Saluting and invoking Sri Ganesh

naturally the most universal of all household deities, even more so that the Goddess Lakshmi, the goddess of good fortune and graceful living to whom he is often closely associated. Lord Ganesha is also the simplest and most accessible of all gods, for it is enough to draw an upward triangle or to knead clay into a cone, apply turmeric or sandal paste, mark them with tilakam and offer a few blades of grass or some sweet rice, to be able to draw his presence. And yet there are also very elaborate rituals and practices, complex yantras and mandalas and long recitations that are prescribed by some schools so as to gain audience with Lord Ganesha and elicit his support. The Mother advised, however, in several instances, that it may be best and wisest to find within oneself the right movement of address and to seek from one’s heart the right relation with Lord Ganesha - with Sri Ganesh. Today, well into the so-called 21 st century, all approaches can be noted, some of course much more frequently and generally than others, and Lord Ganesha definitely has remained part of most people’ lives, at least in many parts of India. Superstition has probably remained as proportionally widespread as ever, but in the general collective atmosphere, Lord Ganesha’s figure is a boost and a cheer and a testimony to the possibility of improving one’s lot. One may but wonder sometimes whether his image is not too often used as a cover-up or a claim at legitimacy and worth, regardless of actual proceedings, but there is a deeper mystery that peers from Sri Ganesh’s countenance. It is the mystery of an impenetrable, or unreachable, impartiality, an inhuman or other than human distance from actions and their fruits, a mystery which may signify a deeper sort of consequence. Not many are those who feel concerned with the inner meaning of prosperity, with the truer sense of riches – such as the nectar of conscious realization and the capacity to progress. Yet, when one is confronted with the more profound necessity to overcome obstacles and to be weaned of egoism, Sri Ganesh’s wisdom may acquire another dimension altogether. For his is also a power of discernment (his large winnowing ears), impassive and beyond all influences: just as he may stun and arrest, or capture and lead, he will not be impressed or misled by any pretence or any dissembling. *

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