A N Moorthy Rao
It is all totally different with
Ganapathi. For one thing, we have given him a grotesque form. The head of an
elephant with a skewed trunk: a broken tusk: a protruding tummy, a serpent tied
around the belly, lest it should rupture. And the vehicle of this huge, rotund
deity is a rat!
Well, let us leave aside the incredibility of this story. Instead, let us be grateful that the imagination of our people could give us a deity like Ganapathy. We cannot say that before this century Indians were bereft of a sense of humour. Still I have at times felt that the literature of those ages was deficient in humour. The legend of Ganesha makes up for that deficiency to some extent. I remember Masti Venkatesha Iyengar's praise of the lotus: 'Though born in mire you won renown'. Similary though fashioned from dirt, Ganapathi won world-wide fame. What an odd shape!! An elephant's head, a human body, and a broken tusk (He is 'ekadanta') and a huge tummy. We can indeed be proud that we have dared give deity such a grotesque shape. If a Christian had so portrayed God it would have been blasphemous. But our people have joyously welcomed such a form. A broken tusk, a skewed form - these may be derisive accounts. But when applied to Ganapathi they are charged with devotion. 'Vakradanta mahakaya',' Pranavaswarupavakradantam', 'Ekadantha mupaasmahe' - such expressions are found in hymns and devotional songs.
Ganapathi ranks between the
deities just mentioned and the divine Trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswarahe
is not a force of nature but possesses certain unique characteristics He is
reverred and worshipped more than all the gods mentioned before. Not only this;
He is close to us and dear to us; and he stimulates humour. We do not, and
cannot, take with other Gods the same degree of liberties as we do with
Ganapathi. We have ascribed to Siva and Vishnu exquisite forms. Adorned with
ash and a serpent around his neck, the beauty of Shiva comes from restraint and
renunciation. While His form may, at times (eg: when you think of his 'Runda Maale') appear intolerable - even
disgusting- yet, there is glory about Him. Vishnu is the God of splendour.
Shiva may turn into furious 'Rudra'. Vishnu, except on some special occasions,
is serene.
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| Courtesy: Wikipedia |
If you ignore a few obscure
stories, Shiva and Vishnu are without beginning and without end. While their
various incarnations do have a beginning and an end in time, they themselves
are beyond time. There are many stories connected with Ganapathi's birth. He
does have an origin. He has an explicit birth. The story of His birth which I
am going to narrate, is one with which we are all familiar. Whether this story
is found in any text or is only a popular legend I do not know.
Parvathi wanted to have a bath.
She needed some one to stand guard at the entrance to the bath room. She
scrapped the dirt on her body (alternate version: the perfumes and cosmetics
applied to her body) and made a doll out of it, in the shape of a boy, and
infused it with life. Then, she asked him to stand guard at the door. Soon
after, Shiva arrived there and was promptly stopped by the boy at the door.
Enraged, Shiva cut off his head. This distressed Parvathi. In order to console
Parvathi, Shiva tried to revive the boy, but the body had no head at all! "Bring
me the head of one who is sleeping with his head to the north," He ordered
his servants. They could find only an elephant sleeping in that manner, and
they brought its head. Shiva joined the head to the boy's trunk and gave life
to it. Thus was born our 'Gajavadana'.
Couldn't Parvathi find clay or
flour or some such substance with which to make a doll? Was there so much dirt
(or cosmetics) on her body that she could make a doll of the size of a boy out
of it ? Was her bathroom not fixed with bolts? Is Shiva so cruel as to just
kill a small boy without any enquiry? He could have used the boy's own severed
head, which was lying there (or had it been moved away already?), to revive the
boy. Why did he have to get another head? Is it not wrong to behead someone
sleeping with his head to the north, for no reason at all? Some people have a pseudo-scientific
answer to this. I do not quite remember it - it relates to magnetism which is
said to flow from the north. Asking these questions - well, it is just not
'done'. It is said it is not advisable to investigate the origins of rivers and
saints. If so, investigating the origins of deities is inexcusable!
