Vinayaka Chavithi Significance

Vinayaka Chavithi Significance

Suklambaradharam Visnum Sasivarnam Caturbhujam
Prasanna Vadanam Dhyayet-sarva Vighnopa Santaye

(The one who wears a) white garment, all pervading (all encompassing), white colored, possessing four arms, pleasant face - (Upon Him) I meditate for the removal of all obstacles.

Agajanana Padmarkam Gajanana Maharnisam
AnekaDantham Bhaktanam Ekadantham Upasmahe

Seated on Lotus, with an elephant face, you have many devotees, O single tusked Lord, I worship thee

Om gananam tva ganapatim havamahe kavim kavinam upamasravastamam
jyestha rajam brahmanam brahmanas pata a nah srnvannutibhi sida sadanam

Through praises we worship You – Lord of the Vedas
Leader of all groups of devas; Visionary of visionaries
One who has great fame through various metaphors
Most exalted of the Knowers of Brahman
One who shines in the heart of devotees, hearing our prayers
Please sit at the altar in our hearts with all protective means.

Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atma 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 Modakam (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atma. 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.

Palavelli Preperation:

Palavelli is a mesh sort of thing made of sticks:

Get the following fruits and tie them to the palavelli, towards one side:

Raw mango
Coconut flower
Lotus flower
A maize corn
Banana fruit
Guava fruit
Pomegranate

Vinayaka chavithi Puja Preparations:

Clean the North-east corner (Isanya corner) of the house (a place where the deity is to be placed), make rangoli with colors or rice flour. Keep a pedestal to place the vinayaka pooja murti. Apply turmeric to this pedestal and place kumkum and rice flour dots on the edges. Make a rangoli of 8-Petal lotus on this pedestal.

The person performing the pooja has to sit facing east. Place a Vinayaka murti on the pedestal. Then make a small mount of wet turmeric Ganesha (usually a small mount) and place a dot of kumkum. Take a plate with some rice and place some betel leaves on the rice (in a circle, the edges of the leaves pointing out). Now place the turmeric Ganesha on this plate.

Arrange the palavelli above the Ganesh murti, so that the tied up fruits and flowers stand as umbrella.

Ganesha Nimajjanam:

Ganesha Navaratri is celebrated from the day of Chaturthi. The last rite is called “Nimmajjanam” (immersion). This ceremony on the very next day after Vinayaka Chaturthi. Other dates that are chosen for Ganapati immersion are 3rd, 5th, 7th, 10th and the Ananta Chaurdasi day after Ganesha Chaturthi. Devotees carry their ganesha in a procession, accompanied by music, dance, sweets, and fireworks.

The procession ends on the banks of a river or sea shore, where devotees immerse their clay images of lord Ganesha into water chanting “Sri Ganesham Udvaasayaami… Shobhanaartham punaraagamanaayacha”

Environmental Concerns:

On the final day of the Ganesha festival thousands of plaster icons are immersed into water bodies by devotees. These increase the level of acidity in the water and the content of heavy metals. The day after the immersion, shoals of dead fish can be seen floating on the surface of the water body as a result of this sudden increase.

Several non-governmental and governmental bodies have been addressing this issue. Among the solutions proposed by various groups some are as follows:

Return to the traditional use of natural clay icons and immerse the icon in a bucket of water at home

Use of a permanent icon made of stone and brass, used every year and a symbolic immersion only.

Recycling of plaster icons to repaint them and use them again the following year. Ban on the immersion of plaster icons into lakes, rivers and the sea. Creative use of other biodegradable materials such as paper mache to create Ganesh icons. Encouraging people to immerse the icons in tanks of water rather than in natural water bodies.

To handle religious sentiments sensitively, some temples and spiritual groups have also taken up the cause.