Avadhoot Dandekar

Who is Ganesha? What is Ganesha? Is he a God? Is he a Lord? Is he a Deity? Is he the great son of Shiva and Parvati? Is he real, or is he just a myth? All mythological stories, when examined closely, lead us to a fundamental question: Is the story real, or is it just a myth? This applies to all mythological stories without exception because they are not historical records. There is no concrete proof or historical evidence to confirm their authenticity. These mythological stories have traveled far through time, far beyond Itihasa (meaning historical in Sanskrit) and Purana (meaning ancient or very old in Sanskrit). The mythological story of Ganesha has much more to teach us. It has many metaphors hidden within it. At first glance, the story may seem simple, but it holds much deeper meanings and insights. Let’s explore and uncover the metaphors hidden within the story.

There are four dimensions to existence. The first two dimensions are existence and non-existence. The matter exists, and the non-matter is non-existent. We can perceive matter, but we can not perceive the non-matter. We can perceive the body, but we can not perceive the soul. The first two dimensions of perceivable matter are Physics and Metaphysics. We can see physical matter, but we can not see metaphysical matter. We can touch and feel the physical matter. But we can not perceive the subatomic or metaphysical world of matter the same way as matter. To perceive the subatomic and the metaphysical matter, we have to dive deep into the matter. And this is possible only through sensitive and precise experiments.

In the same way, there are two dimensions of the non-physical. And these two dimensions are Metaphorical and Spiritual. Spirituality is the depth of everything. Spirituality means a path of experiencing the truth or reality as it is. It is a discovery of Atman and Brahman. Now this experience of truth can never be expressed directly. This is always expressed indirectly through symbols and myths. We say that reality bites. Reality is always expressed indirectly. A doctor gives us pills when we are sick. All the pills are bitter in taste. Since we can not take them directly, the bitter pills are always coated with sugar. So the bitter pills are given to us indirectly. The same is the story with the eternal truth. The Sages and Gurus have always given reality in sugar-coated pills. The ancients have expressed the eternal truth through mythology. All mythological stories are symbolic and poetic expressions of existential reality. Since truth or reality can not be expressed directly, it has always been expressed through mythological stories. The research in communication reveals that images and pictures convey seven times more effectively than words. Expression and communication through images and pictures are more effective and powerful. It seems this was true even in ancient times, and this is also true in modern times.

Now, let us try to understand the story of Ganesha, the elephant-headed God. Let us uncover the true meaning of the story. Let us discover the truth hidden in the myth. Let us unlock the truth hidden behind the symbols.

Shiva and Parvati (the Shakti) are considered the God and Goddess of Tantra. Shiva is masculine energy, and Shakti is feminine energy. Shiva is the active energy, and Shakti is the passive energy. Shiva is proactive energy, and Shakti is reciprocating energy. These two energies are the energies of the whole creation. These two energies are complementary to each other. They are not antagonistic to each other. They are not opposed to each other. They complement and complete each other. Therefore, on the path of Tantra, the two divine energies, Shiva and Shakti, merge into each other and become one energy. This one energy is called Ekalinga. Ekalinga is a union of Shiva and Shakti. The same duality is again transformed into non-duality. The Sat, truth, the reality is One, and it manifests into duality - existence and non-existence, matter and spirit, Prakriti and Purusha. To manifest, reality has to be in dialectics - existence and non-existence, matter and non-matter, physical and non-physical, creation and non-creation. Manifestation is Duality, and non-manifestation is Singularity. To think of manifestation and non-manifestation as two distinct things is also a duality. The wholeness is a reality. The oneness is a reality.

