MEANING OF LORD GANESHA

Ganesha's trunk symbolises the fact that the wise person has both immense strength and fine discrimination. Ganesha has large ears. The wise person hears all. He has four hands. In one hand he holds a lotus, the symbol of enlightenment. In the other hand he holds a hatchet. That is, the old karma, all your sanskars, the accumulated good and bad of past deeds get cut when enlightenment comes.

The third hand holds laddu. They are the rewards of a wise life. Ganesha is never shown eating the laddus. The wise man never partakes of the rewards of his deeds. He is not attached to them. The fourth hand is shown blessing the people. The wise man wishes the best for everyone.

Ganesha has only one tusk; the other is shown broken. There is an interesting story as to how Ganesh happened to get an elephant's head and how one tusk got broken. The symbolism of the broken tusk is that the wise person is beyond duality.

We tend to think that we end when our bodies end in the material world. We are the first person. All else is different. This duality is created by the mind which creates the ego to help us survive in this world. This 'me-other' duality is the screen keeping us from realising our real Self, which is beyond body and mind. Once we transcend this duality, we see the entire Universe as a single whole and we become aware of our true Selves. The single tusk of Ganesha symbolises this non-duality. Wisdom allows us to see all as one and ourselves an integral part of the whole.

Ganesha is shown sitting with one foot on the ground and the other resting on his knee, above the ground. The wise person is of this earth, yet not entirely of this earth.

Ganesha is shown seated on a rat. The reason for saying that Ganesha 'rides' on the rat is that the rat is among the greediest of all animals. It will keep nibbling at whatever is available, eating everything it can. Scientifically, too, the rat's teeth keep growing and it has to keep chewing on something to keep these within limits. The rat is a symbol of our senses, which are never satisfied. They crave new experiences, new tastes. Left uncontrolled, they keep growing forever. The wise person rides on his senses. He keeps them under control.

Ganesha is often shown seated in front of a tray of sweets. In these images the rat is shown sitting in front of Ganesha, perhaps a bit to one side, looking up at him. The senses of the wise person are under his control and the rat dare not eat the sweets without the permission of Ganesha.

Ganesha is the son of Shiva and Parvati, the God governing the life-force and the earth-mother. This symbolises the spirit and body of the wise person. Finally, the wise person has the dignity of an elephant.

When we say "Aum Ganeshaya Namah" before starting anything what we are saying is that "In what we are about to do, let wisdom be our guide". In a sense, Ganesha is our most powerful God, and he is usually remembered before starting any rituals for other deities.

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LORD GANESHA

Ganesha — the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.
The Lord of Success
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.
Significance of the Ganesha Form
Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand, Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.
The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.
How Ganesha Got His Head
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

However, there is another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the Gods & Goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus reviving it.
Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."

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History of Janmashtami

Celebrated on the eighth day of Savana month, Janmashtami marks the birth of Lord Krishna, an avatar of Lord Vishnu. The festival is celebrated across the length and breadth of India, by people following Hinduism. In fact, it is an important day for Hindus. The celebration goes on for two days. On the first day, the Raslila (dance drama) is performed, which depicts the important phases of Shri Krishna's life. The merrymaking reaches it peak at midnight stroke, when aarti is performed and bhajans are sung to praise the Lord. Small children are dresses as the young Krishna and his playmate Radha. Then there are folklores and stories which are recited on the occasion, they are generally connected to the history of Janmashtami, which can be traced back to the ancient era. Read the following lines to get information on the history of Janmashtami.

The history of Janmashtmi dates back to thousand years. There are also several legends and stories associated with this festival. If you start exploring the origin of the festival, you will end up listening to thousands of folklores related to Krishna and his birth. It is believed that Lord Krishna was the incarnation of Vishnu, one of the three most important Hindu Gods. It is commonly believed that he took birth for killing Kansa, the unreligious demon king of Mathura and other demons, to establish a kingdom of peace, prosperity and religion on earth and to spread the message of brotherhood and humanity.

In his preaching to Arjuna in the Holy Bhagvad Gita he says ‘Whenever the balance of the universe is disturbed by external interference from any of its parts, then I reveal myself as the Power of eternal balancing. For the protection of those who are in harmony, and the rectification of everything disharmonious, I incarnate myself at every juncture of time.’ So, it is assumed that the form of God will return back on earth for the establishment of peace, religion and prosperity in society once again when required. The celebration of Janmashtami is also a way to commemorate his holy deeds on earth for the mankind.

Historians calculate that the birth of Lord Krishna goes back to the Dwapar Yug. It is in the year of Visvavasu around 3227 BC when Lord Krishna was born. He was born on a dark, stormy night on the day eight day of the second fortnight of the month of Shravana which now corresponds to the month of August-September in the Gregorian calendar. Born in the prison of Demon Kansa, from Kansa’s sister Devaki and Vasudeva, Krishna was declared to be the savior of mankind and the end of Kansa even before his birth. Krishna, right from the day of birth exhibited that he was a special child and there was extraordinary powers with him. Throughout his childhood and adolescence in Gokul, he did many things which made people believe that he was a form of God. Since then, the people of Nandgaon celebrated the birth of Krishna as a day of fortune.

