Significance of Ganesha Chaturthi

by Astro Ved Online Astrology Consultation

This year, Ganesha Chaturthi will be celebrated on August 31, 2022. The day will be Wednesday which is the day of Lord Ganesha. Hence this year, the occasion will be even more special. People who want prosperity, fortune, and a path without hindrances worship Lord Ganesha this Ganesha Chaturthi.

This is a festival of ten days during which people bring home the idol Ganesha and worship it for ten days. Then finally, they take the idol to the nearby lake or river and worship it one last time before finally immersing it in the water. People sing Ganesha arti and request the Lord to come again next year.

Birth of Lord Ganesha

The day Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha. However, it is not the original birthday of Ganesha but the new birth given by Lord Shiva. Ganesha was created by the turmeric powder and sandalwood paste that Parvathi used to take a bath. The Goddess shaped it like a human child and infused it with life.

This is how Ganesha was born. Parvathi then asked Ganesha to be at the door while bathing and restrict everyone until then. Ganesha did the same, and he stood by the door. Meanwhile, Lord Shiva came there and wanted to enter; Ganesha did not know that Lord Shiva was his father and the husband of his mother. Shiva was also unknown to the fact that Ganesha was Parvathi’s son.

When Ganesha stopped Shiva from entering, both began to argue. The argument turned into a conflict, and both decided to defeat one another. However, in the fight, Lord Shiva beheaded Ganesha. All this was witnessed by Parvathi, who then became furious and took the form of Kali. The kali avatar was threatening everyone to end the world.

To seek a solution to this situation, Shiva sent his followers to bring a head of a baby child. He asked the followers only to bring the head if the child was lying down by his mother in negligence. The followers went away and started looking for a head, but they couldn’t find one.

They saw a baby elephant lying in negligence by his mother. They brought the head of the baby elephant to Mahadev. Shiva did not have enough time to wait for a human head as Ganesha was already severely injured. Thus everyone decided to attach the elephant head and save the life of Ganesha.

This is how Lord Ganesha got the head of an elephant, and the same day is celebrated as Ganesha Chaturthi. Since then, Ganesha became the giver of fortune and prosperity; he was blessed that he would be worshipped before anyone initiated any auspicious task. The one who won’t worship Ganesha might find several hindrances in his task; hence people now worship Ganesha before they worship any other gods or goddesses while initiating a new task or beginning something new.

Significance of Ganesha Chaturthi

The beginning of Ganesha Chaturthi can be traced to the kingdom of Shivaji as it was the origin of the celebration. King Shivaji started this practice of worshipping Lord Ganesha on this day. He wanted people to know the cultural importance of Hinduism, and this everyone else recognized the day as Ganesha Chaturthi.

This way, the Marathwada began celebrating Ganesha Chaturthi, which became a ten days festival. In several households, people also celebrate Ganesha Chaturthi for a few days. Also, when Gopala Krishna Gokhale was released, the public celebrated this festival on a large scale during the British era.

This was the chance that Gokhale was able to bring people of all castes together and celebrate the Ganesha Chaturthi as one.

Ganesha Chaturthi Pre-Independence

Pre-independence, it was Lokmanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak who once again brought back the celebration of Ganesha Chaturthi. The festival was a bridge to remove the differences among various castes. Tilak organized the festival so that it made everyone become one.

Tilak installed the first Ganesha idol, and it was lavishly celebrated for ten days. He organized dancing, singing Ganesha aarti and bhajans, dramas, and other activities. Once India got its intemperance, the festival gained recognition on a national level and is still celebrated.

Ganesha Chaturthi Present Day

Presently, Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated all over India by most of the Indian states. In Maharashtra, the celebration happens grandly. It is also popular in Goa, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. People clean their homes, bring the Ganesha idol, and do the lighting and décor of the entire home.

They worship the Ganesha for ten days, offer him modaks and laddoos, and sing Ganesha Arti and mantras. This is how Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated in every home in India other than Ganesha Chaturthi celebration in the streets where giant idols of Ganesha are brought and celebrated.