Articles by Shishyas – Ravi Trehan

One finds a detailed description of Lord Ganapati’s birth in Shiv Purana as well as in Ganesh Purana. To cut the long story short, once Ma Parvati along with her ‘sakhis’ was to take bath in her bhavan. As no attendant was available, she created a beautiful child out of her pious body’s dirt and declared him as her son. She instructed him to obey her only, stand as a gate-keeper and do not allow anyone to enter the bhavan without her permission and gave him a stick as a weapon for protection. Lord Shiva came in a hurry and was in the process of entering the bhavan when Ganeshji stopped him and said “my mother is taking bath and she has instructed me not to allow anyone to enter the place without her permission. You may please wait till she has finished her bath and has properly clothed herself”. Lord Shiva first took him as one of his ganas, but hearing these words, He got annoyed and remarked, “Do you not know that I am Parvati’s husband and the Lord of this place. How can you stop me from entering into my own place?” Ganeshji very politely answered, “Sir, whoever you are, I can allow you to enter the place only after getting permission from my mother. You may please wait here till she is ready. An altercation ensued between the two and there was a fierce battle. Ganeshji fought single handedly with the entire army of Lord Shiva, that included Brahma and Vishnu. Ganapati made devastating attacks on Lord Shiva’s army and injured many of His ganas, but when Ganapatiji was engaged in the battle with Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva attacked Him with his Trishul and chopped off his head.

When Ma Parvati came to know that her dear son has been beheaded, she was furious, and created thousands of Mahashaktis who unleashed destruction all over the world which terrified Devis and Devatas. To contain Ma Parvati’s anger, on the wise counsel of Naradji, all Devis, Devatas, including Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva, went to her and beseeched her to cool down and stop the destruction. Ma Parvati put a condition that her son must be revived and given the position of a leader among all Devis and Devatas. Lord Shiva advised his ganas to go towards north and if they find any mother sitting or lying with her back to her new born child, they should bring the child’s head and fix it on the body of Parvati’s son after giving him bath with holy water. The ganas saw a mother elephant lying in that posture and brought the baby elephants’s head which was fixed on the body of Ma Parvati’s son. Lord Shiva sprinkled holy water on the child chanting some sacred mantras and the child opened his eyes as if he had woken up after a long slumber. Ma Parvati, all Devis and Devatas including Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh heaved a sigh of relief and there were scenes of jubilations. The apsaras started dancing; trees were loaded with fruits and flowers; there was greenery all around and sweet smell permeated the atmosphere.

Brahma, Vishnu, Mahesh and all other Devis and Devatas had already witnessed Ganapati’s bravery and valour in the fierce battle with them, so Lord Shiva declared Shri Ganesh the leader of all Devis and Devatas and proclaimed that He should be worshipped before all the other gods in three worlds. Lord Shiva bestowed upon Shri Ganeshji tremendous powers and blessed Him saying, “You are the son of Mahashakti and thus an extremely imposing personality. You are the Lord of wisdom and the destroyer of obstacles and foes of your devotees. As you are born on the fourth day of ascending moon in the month of Bhadrapad, which is auspicious, all the devotees who observe fast on this day, would receive from you the blessings they seek”

In Ganesh Purana, it is recommended to observe twelve fasts on the 4th day of ascending moon (shuklapaksh) every Month and similarly twelve fasts on the 4th day of dark phase (krishnapaksh) of every month because each fast has its own significance. In Shiv Purana as well as in Ganesh Purana, there are instances of Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu, Lord Brahma and all Devis and Devatas worshipping Lord Ganapati. In Ganesh Purana, there is also a mention of Mahashakti Parvati, on the advice of Lord Shiva, going into intense meditation and carrying out rigorous tapasya for twelve years. Pleased with her devotion, Lord Ganesha appeared before her and, as a boon, promised to be born as her son. As per our ancient scriptures as well as the practice followed from time immemorial, worship of five Devas is prescribed – Lord Shiva, Mahashakti Parvati, Lord Ganesha, Lord Vishnu, and Lord Surya. They are considered to be of the highest order. All the five have no beginning and no end. They are immanent, primeval and eternal and are manifestations of the same ultimate power.

Lord Ganapati, Ganesha, Ganadhyaksh, Gananayak, all these names have only one meaning and i.e. Leader of the People. He had two wives – Riddhi and Siddhi. He is the master of nine Nidhis and eight Siddhis and is also called Siddhi Vinayak. His vehicle is the mouse, which indicates humility and simplicity. Let us have a look at his body, where each part has a spiritual significance. His large elephant head symbolizes that He is an ocean of knowledge and is the Lord of intelligence. He has big ears because, as a good leader, he has the capacity to listen to everybody patiently. He has a big nose which projects his exalted status, and gives a signal to human race to uphold human dignity, self esteem and decorum. He has a huge belly, which shows that He has a tremendous capacity to digest good or bad things and maintain his cool. It also suggests that He has full control over dualities. He has a snake tied around his waist. Although passion and sensuous desires are tamoguni and poisonous, He has tightened the belt and kept them under his control. Similarly, his devotees should also learn to exercise control over their passions, sensuous desires, and curb tamoguna. Like Lord Shiva, he carries a Trishul signifying that He is the destroyer of three types of pains and agonies, and is therefore regarded to be the Vighna-vinashak.