Parvati is preparing for her bath. She used the bull Nandi, her husband Shiva’s consort, to guard her while taking her bath. But the bull Nandi was always loyal to Shiva. He always allowed Shiva to get in. This has happened every time Parvati took her bath. This is a symbolic story. How can bull Nandi guard Parvati while she is taking her bath? This can not be a true story. She could have just locked the door from inside. This is just common sense. Then there was no need for the bull Nandi to guard her while she was taking her bath. Moreover, Shiva and Parvati are considered as God and Goddess. Anything could have been possible to them. Please also note that this story is before the birth of Ganesha. In the life of Shiva and Parvati, their son Ganesha has not yet been born. It seems they were in their honeymoon days. It appears that they were a newly married couple. They must have just started their newly married life. In the life of a newly married couple, this thing is quite obvious. During the honeymoon days, this thing is quite obvious. The bathing of a woman has always been historically used and portrayed as a sensuous symbol. All modern movies and films use this method of portraying sensuousness. This is also natural in the life of a newly married couple. The man always tries to see his woman draped in sensuous clothes. It is quite natural to see her in drenched clothes. The man wants to see his woman while she is taking her bath. He also wants to see her while she is wearing her clothes. If she does not allow him to see her and bolt the room from inside, he will try to peep at her from the peephole. Let her do whatever, he will find his own ways and means to see her without clothes. All this is natural on the path of Tanta. The path of Tantra means to move from lust to love. The journey of Tantra means moving from sex to supreme consciousness. It is a journey to move from lust to love. And just getting stuck only at the level of lust and sex is dangerous. The whole journey of Tantra is to move from Muladhara to Sahasrara. Tantra is an inner journey to move from the lower energy center to the highest energy center. On this path of Tantra, Muladhara is the beginning, and Sahasrara is the goal. On this path of Tantra, lust is the beginning, and love is the goal. On this path of Tantra, sex is the beginning, and supreme consciousness is the goal. Only through Agama (Tantra) can the Nigama (Veda) be explained, understood, and experienced. The ultimate knowledge is that of the experience of the Vedas. Yoga and Tantra are Agama Shastras. Vedas and Upanishads are Nigama Shastras. Agama is part of the doing. Nigama is part of experiencing. When a Guru tells a disciple it is Nigama. When the disciple listens and practices, it is Agama. When the disciple experiences the truth on his own, it is Nigama. The scriptures are just a reference. Eventually, the direct personal experience of the truth is of importance.

What does the bull Nandi represent in this story? Nandi is a symbol of our mind. It is only our mind that can guide us on this journey of Tantra. If you ask psychologists, they say there is no sex in the body, only in the mind. The mind of a man is full of sexual thoughts. Modern research states that 80% of a man’s mind is occupied with sex. The mind can be a friend or an enemy, depending on the individual. Sex and lust are often more powerful than the mind, and they have always overshadowed it. History shows wars fought over a woman or for love. There’s a saying that says everything is fair in love and war. So, Nandi symbolizes the mind. Since Nandi was Shiva’s consort, he was loyal to Shiva, which is quite obvious. My mind is always loyal to me. In the past, Nandi always allowed Shiva to enter; it was consistent. But this time, Parvati wanted a proper safeguard. That means the love affair was ongoing. Parvati was bathing, and Shiva was entering, a behavior Nandi always allowed. Controlling one’s mind isn’t easy. Transforming the mind is difficult, too. Transcending sex isn’t that simple. Going beyond sex isn’t easy either. This time, Parvati wanted to solve the problem permanently. She created Ganesha from the turmeric paste of her body. Women use turmeric paste to enhance their beauty. Women have always been symbols of love and beauty, as created by God. Sadly, men have nothing else to do but admire her beauty and express love: “I love you.” It’s ultimately her decision whether to accept or reject. Men really have no other choice. To me, sex out of lust is sex, and sex out of love is love. Let me express Sex, Lust, and Love through equations. Lust + Sex = Sex. And, Love + Sex = Love. It is that simple.

Let me reveal some secrets of Tantra. Initially, the entire universe existed in a state of singularity. This was called non-existence. It was in a state of absolute inertia. This was the initial state of Shiva. The primordial God Shiva was in a state of pure inertia. The entire non-existence was non-dynamic. It was in a state of eternal stillness. Shakti arrived and began dancing around Shiva. Shiva could not endure his inertia. He had to praise her dance. He had to admire her beauty. He had to join her in her dance. He is a man who must appreciate and mirror her love and beauty. Shiva emerges from his state of inertia and begins performing Tandava Nritya (the sacred dance of Shiva). Together, they dance to create the entire visible and perceivable universe from non-existence. This is how existence emerged from non-existence.

Carl Sagan was a great cosmologist. I am a great fan of this guy. He was a great cosmologist, but he died of cancer at a young age. He said that the whole existence is a dance of Shiva as Nataraja. Now string theory says that existence is an interconnected vibration of invisible strings. These invisible strings are always dancing. These invisible strings look like rubber bands. The vibrations are like the octaves of music. One vibration gives rise to another vibration. One octave gives rise to another octave. This is how, from the vibration of these invisible strings, the atoms and other subatomic particles are formed. String theory is also one of the emerging models of explaining the creation of the universe. This is how the universe is born out of the dance of Shiva and Shakti. This is how the creation is born out of the intense love of the two energies - masculine energy (Deva) and feminine energy (Devi).

