HOLY DAYS THAT AMERICA’S HINDUS CELEBRATE
Ganesha
Chaturthi
Honoring
the Lord of Beginnings
During Ganesha Chaturthi, a ten-day festival in
August/September,
elaborate puja ceremonies are
held
in Hindu temples around the world honoring
Ganesha,
the benevolent, elephant-faced Lord of Obstacles.
In
millions of home shrines, worship is also offered to a
clay
image of Ganesha that the family makes or obtains. At
the
end of ten days, Hindus join in a grand parade, called
visarjana
in Sanskrit, to a river, temple tank,
lake or seashore,
where
His image is ceremonially immersed, symbolizing
Ganesha’s
merging into universal consciousness.
Who is Ganesha?
Perennially
happy, playful, unperturbed and wise, this rotund Deity removes obstacles to
good endeavors
and
obstructs negative ventures, thus guiding and protecting the lives of devotees.
He is the patron of
art
and science, the God inhabiting all entryways, the gatekeeper who blesses all
beginnings. When initiating
anything—whether
learning, business, weddings, travel, building and more—Hindus seek His grace
for
success.
He is undoubtedly the most endearing, popular and widely worshiped of all the
Hindu Deities.
Ganesha
Chaturthi (also called Vinayaka Chaturthi) falls on the fourth day in the
waxing fortnight of
the
month of Bhadrapada in the sacred Hindu lunar calendar, which translates to a
certain day in August-
September.
It is essentially a birthday celebrating Ganesha’s divine appearance.
What do people do
on Ganesha Chaturthi?
Devotees
often fashion or purchase a Ganesha statue
out
of unbaked clay. Many sculpt Him out of a special
mixture
of turmeric, sandalwood paste, cow dung,
soil
from an anthill and palm sugar. The Deity image is placed in the home shrine
amongst traditional
decorations.
A rite of worship and prayer, called puja, is conducted daily, invoking
the
energies of the Deity and inviting Him to reside in the clay image. Mantras
are
chanted and offerings are made throughout the puja, including incense,
lighted
lamps, cooked food (naivedya), fruits, durva grass, tulasi and pomegranate
leaves—and
fl owers, especially red ones. After ten days, a simple puja is performed
before
the statue is taken for a formal departure (visarjana). Often entire communities,
from
dozens to tens of thousands of devotees, gather each year for this fi nal day
of
ceremony. The icons are carried on an ornate metal tray—larger images are borne
on
a palanquin by several strong men—to a lake, a river or the sea. There Ganesha
is
consigned to the water after removing non-degradable paraphernalia.
What foods are off
ered?
Sumptuous
foods are specially prepared for
Ganesha,
keeping in mind His elephantine
nature
and prodigious appetite. People offer
several
varieties of fruits such as mangos,
bananas
and sugarcane. Sweets are the
elephant-headed
Deity’s delight, so to express
their
love families take great pains to
make
special tasty treats. Each family has
its
recipes.
Tidbits
About Ganesha
Where
is this festival most popular?
Nowhere
is Ganesha Chaturthi observed with more creativity and enthusiasm than
in
Mumbai, India. The city virtually shuts down as millions of Hindus celebrate.
Why
is He Ganesha worshiped first?
Lord
Brahma declared that any worship conducted without seeking Ganesha’s
blessings
would be fruitless. He is considered a loving, playful, protective Deity
whose
blessings would grace any endeavor. He is therefore ceremonially invoked before
weddings,
housewarmings, taking an important exam, starting a new business
and
other important events.
What
is His mystical work?
Lord
Ganesha is the God Hindus pray to when
changes
occur in their lives as they move from old established patterns into
new
ones. He is always there to steady the minds of devotees and
open
the proper doors as they evolve and progress.
What
makes Him distinctive?
Aside
from His unique and endearing elephant head, Ganesha carries
an
elephant goad to prod us along the right path. He holds a noose to lasso
foes
of dharma and to draw devotees close when they venture off the spiritual
path.
His mount is a mouse. His big belly is said to contain the fullness
of
the cosmos. In His hand is a modaka, fruit or other sweet, symbolic
of
enlightened attainments
Modaka
Sweets
These
rich, deep fried, fl uffy, sweet dollops
are
the Mangalorean equivalent of the
Tamil
kollukattai. It is the all-time favorite
of
Lord Ganesha, who is described as
Modaka
Hasta, one with the modaka in His
hand.
Preparation
time: 10 minutes.
Cooking
time: 30 minutes
Makes
20 pieces
Cooking
equipment: A wok or deep
saucepan,
a perforated ladle, a lined
colander
to drain excess oil, a mixing bowl
and
serving plate.
Ingredients
4
cups thin beaten rice (poha);
1
cup semolina (rava) fl our, 1 cup rice fl our,
1
cup slightly over-ripe bananas, mashed, 1
cup
powdered jaggery (or brown sugar), 1/8
tsp
salt
oil
to deep fry
Method
1.
Mix all the ingredients together except
the
oil.
2.
Add a little water and knead the mixture
gently
into a thick paste.
3.
Heat the oil in the wok.
4.
Drop tablespoonfuls of the batter into
moderately
hot oil and fry till rich brown.
Drain
and cool, then enjoy!
Om
Tat Sat
(Continued...)
(My humble salutations to Sadguru Sri Sivaya Subramuniyaswami ji, Hinduism
Today dot com for the collection)
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