As per Pujya Guruji’s instructions, being Shiv-bhakts, we celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi on the 4th day of dark phase (krishnapaksh) in the month of Maagh (January) with great devotion. The shishyas and the devotees observe nirjala upvaas from early morning (Brahm mahurat) till the rise of moon. Shishyas and devotees assemble at Sector 10-A, Gurgaon where laddoos made of til and gurh are distributed. After sighting the moon, the fast is broken with these laddoos followed by a cup of tea infused with herbs/spices and gurh (instead of sugar). One laddoo is retained to be taken the next morning after sunrise, whereafter cereals can be taken. Medically speaking, nirjala upvaas culminating with til-gurh ladoos and tea prepared with herbs/spices and gurh generates such a degree of heat that it is capable of killing germs and ensures good health.

On such an auspicious occasion, good saadhaks and devotees inwardly recite Ganapati’s mantras and contemplate on Him throughout the day. Japa done on this day has manifold effect than it has on any other normal day. And that is how Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated.

GURU –  This one word has such a vast, such a deep and such a profound meaning that it is very difficult for any person to elaborate it.  No language in the world has the capacity to translate it and no amount of words has the capability to explain it.  The stature of Guru is so exalted that even if one surrenders completely, he is only able to touch the tip of His toes – where Guru has His feet, shishyas or  devotees bow their heads in reverence.  In other words, Sadguru’s lower-most level (i.e., His lotus feet) is the higher-most level  (i.e., the head) of shishyas.  As such, the latter are just not in a position to describe the overall stature of a Sadguru.   

The translation of the word Guru that one comes across in the English language is a ‘Teacher’ or a ‘Master’.  These words can at the most be understood in the commonly used sense of the word, but do not touch anywhere near the ambit of its entirety.  The term Guru is one of the most intractable terms in Hindu philosophy – a philosophy which is the oldest and has a unique living tradition of over 5,000 years, if not earlier.

Sant Kabir, the well-known Indian saint and a highly exalted soul, in one of his dohas (couplets) expresses his inability to describe Guru.  He says, even if he takes the entire earth as paper, the waters of all the oceans to serve as ink and he makes kalams (traditional writing instrument) out of all the trees in the world,  yet he would not be able to describe the full meaning and glory of the word ‘Guru’. Such is the degree of reverence a shishya (or a devotee)   has for his Guru that is reflected in the following doha of Sant Kabirji:

Guru Gobind dou khade, ka ke lagoon paaye

Balihari Guru aapne, jin Gobind diyo milaye

Guru and Gobind (God) are both objects of reverence and worthy of worship, but Sant Kabir puts ‘Guru’ on a higher pedestal than God.  He says that if both Guru and God together condescend to give him darshan, he would first touch the lotus feet of his ‘Guru’ before seeking blessings from God, because it is He (Guru) who showed him the way to God.

The word ‘Guru’ is derived from two roots – ‘Gu’ and ‘Ru’.  ‘Gu’ means darkness and ‘Ru’ means light.  The one who dispels darkness and takes you to light is a Guru.  The one who dispels the darkness of sensuous pleasures and pains (which are temporary and fleeting) and takes you to the light of eternal bliss (which is permanent and everlasting) is a Guru.  The one who helps you to break the shackles  of  birth,  death  and rebirth  and attain salvation is a Guru.

Before we were born, our parents existed, our neighbours existed, our society existed.  We are born into a stream of existence and this cycle of birth, childhood, youth, old age, death and rebirth continues.  The quality of  this cycle (success or failure) may differ from one individual to another, depending upon his past and present ‘karmas’ , the birth that he takes in a particular family (rich or poor), his upbringing, his education and his environment.  Depending upon our past and present ‘karmas’ and ‘sanskars’, we take birth again and again in any of the eighty-four  lac  species  (yonis)  and   keep  drudging  and travelling in the darkness of ignorance from one birth to another, forgetting wherefrom we came and what  our ultimate destination is – i.e., salvation.

Mahatma Kabir prayed. ‘Oh God, save me from two fires – one, hanging upside down for nine months in my mother’s womb, and second, when my corporal frame is consigned to the flames soon after the soul leaves the body.

Having created mankind along with the spirit of sacrifice at the beginning of creation, the Creator, Lord Brahma, gave them the following advice: “May you multiply and prosper by this spirit of sacrifice (free from attachment), may this yield the enjoyments you seek.  Foster each other with a sense of sacrifice and let the Gods be gracious to you.  Fostering each other unselfishly, you will attain the highest good.  Fostered by sacrifice, the Gods will surely bestow on you unasked all the desired enjoyments.  He who enjoys the gifts bestowed on him without sharing them with others is undoubtedly a thief.”

(Bhagvad Gita, Chaper III, shlokas 10-12)

The object of this advice must have been to ensure peace, progress, prosperity and tranquillity for the entire mankind.

