'Ganpati Bappa Morya': Know the Significance of Ganesh Chaturthi

India is celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi today. One of the grandest and the most important of all Hindu festivals, Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated every year as the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha — the giver of wisdom and the remover of all obstacles. According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha is remembered and revered before all gods, and it is with his worship that you can begin any new endeavour of yours. People believe he blesses true devotees with unending prosperity and good fortune.

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Lord Ganesha:

As mentioned earlier, the festival coincides with the birth of the elephant-headed god. The legend goes like this: Goddess Durga had fashioned Ganesha out of clay and had breathed life into the idol. She had then asked him to guard her chambers while she bathed. Ganesha was instructed to not allow anyone to enter, no matter who they were. When Lord Shiva returned from one of his missions, he was faced with a unique challenge of fighting a strange lad who forbade him from meeting his own wife.

When Shiva’s repeated attempts of meeting Durga failed, he sent his army that Ganesha vanquished in no time. Enraged, he then fought the little boy himself, and severed his head from his body. When Durga learnt of this, she was livid. She threatened to unleash hell on earth and end all of humanity. Shiva tried to reason with her and even offered to resuscitate Ganesha. But, to no avail.

Goddess Durga said she would only calm down if it is promised to her that her son Ganesha would be the most loved god, and that he would be worshipped before every other god. Lord Shiva agreed to this and even instructed Nandi, his comrade and closest friend to find the head of any living creature that was closest to them. Nandi returned with an elephant’s head that was placed on Ganesha’s body. Thus, he was reborn, and has since been worshipped above and before all gods. It is for this very reason that Ganesh Chaturthi leads the way for every other Hindu festival and happy occasion to follow.

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Muhrat:

According to Drik Panchang, the Madhyahna Ganesha puja muhurat is between 11.06 am and 01.42 pm on August 22. The chaturthi tithi begins 11.02 pm on August 21, and ends at 07.57 pm on August 22.

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