One of my favorite things about travel is its unpredictability. While I do travel within a specific itinerary, there are always unplanned for experiences. Some of these are the ones I call WTDGAP (When Things Don’t Go As Planned). These are usually mishaps – maybe a minor injury or getting lost or simply going outside my comfort zone. Each one has enriched my experience and often have exposed hidden personal strengths and attributes.
Other unexpected occurrences have moved me deeply – touching the
Wailing Wall in Israel, being blessed by an elephant in a temple in Southern India. The latter dovetails perfectly with my visit to the Mahé Temple of Arul Mihu Navasakthi Vinayagar.
If you have been reading my post for awhile, you know of my personal connection to the Indian diety, Lord Ganesha. For those new to this blog, let me provide a brief background.
WHY DOES GANESHA HAVE AN ELEPHANT HEAD? Even God and Goddesses make mistakes:
Goddess Parvati went to take a bath, and told Ganesha (who at this point had a human head) to guard the main gates and not let ANYONE enter until her bath was completed. Shiva at the same time had just returned from doing penance in the Himalayas and was eager to see Parvati. Shiva did not know at this time that Ganesha was his son, as Parvati had created him out of turmeric paste – and Ganesha similarly was not aware that Shiva was his father and so when Shiva tried to enter, Ganesha blocked his way. Shiva was enraged and lifted his trident and chopped Ganesha’s head off.
Parvati was obviously devastated to find her son dead and headless. Shiva was instantly remorseful once he learned of the boy’s true identity, and set about to bring Ganesha back to life, Unfortunately due to the irreversible powers of his trident, however, he could not rejoin Ganesha’s severed head to his body.
Shiva knew Ganesha’s unparalleled love for his mother caused him to bar Shiva. He therefore went out to find a calf that was away from it as mother, as only a calf that does not love his mother would leave her. He found a lone elephant calf, cut off his head and gave it to Shiva who placed it on Ganesha’s head and brought him back to life.
Yes, even the Goddess Parvati realized that such a strange-looking son might be mocked for his appearance, so to allay her fears, Shiva invoked all the gods and “asked” them to bless Ganesha. All the other Gods blessed Ganesha, saying he would be worshiped before anyone else at the beginning of any ritual. They also blessed him to be a master of intellect and wisdom. The tradition of asking for Ganesha’s blessings before that of any God continues to this day and Hindus, Buddhists and Jains worship him.
Ganesha is a protector and remover of obstacles and provides calmness in a very turbulent world. This called to me and I learned more during my visits to India and subsequent studies into the Hindu religion. I have found peace and bliss in reciting Ganesh mantras and this has sustained me for many years.
More to come next week.
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