Then the ancient sages and seers of this wonderful land (Bharat) conceived and expounded the doctrine of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’  (this entire world is one family and we are members of this global society) in order to elevate human dignity and universal brotherhood for the attainment of peace and prosperity.

But as the human race multiplied, somewhere down the line we forgot the divine advice and the message of our learned rishis.  We became more and more materialistic and self-centred.  In the process, we developed a tendency to construct walls around us – walls of  ego-centric desires.  That is how  we  restrict

That is how we restrict our vision, our thoughts, our actions, through the identification of oneself with the body.  Myself, and those related to me through this body, set     the limits of my expansion.  Engrossed in the material belongings, what we see within those walls, we think belongs to us.  And anything unknown to us and outside those walls, we regard  as a stranger and as an enemy.  This identification with the body not only builds walls around me, but cuts me off from others who are beyond these little walls.  In the words of Rousseau,  the  famous French  philosopher,  “damn that man who said:  this is mine and that in thine  –  thus  sowed the seeds of self-centredness and a feeling of jealousy and animosity”.

Guru plays the pivotal role in reminding us of Divine advice, teaches us the art of living a balanced life with restraint and stability of mind.  He  is  the  one  who  brings about awareness that actions (karmas) performed under the influence of senses give rise to sensuous pleasures and pains, which are transitory and fleeting.  He guides you how to discipline and bring under control the five wild horses – ‘kama’ (passion), ‘krodha’ (anger),  ‘lobha’ (greed), ‘moha’ (emotional  attachment)  and  ‘ahankara’  (ego)  – and  helps you to take the chariot of your life in the right direction of inner peace and tranquillity.  He brings about a realization in you that over-indulgence in sensuous objects give rise to Tamoguna which results in regret, remorse, sorrow and loss of peace.  Like a  father,  Guru  holds  your  little  finger  and  conditions  you  to  fearlessly  travel  from  the   illusory material world to the realms of spirituality, so that you could be one with the Real One and realize the ultimate truth – i.e., God.

He tells you that the actions (karmas) performed under the influence of mind and intellect are obsessed by desire and devoted to material gains. Such actions are generally performed to serve the self and those closely related to the self, through this body.  This gives rise to Rajoguna.  The more you seek material pleasures, the greater is the desire to have still more, and you are caught in a mirage (mrigtrishna).  The mind has a tendency to swing like the pendulum of a clock – sometimes towards senses and at others to the intellect.  Therefore, it has to become steady.

Where are you lost, my son, says the Guru, with all his  love  and  tenderness.   You are  not the body,  you are  the soul.  You existed before entering into this body and will remain even after leaving this body.  Illuminate yourself. Perform   actions   under  the influence of conscience (antaratman), which is an inseparable part of ‘Paramatman’.  Detach yourself  from the outside material world and enter into the inner world of consciousness. Be enlightened, be equanimous and free from attachment.  He who is unattached,  his mind is stable.  Sensuous objects cease for him, walls of ego-centric desires do not exist for him.  He belongs to the entire world and the entire world belongs to him – Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam.

Under the guidance of the consciousness, you would realize that God resides in every human being, who is like   a mobile temple worthy of worship.  Make an effort to perceive Him in every human being that you come across.  To serve humanity is the best way to worship God.  The  shortest path  to attain salvation  is to  render  service to his creation – the mankind.  Remember, you are  not obliging   people  by  rendering  service  to  them.  On  the contrary, they are obliging you by giving you an opportunity  to serve them  and helping you  to increase the bank balance of your ‘karmas’ with the Divine Banker,   the Supreme Lord.  Serve them with a sense of dedication and sacrifice and earn the prayers of ‘Daridra Narayan’.  When our act of ‘sewa’ (service) is performed with love and compassion and filled with feeling (bhavana), then the resultant contentment and happiness is gratifying both to the giver and the recipient in an infinite measure.

To enable us to understand the stature and level of Sadguru in its entirety, our holy scriptures have given us the following Mahaguru mantra:

Gurur Brahma, Gurur Vishnu,

 Gurur Devo Maheshwara

Guru Sakshaat Par Brahma,

 Tasmaye Shree Guruve namah

Guru and God are two different names of the same ultimate power.  It is equally true that when we worship God in the form of Guru, we place Him on a higher pedestal.  We are rewarded or punished by God by virtue of our own karmas (actions).  But when we worship God on the pedestal of Guru, who is benevolent and bakshanhaar (the one who gives and forgives generously), we may be amply rewarded for our good karmas, and punishment condoned or curtailed for our sins committed innocently or otherwise.

Such is the abundance  of love and affection showered by a ‘Sadguru’ that you can keep diving into the ocean of that bliss for as long as you wish to.  In a simple and modest manner, he would tell you how clear is the path and show you the shortest route to salvation – i.e., practise ‘Japa’  (inward  recitation  of  mantras),  ‘Nishkaam Sewa’ (rendering selfless service to mankind), and ‘Dhyaana’ (meditation).        

O my revered Guru Dev

Thou art the lofty imagination

Of the Lord Himself;

My salutations to thee,

My salutations to thee.

Tasmaye Shree Guruve Namah