Even thousands of years after his heavenly abode, people observe this day as a day of fortune and commemorate the birth of Lord Krishna by fasting and feasting. People believe Krishna to be the ultimate savior of the world. One who unlike other gods, can be regarded, as a lover, friend, divine guru or one’s own child. People mesmerized with Krishna’s persona and deeds can be seen singing and dancing in the name of Krishna to eternity on the day of Janmashtami. It is the deep faith and devotion of people towards him that the festival is still celebrated with a great honor, joy as well as elation as it was celebrated thousands of years back.

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A MIXED FIRST HALF FOR MARATHI CINEMA

THE first half of 2010 has ended as a mixed bag of hits and flops for the Marathi film industry with Hapus, which released towards the end of June collecting over Rs. one crore at the box office in the first week. Hapus starring veteran actor Sulbha Deshpande, Subodh Bhave, Makrand Anaspure, Madhura Velankar and Shivaji Satam, better known as ACP Pradyuman of CID fame, was released at 172 screens across 25 districts in Maharashtra. The film deals with the problems of Hapus (world famous Alphanso mango) growers in Konkan region and how despite the famed fruit reaching several parts of the world, the mango grower has not benefited out of it.

The year started off very well for the Marathi cinema with Natrang, produced by Zee Talkies, which continues to be the most popular and successful movie released in the last six months. The film, highlighting the story of a male tamasha artist, brought the tamasha genre back to Marathi cinema after several years. It was also released with English subtitles and attracted the non-Marathi speaking audiences as well. The music of the film has done very well.
The film garnered Rs. 12 crore at the box office followed by Shikshanacha Aicha Gho by Mahesh Manjrekar collecting Rs 3.5 crore, political drama Zenda (Rs. 2 crore) and Harischandrachi Factory, which was selected as India's entry to Oscars (Rs. 1.5 crore).

As many as 37 films were released in the last six months. Mahesh Manjrekar's Lalbaug Parel, Zhing Chick Zhing, and Mumbai Pune Mumbai fared averagely. Marathi industry had its share of disappointments too with many movies failing commercially despite huge expectations. Films like AB Corp's Vihir failed at the box office despite achieving critical acclaim at International Film Festivals. Other flops were Ringa Ringa, Kalshekar Aahet Ka?, Kshanbhar Vishranti, Anandi Anand, Erada Pakka and Target.

Sources said the second half of 2010 has lot in store for the Marathi industry. Actor Pushkar Jog will be seen as actor-director and singer in his movie Mission Possible, releasing on July 16. Percept Picture Company (PPC) has acquired the distribution rights of the film which is a murder mystery. Sources said Mission Possible matches the grandeur and entertainment value of Bollywood. "Marathi movies are either out-and-out comedy or ones that cater only a niche audience. But, Mission Possible is an entertainer, which will appeal to the modern Marathi youth," sources said adding that a song has been shot in Ladakh, a first time for a Marathi movie.

Ashok Saraf's Tata Birla Ani Laila is also scheduled later this month. The film stars the veteran star with Bharat Jadhav. They play two characters who feel that if they are not rich by birth or in terms of money, at least they can be rich by names.

Actor Ajinkya Deo has followed his younger brother Abhinay into direction. His movie Jeta, which brings his famous actor parents Ramesh and Seema Deo together on screen after several years, releases later this year.


The above first half yearly report suggests that if the movie is good it will definitely do good business. Multiplex not releasing Marathi Films is just an excuse of some producers who produce 3rd grade Maratrhi Cinema

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लाल महालातील दादोजी कोंडदेव यांचा पुतळा हलवावा यासाठी संभाजी ब्रिगेड च्या भंपक लोकांनी आंदोलन केले (१ महिन्यापूर्वी झालेले ते नव्हे, त्यानंतर परत झाले.) आणि पुण्याच्या महापौरांनी "योग्य ती चर्चा करून निर्णय घेतला जाईल" असे आश्वासनही दिले आहे...

बाबासाहेबांच्या वाढदिवशी "भैय्या पाटील" नाव धारण करणाऱ्या अत्यंत भंपक माणसाने बाबासाहेबांच्या घरासमोर "बाबा पुरंदरे हाच जेम्स लेन" नावाची १०००० पुस्तके वाटली...

लक्ष दिले नाही तर ही रिकामटेकडी माणसे काय काय करतात हे लक्षात घ्या!!!

आपण ब्राह्मण अजिबात लक्ष देत नाही, थंडपणे हे बघून दुर्लक्ष करतो, आणि कोणी काही करत असेल तर त्याचे पाय मात्र नक्की ओढतो!!!
परिणाम बघा! आणि जमलं तर (महत्वाचं म्हणजे इच्छा झाली तर) काहीतरी करा!

सध्या "मला काय फरक पडतो" नावाची साथ जोरात पसरली आहे...
हा रोग खूप ब्राह्मणांना झाला आहे..
पण सध्या नुसता काळ सोकावतो म्हणून नव्हे, तर म्हातारीही मेल्याचे दुखः करायची वेळ आहे...

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