GANESH - the Remover of Obstacles
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi
22.08.2020 - day celebrated in in honour of Lord Ganesha
The choice of date for the first concert in Yoga Garden couldn't have been better as the 22nd of August 2020 is the day celebrated in India in honour of Lord Ganesha. Even though I was to write about the benefits of music for calming the mind, I will focus on Ganesha instead. One of the best-known deities, Ganesha, is said to be obstacles remover that enables our endeavours to succeed.
The myth about Ganesha, like any good story, is full of family drama. I will let technicalities aside, as the origin of this God varies depending on the version. Unquestionably the guy was to guard the Goddess's bath chamber. Unlike his predecessors, he took his duty very seriously, forbidding the Great Siva to come in and treating him as an intruder. For his blind devotion, he lost his head since furious Siva chopped it off. As predictable, Goddess Parvati churned with anger as her most faithful Ganesha died. While she contemplated the plan of mass destruction, her loving husband decided to patch the situation up. He ordered to bring the head of the first creature that was laying facing North. That happened to be the head of a powerful elephant. By placing it on the top of Ganesha's body, Shiva brought him back to life. Not only Ganesha was raised from the dead, but Siva declared him to be his son. Therefore Ganesha gained the special status of being foremost among the gods and the leader of the Ganas, Ganapati.
When we peel off the superficial layer of this vivid tale, we unveil the symbolic meaning. Ganesha embodies earthbound awareness. He guards Parvati's private chamber that represents our Inner Self (the energy of Muladhara chakra). While we start the metaphorical purification process, the awareness turns toward the Divine. However, Ganesha is ego-oriented. When the Divine comes in the form of Siva, he doesn't recognise it and starts to fight. In consequence, he had his head cut off. In the act of compassion, Siva brings him back to life with the head of the elephant. In other words, Ganesha comes back with special potential to grasp the idea of the creation of the world. Although his physical body has changed, in the new manifestation, undoubtfully he identifies himself with the universal Self.
Ganesha's huge ears represent the ability to hear, the ability to listen compassionately. His relatively small eyes symbolise looking within. Therefore it seemed to be a perfect representation to follow in 2020. This year is one of those particularly challenging years when we have to struggle with unprecedented adversities—shutting off our perception on the outside world and diving into oneself. Being able to hear and benefit from beautiful sounds during the concert looked like a perfect solution - marking a turning point. Unfortunately, the general situation shifted. What was for a brief moment on the right track derailed. Well, today we can only comfort ourselves with the story of Ganesha, since for the concert we have to wait.
