ஐந்து கரத்தனை ஆனை முகத்தனை
இந்தின் இளம்பிறை போலும் எயிற்றனை
நந்தி மகன்தனை ஞானக் கொழுந்தினைப்
புந்தியில் வைத்து அடிபோற்றுகின்றேனே!
இந்தின் இளம்பிறை போலும் எயிற்றனை
நந்தி மகன்தனை ஞானக் கொழுந்தினைப்
புந்தியில் வைத்து அடிபோற்றுகின்றேனே!
LEGEND OF GANESHA
Vinayagar (Lord Ganesha) was created by
Goddess Parvati from turmeric paste to guard her door while she took a bath.
Goddess Parvati wanted privacy during her bath, so she shaped a boy out of
turmeric paste and gave him life. She told the boy to stand at the door and let
no one enter. Lord Shiva returned home and tried to go inside. The boy stopped
him because he did not know Shiva, and Shiva did not know the boy. Angry at
being blocked, Lord Shiva fought the boy and cut off his head.
Goddess Parvati became very upset and angry
when she saw what happened. Lord Shiva promised to fix his mistake and
told his helpers to bring the head of the first living creature facing north
that had passed away. The helpers found a baby elephant. Shiva
placed the elephant head on the boy's body and brought him back to life.
Lord Shiva blessed him and said people would
worship Vinayagar first before any prayer, new beginning, or journey. He is
known as Vighneshvara, the lord who removes all obstacles and brings
good fortune. People celebrate his birthday during the Ganesh Chaturthi
festival by installing clay idols and later immersing them in water. After the celebration, the clay idol dissolves in water. It is believed that the
Vinayagar idol made out of clay, i.e., earth, goes back to earth.
The different sects of worship in Hinduism are
Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Sauram (Sun worship), and Kaumaram (worship of
Karthikeya)
Ganapatyam (also spelled Ganapatya) is a highly significant historic sect
of Hinduism that centers on Ganesha (Ganapati) as the supreme, all-encompassing
deity. While it is often grouped today under the broader umbrella of mainstream
Hinduism or alongside Smartism, it historically stood as its own distinct and
powerful denomination. In Ganapatyam, Ganesha is not just the elephant-headed
god of new beginnings or the remover of obstacles. He is worshipped as
Brahman—the supreme, absolute reality, creator, sustainer, and destroyer of the
universe. Adherents primarily rely on these two sacred texts, which detail
Ganesha's mythology, philosophy, and cosmic significance. Followers believe
that meditating on Ganesha and reciting his mantras leads to liberation (moksha)
from the cycle of rebirth.
In the 8th century CE, the philosopher Adi
Shankara established the Shanmata system to unify various warring
factions of Hinduism. He synthesized Ganapatyam into one of the six primary
systems of worship alongside Vaishnavism, Shaivism, Shaktism, Sauram (Sun
worship), and Kaumaram (Murugan/Kartikeya worship. The sect reached its peak
popularity between the 10th and 21st centuries, finding its strongest roots in
western India, particularly in Maharashtra.
Vinayagars are worshipped in the form of Idols and bas-reliefs in rock-cut caves, as early as the 8th
century in India, especially in Tamil Nadu.
Vinayagar Periyanai Ganapathy in the Southwest corner of the prakara is large, and a legend is associated with Vinayagar. When Avvaiyar knew that Sundarar was going to Kailash, she also wanted to go there and do pooja hurriedly. Knowing her urgency, Vinayagar asked her to do the pooja slowly, and he would lift her to Kailash before Sundarar reached Kailash. So Avvayar sang the hymns as "Seetha kalaba Senthamarai poo..."
சீதக் களபச் செந்தா மரைப்பூம்
பாதச் சிலம்பு பலஇசைப் பாடப்
பொன் அரை ஞாணும் பூந்துகி லாடையும்
வன்ன மருங்கில் வளர்ந்தழ கெறிப்பப்,
In addition, there are some big temples exclusively dedicated to Vinayagar, with a Rajagopuram, Temple Chariot, etc. The details are written in a separate post on our blog, and links are given below.
--- OM SHIVAYA NAMA ---
