Ganesha is a favorite deity among the Balinese people. Most Balinese homes have a statue of Ganesha placed either at the entrance or inside the courtyard. Usually, the statue is beautifully adorned with flower garlands and offerings are placed nearby. The hosts of the house feed Ganesha with milk and sweets because Ganesha has a sweet tooth and loves to eat. So why do Balinese and Indians love this deity so much? Let me tell you the whole story in order, and you will understand everything. ?
The story of Ganesha
Goddess Parvati, the wife of Lord Shiva, decided to create a divine baby. For this, she took clay created from her body and molded a beautiful boy. Using her divine powers, she breathed life into the child and filled him with her love. The statue made of clay became a beautiful boy who was immediately filled with love and beauty as gifts from his mother.
Meanwhile, Lord Shiva was not at home as he was meditating in the mountains. All the gods learned about the birth of Parvati and Shiva’s son. They came to bless the baby and congratulate the goddess Parvati. The gods approached the boy and gave him their blessings. The god of wisdom, Brihaspati, gave the baby the power of wisdom and a sacred thread that distinguishes a Brahmin. Brahma gave him the grace to be the leader of travelers and trade enterprises. Saraswati gave the boy a feather and ink, the gift of learning. Goddess Parvati also invited the Lord of Karma, the god Shani (Saturn), whom Lord Shiva had granted his gaze. When Shani looked at someone, the creature immediately received the fruits of their good or bad deeds. Saturn did not want to attend the celebration, believing that he should not look at the boy, but Parvati persuaded him. It is said that it was because of Saturn’s unfavorable gaze that little Ganesha got into the next story.
After some time, Parvati was meditating and asked her son not to let anyone disturb her. It was precisely at this time that Mahadev returned from the mountains. He wanted to go to Parvati, to his home, but a beautiful boy, who was actually Ganesha – and Shiva did not yet know that he had a child – blocked his path. “You can’t enter the house until my mother finishes her meditation,” he said. Shiva was outraged that he was not being allowed into his own home. After lengthy negotiations, where he explained that he was the owner of the house, he, Mahadev – Ganesha still strictly obeyed his mother’s order and did not let him in. Shiva became angry and threw his trident, the Trishula, towards Ganesha and… cut off his head. Soon, Parvati’s mother came and found her dead son. She was in tremendous grief. She refused to speak to Mahadev until he healed and revived her son. The entire divine world and Mahadev began to find a way to do this. Brahma advised Mahadev to take the head of someone who “slept facing north” as soon as possible. The king of gods, Indra, and his mount, the elephant Airavata, helped, and it was him that Shiva first encountered on the way. He cut off the elephant’s head and attached it to his son. Ganesha came to life. Parvati’s mother was happy that her son had come back to life, and Ganesha said to her, “It doesn’t matter what I look like on the outside, Mom, what matters is what I have inside.” Since then, Ganesha has become the force of wisdom and the elimination of any obstacles.
Why does Ganesha have one tusk missing?
Ganesha fought against the demon Gajamukha, whom nobody could defeat. This asura was so fast and strong that nobody could catch him. Then Ganesha broke off his tusk and threw it at him. The tusk had enormous power, and Gajamukha was defeated. He turned into a rat and carried Ganesha home on his back to Kailash, becoming Ganesha’s mount afterwards.
What does Ganesha help with?
Ganesha helps in any obstacles, spiritual or material, and easily removes obstacles from people’s lives. At the same time, Ganesha can create obstacles if he sees that a person is not following the right path. Ganesha is very wise, and he is always accompanied by the goddess of wisdom Saraswati and the goddess of prosperity Lakshmi. Ganesha knows how to use his wisdom. He is the God of prosperity and wealth, and he always knows how to have abundance in his home while maintaining spiritual and mental purity and wisdom. Ganesha loves new initiatives and always supports them, especially if he sees that they are favorable initiatives that bring benefits to people. In such cases, he always helps people. Ganesha loves sweets, he likes sweets and milk. Usually, sweets and milk are placed at Ganesha’s statue or image. It is considered good to give a statue of Ganesha as a gift to someone. When a person receives Ganesha as a gift, the God begins to protect and help that person.
Ganesha Mantra: Om Shrim Hrim Klim Glaum Gam Ganapataye Varavarada Sarva Janame Vashamanaya Svaha.
We are always happy to share the magic of Bali Island with positive people!
Sincerely, Bali Open Group, authors of the blog baliopen.org