Well, let us leave aside the incredibility of this story. Instead, let us be grateful that the imagination of our people could give us a deity like Ganapathy. We cannot say that before this century Indians were bereft of a sense of humour. Still I have at times felt that the literature of those ages was deficient in humour. The legend of Ganesha makes up for that deficiency to some extent. I remember Masti Venkatesha Iyengar's praise of the lotus: 'Though born in mire you won renown'. Similary though fashioned from dirt, Ganapathi won world-wide fame. What an odd shape!! An elephant's head, a human body, and a broken tusk (He is 'ekadanta') and a huge tummy. We can indeed be proud that we have dared give deity such a grotesque shape. If a Christian had so portrayed God it would have been blasphemous. But our people have joyously welcomed such a form. A broken tusk, a skewed form - these may be derisive accounts. But when applied to Ganapathi they are charged with devotion. 'Vakradanta mahakaya',' Pranavaswarupavakradantam', 'Ekadantha mupaasmahe' - such expressions are found in hymns and devotional songs.
Evidently, bringing in the rat to
carry the huge body (mahakaya) of
Ganapathi was a joke. The conveyance for the comic Ganapathi is the rat! But
strangely enough, when we worship Him at the time of the Ganapathi Festival,
not a sense of the comic but devotion is active. My mind is pervaded by the
attractiveness of this conception rather than devotion.
We have seen that Ganapathi, who
logically should have been the butt of our jokes, in fact, inspires reverence
in us. He can provoke laughter and also laugh at others, If we have to have a
presiding deity for impishness (from among our deities) Ganapathi alone would
qualify. But behind his puckishness, there is also an active mind. As the story
goes, once He and Kumaraswamy quarrelled, each claiming superiority. Shiva,
their father, had to resolve the dispute. He told them, "You must both set
out at the same time and go round the earth. Whoever comes back first will be
adjudged the superior." The two agreed. Poor Kumaraswamy trudged around
the globe and returned. But Ganapathi just went round His parents once, and
quietly settled down. Kumaraswamy thought, "How can this Ganapathi with
His huge tummy go round the earth? Surely I will win". But lo! Ganapathi
was already there, and Shiva and Paravathy were all smiles. Explaining how He
had so swiftly completed the circumambulation of the earth, Ganapathi said,
"The entire universe is in Shiva; I just went round Him. That's all!"
This had not occurred to Kumaraswamy.
I recall a verse[i]
which bears testimony to Ganapathi's sense of humour. This is the context:
'Shiva and Paravathi are engaged in a lively conversation, with little
Ganapathi between them. There arises in both simultaneously, the desire to
fondle Ganapathi. Their faces bend down towards Ganapathi, sitting between
them. Just as they are about to kiss Him, Ganapathi suddenly draws back His head.
Shiva and Paravathi kiss all right - but each other! Ganapathi smiles
mischievously.
Ganapathi and excellent dishes go
together. The delicious 'kadubu' is
particularly associated with Him. The food on the day of His festival is a
gourmet's delight. On this account we certainly owe our gratitude to Ganapathi.
But Ganapathi is not just a
glutton, He loves literature too. Wasn't it He who wrote down the Mahabharatha
to the dictation of Vyasa? Moreover, he is somehow linked with music. As part
of His festival (Vinayaka Chouthi)
music concerts are held for 10 to 15 days. All music concerts begin with songs
in His praise - 'Vathapi Ganapathim',
'Siddi Vinayakam', 'Gajavadana beduve' etc.
Impishness, sociability, humour,
learning, intellect, art (even dance - there are statues of dancing Ganapathi.
Just imagine the huge-tummied Ganapathi dancing! His shape does not embarrass
him in the least): the ability to inspire not just devotion, but even affection
among people, the healthy attitude of never neglecting food - in no other deity
of any religion can we find all these qualities. Our people admire this unique
synthesis of qualities. That explains why every auspicious occasion begins with
the worship of Ganapathi. It is not accidental that we have dwelt here at such
length on Ganapathi - it is the honour due to His greatness, His pre-eminence.
How could people who created such
a deity be attracted to sterile renunciation!
The Trinity
From the theological standpoint,
the concept of the Trinity[ii]
(Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara) represents a stage which is just one step below
the zenith of human imagination. Brahma, Vishnu and Maheswara perform the functions
of creation, preservation and dissolution, respectively. When man rises to the
level of the concept of the Trinity, the water-deities, the mountain deities
and the forest deities simply disappear or are relegated to the position of
servants of the trio.
