Shiva became angry and cut off Ganesha's head as He thought Ganesha was an outsider.

When Gauri came to know of this she was sorely grieved. To console her grief, Shiva ordered His servants to cut off and bring to Him the head of any creature that might be sleeping with its head facing north. The servants went on their mission and found only an elephant in that position. The sacrifice was thus made and the elephant's head was brought before Shiva. The Lord then joined the elephant's head onto the body of Ganesha.

Lord Shiva made His son worthy of worship at the beginning of all undertakings, marriages, expeditions, studies, etc. He ordained that the annual worship of Ganesha should take place on the 4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapada.

Without the Grace of Sri Ganesha and His help nothing whatsoever can be achieved. No action can be undertaken without His support, Grace or blessing.

Read complete article

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September 13th is the holy celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi. There are several articles on our websites with regards to Lord Ganesha and the significance of this day. They are

1. Ganesha by Sri Swami Sivananda
2. Lord Ganesa--The Remover of Obstacles by Sri Swami Krishnananda

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We are beginning to make available our ebooks in the epub and mobi file formats. This will enable you to read the books comfortably on your mobile device. For this week, we have posted Sri Swami Sivanandaji's Hindu Fasts and Festivals. You may click on the .epub or .mobi links to download the same.

 

Yours in the service of Gurudev,

Pannirselvam

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BOOK SYNOPSIS

Hindu Gods and Goddesses
by Sri Swami Sivananda

GOD is one, but His aspects are many. The different aspects of God constitute the Hindu Pantheon.

The naturally pious Hindu delights in his Deities. He delights in singing the Lord’s glories, in chanting His Mantras, in visiting His temples, in worshipping His Murtis. These devotional practices expand his heart, enlarge his vision, aid him powerfully in his Sadhana, and ultimately lead him to the highest goal of his spiritual endeavour, viz., God-realisation.

The conception of the names and forms of various Deities in Hindu mythology is grand, sublime, unique. Every detail connected with every Hindu god and goddess has its inner meaning, its esoteric significance.

Swami Sivananda writes for the readers. His style is simple. His approach is direct. He writes with intense devotion and Prem.

We have great pleasure in releasing this beautiful book for the benefit of all those who want to understand Hinduism better. May God illumine the hearts of all and bring peace on earth.

For more information, please see: Hindu Gods and Goddesses

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GRACE OF SAINTS: One day, a well-meaning disciple said to the Master, “Many credulous persons have been attributing to you miraculous powers. Don’t you think that you should defend yourself by disproving such super-natural powers claimed of you by the public and also your disciples?”

“The divine touch of realised sages healing incurable diseases and at times even bestowing life to the dead, are actual facts in the spiritual realm,” explained the Master. “These miracles baffle reason no doubt; but more often than not the miracle implies not merely the nullifying of a known law but rather the evoking and bringing into play of a higher law of which the uninformed observer is quite unaware. Hence the latter’s wonder and astonishment at the occurrence. When the cause is hidden from your ken, and, if in the absence of the connecting sequence the effect alone is beheld, you feel it as something supernatural.”

The Master went on, “Some saints do not consciously exercise the many psychic and spiritual powers that they possess; but their devotees, by the power of their faith, work upon themselves miraculous phenomena while in serious ailment or in a predicament or in physical danger. Moreover, the purified consciousness-force of the saint rushes to the rescue of those devotees who pray in thought and spirit for his aid.”

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“The human mind is elated and enthused by hearing stories. Images, paintings, music, idols, dance – any kind of picturesque presentation of religion and spirituality or philosophy – is generally more appealing than cut and dry logic, as we know very well. The Puranas and the epics bring home to us the idea of the necessity to accept the power of God as the only medium by which obstacles can be removed. So, He is called Vighnesvara, the God who is not merely the Ganapati or the ruler of the hosts or Ganas, but also a Remover of all impediments on all paths.” – Swami Krishnananda

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