Ganesh Jayanti 2023

 

Lambodara Tuja Shobhe Sundaatunda

January 25th, 2023 

The new moon on Saturday January 21st marked the end of the month of Paush in the Hindu calendar and the beginning of the month of Maagh on the following day.

The fourth day from the beginning of this month ( Chaturthi) marks the occasion of the birth of one of the most beloved deities, Lord Ganesh. It is referred to as Ganesh Jayanti. Some people consider Ganesh Chaturthi that comes around August-September( Hindu month of Bhaadrapad) as the birthday of Ganesh. In any case both days are an occasion to divert the mind out of our mundane lives and reflect on something that stands for auspiciousness and a spiritual light to guide us on our path. 

Recently I touched upon three early morning prayers :

Karaagre vasate Lakshmi ( dedicated to the powers that rest in our hands/ self efforts)

Samudravasane Devi ( teaching humility and reverence for Mother Earth and living beings)

Gange cha Yamune chaiva( that extols the virtues of the great rivers, draws attention to the role of purity and purification and aims to raise awareness of conservation of our resources)

While the above prayers brought in a perspective upon waking up, there were a few others that were taught to be chanted before heading out to school in those years when I was growing up. 

The first one invariably was dedicated to Lord Ganesh! 

Vakratunda Mahakaaya Koti soorya sama prabha 

Nirvighnam kuru me deva sarva kaaryeshu sarvadaa II

Oh Elephant faced Lord ( with the curved trunk and huge body) whose effulgence equals that of a million suns, may you at all times ward off all obstacles that may potentially arise in every task that I undertake. 

In Marathi literature every poet saint, whether it was Dnyaaneshwar, Namdev, Tukaram, Eknath or Ramdas swami, their great texts invariably began with a prayer towards Lord Ganesh. The ancient Vedic texts have indisputably granted Lord Ganesh the honor of being the first deity to be be meditated upon before starting any auspicious work. The saints have upheld this rule and the tradition has trickled down from them to the generations that followed. 

On occasion of the recent Angaaraki Sankashti Chaturthi I alluded to Adi Shankaracharya’s Ganesh Pacharatna, a 5 stanza ode to Lord Ganesh. That is in Sanskrit.

Today I will cite one abhanga that was composed by the Marathi saint Namdev and appears in the beginning section of his book popularly known as Naamdev Gaathaa.

 This is a four verse abhanga as follows:( will include a photo of the abhanga in Marathi ) 

Lambodara tuja shobhe shunDaatunDa 

Karitase khaNDa duhschinhaanchaa I

Charurvidh aayudhe shobhataati haati 

Bhaktaalaa rakshiti nirantar II

Oh Lambodara( The one with the pot belly),one with the trunk that adds beauty to your persona,

You block any signs of adversities even before they arrive.

Your four hands are adorned by various weapons that forever protect your devotees.

Bhavya roopa tuze undira vaahanaa 

Naman charaNaa karitase I

Tuze naam ghetaa dosha jaLataati

KaLikaaLa kaapati tuzyaa naame II

I bow in respect at the feet of your majestic form that rides on the mouse.

All faults and weaknesses are burned away simply by chanting your name.

Kali( bad times) and KaaL(Death) shake with fear at the utterance of your name. 

Choudaa vidyaa tuze krupene yetil 

Muke bolatila veda ghosh I

RuNZuN paayi vaajataati vaaLe

Aikoni bhulale mana maaze II

With your grace one would avail of the fourteen important faculties of knowledge,

And even those who were born dumb would be able to recite the sacred vedas! 

My mind is attracted and lost in the delightful chime of your anklets.

Hindu literature cites 14 Vidyas or sets of knowledge that one must try to master. These include the four Vedas, four upavedas and 6 vedangas ( like vyaakaran, jyotish etc)

Bhaktavatsalaa aike Paarvati nandanaa 

Naman charaNaa karitase I

Naamaa mhaNe aataa deyi maja sphoorati 

VaaNitase keerti Krishnajeechi II

Oh son of Paarvati, just like a mother, you shower upon your devotees your love and are ever attentive to them.

I prostrate before your feet with utmost respect.

Please bestow upon me the inspiration, says Naamaa( Namdev), so my speech can sing the glories of God. 

The above four verses mirror the humble man with his saintly and poetic disposition as he describes the physical form of Lord Ganesh alongside praising HIS virtues and powers while offering his respects and seeking blessings to continue his devotional journey through poetry.

It is to noteworthy what blessings the men of such remarkable devotion ask from the deity.

They have risen above the desires and attachments for material possessions or personal insecurities or discomforts. In this particular example the poet is asking for his faculties, his God given talent for poetry,to be put to use for a noble cause.

The several names of Lord Ganesh and the various descriptions used for Him ( such as mouse as vehicle) carry spiritual significance but I will defer elaborating on those for now.

Wishing you all auspiciousness in yours lives always. Happy Ganesh Jayanti.  🙏🏼🙏🏼❤️❤️

Saree is a masterpiece depicting the life story of Lord Ganesh, hand painted by master craftsman Sridhar Nayak from Odisha. He procured the top quality Gopalpur tussar for me and meticulously painted this exquisite work on the pallu and a matching attractive border. I wanted to keep it simple with minimal use of colors. Shridhar created a masterpiece out of it. 

The matching blouse too is hand painted by him on the back with picture of Radha alongside Krishna. I had wanted Radha to carry a Marathi look. Shridhar did a great job with this too. 

Unfortunately the blouse design is hidden in my photos .

It is also a bit tricky to carry this saree casually like other sarees because of the Lord’s depiction on the pallu. Can’t let it sweep the floor as it could spell disrespect.