Here, 'Brahama' refers to t.he
'Chaturmukha Brahama' of theology and not the 'Parabrahma' of philosophy. Brahma is already through with his
function - creation. In fact, there is nothing for him to do until the current 'Shvetavaraha kalpa' runs out. It may be
for this reason (according to a story, it is because of a curse from Shiva) that
no temples are built for him[iii]
nor is he worshipped. He is only nominally a deity. We are told that he would
lose even this once the present 'kalpa' ends.
Anjaneya is said to succeed him in the next 'kalpa'.
 |
| Brahma,
Vishnu, and Shiva (left to
right) at Ellora Caves Courtesy: Wikipedia |
There are any number of temples
for Vishnu and Shiva where formal worship is offered. Each of them has an
exclusive festival for himself - Shivarathri and Krishnashtami. Vishnu or Shiva
or both of them have always remained radiant in the hearts of the Hindus.
Mahalakshmi, the wife of Vishnu, and Parvathi, the wife of Shiva, are reverred
and worshipped almost as much as their husbands are.
Although we have divided the
(cosmic) functions and entrusted 'preservation' to Vishnu and 'dissolution' to
Shiva, yet, there is within us, the underlying feeling that in truth they are
one. We are familiar with the lines: 'Shivaya
Vishnu roopaya Shivaroopaya Vishnuve' (Shiva, taking the form of Vishnu,
and Vishnu taking the form of Shiva)[iv], "Shivasya hridayam Vishnuhu Vishnoshcha
hridayam Shivah" (Vishnu is the heart of Shiva: Shiva is the heart of
Vishnu). Harihara, Shankaranarayana - such names reflect only this idea that
the two different deities are indeed one. There are temples dedicated to a
deity combining these names.
Still, the idea that Shiva and
Vishnu are separate is quite deep-rooted in the Hindu psyche. The Smartha
community worships both Vishnu and Shiva, but not with the belief that the two
are one. This is true not only of laymen. Even learned men and scholars talk of
Vishnu and Shiva being separate or of one being superior to the other and so
on. Then there are also those who love one deity but cannot bring themselves to
give up the other they want to eat their cake and have it, too! One such
person (I do not remember who) wrote a verse which can be summarized thus: "Certainly I am a Shaiva; I regularly
chant the panchakshari. Still my mind lingers with the smiling face of Krishna , radiant like the agase flower, and the darling
of the Gopis." This is a liberal-minded author. Perhaps, if engaged in
a debate, he would have argured that Vishnu and Shiva are in fact one. But the
verse does not transcend the duality of Visnu and Shiva. Vishnu is the Supreme
God of the Madhwas and the Srivaishnavas, and Shiva of the Shaivas.
[i] I do not
remember the poet. The verse:
Yugapat
swagandachumbanalolou pitarau nirikshya herambah | Thanumukhamelanakuthuki
swananamapaneeya panhasan paayat ||
[ii] That
the Trinity are one single person performing three types of functions is the
highest stage. There are 'Thimurthi'
icons which present a single human body with three faces.
[iii] I
have heard that there is only a single temple dedicated to Brahma in India .
I remember reading in the newspapers recently that now (1989) some traditionalists
are planning to build thousands of temples dedicated to Brahma.
[iv] Shiva
vayam, na khalu tatra vichaaraneeyam;
Panchaakshareejapaparaa
nirathaam, tathapi |
Cheto
madeeyamavathaseekusumaavabhaasam
Smeraananam smarathi Gopadvadhuukishoram ||
Akkihebbalu Narasimha
Murthy Rao (June 16, 1900—August 23, 2003) was an eminent Kannada writer.
He was the first Director of Kannada and Culture Department of the
Karnataka Government.
His popular book, Devaru
(God), won (1992) the Pampa Award instituted
by the Government of Karnataka.
This is the Chapter-2 of the book, which was translated into English by Prof LS Seshagiri Rao and
published by Kannada Sahitya Parishath, Bangalore in 1995.
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