This is how Parvati gave birth to Ganesha from the turmeric paste of her body. Giving birth to a baby from the turmeric paste can not be acceptable to biologists. This goes against science. This goes against biology. Richard Dawkins is a world-renowned evolutionary biologist. He will laugh at you with this kind of explanation. This must be a metaphor. Let us try to decode it. The whole human body is made of billions of cells. Each cell in the body is a micro-body itself. The cells of the body have immense power. There is a far bigger program embedded in the cell of the body. The test-tube baby and a baby out of surrogacy have become a new reality. Currently, science requires both a sperm and an egg to create a viable embryo, though the technology of In Vitro Gametogenesis (IVG) is developing to potentially create eggs and sperm from other cells, such as skin cells. Researchers have also created synthetic embryo models from stem cells that are not able to develop into a live birth. IVG research is progressing, offering potential new ways to achieve biological parenthood, even for same-sex couples. One aspect of this Ganesha story is that this technology must have existed in those times in some form. But this must be far from the truth. Because if this is true, then Parvati could have bolted her bathroom door from inside. This is a much smaller technology. There would have been no need for a Nandi and a Ganesha to safeguard Parvati while taking a bath. That means there must be a metaphor here also. Let us unlock it. Let us unlock the metaphor. The birth of a child and reproduction require the Muladhara Chakra. All new life is out of the sex energy. In some Tantra scriptures, this Muladhara Chakra is depicted in a yellow color. This yellow turmeric paste is a metaphor for the Muladhara Chakra. On their life journey, they may have decided to become parents. Parvati may have given birth to a baby boy. This is again a strategy on the path of Tantra. To deviate from sex, the couple on the path of Tantra can think of giving birth to a child. This is a good strategy to transform the energy flowing at the Muladhara Chakra. It can now flow to other higher chakras. The highest chakra, Sahasrara Chakra, is a chakra of infinite love and compassion. You may then ask, how giving birth to a child is a strategy on the path of Tantra? Just think! When a wife gives birth to a child, she is no longer just a wife but becomes a mother. And when a husband gives birth to a child, he is no longer just a husband but becomes a father. The old energies of the old husband and wife move into a totally different dimension. The energies move in the direction of the parents. The energies move cohesively in parenthood. This shift happens in the earlier energy field. This is a turning point in the life of the parents on the path of Tantra.

Please remember that Shiva and Parvati both knew the whole secret of the Tantra. They are simply sharing secrets with the world for the benefit of mankind out of love and compassion.

Now the second hurdle starts. Sex does not ordinarily go out of the mind so easily. After childbirth, a woman is more engrossed in the upbringing of the child. Her energies are directed towards the growth of her child. And she shows less interest in sex. And the small child sometimes comes in the way of the man. The man feels that his woman is not giving him much attention. He sees that much of her attention is moving towards the child. Sometimes the child becomes a bone of contention between the couple. Through this process, the parents also learn. The couple should be careful while planning for their child.

Gana means a follower and Isha means the Supreme. Ganesha means a follower of the Supreme Consciousness.

Happy Ganesh Chaturthi 2020 😀 #HappyGaneshChaturthi

Want to know the Ganesha Story??https://t.co/l8GGcjlW3i pic.twitter.com/O9bavKEtAn

— Avadhoot Dandekar 🚶 (@AvadhootMe) August 22, 2020

In the above story, the child Ganesha must have come in the way of the lust of Shiva. It may be that Shiva was behaving in the same old fashion. It is a scientific fact that most of our habits are robotic. It appears that our instincts and habits are programmed. This time, his bull Nandi (his own mind) could not do any trick because the child was in the way. The child was not an ordinary child. The child was Ganesha. The child was born out of the purest love of Shiva and Shakti. The child must have been immensely intelligent. It is a fact that children are normally very honest and straightforward. They say whatever comes to their mind. They don’t think twice. Ganesha must have been intelligent, but must have been immature, being a small child. There must have been some discussion and argument between the father and the child. As a child, Ganesha might have argued with his father with a lot of intelligence. The word Ganesha is made of two words - Gana and Isha. Ganas means the followers. Ganas means all the resources at the bottom of the pyramid. Isha means the supreme commander. Isha means the Master. Isha means the supreme God. Isha means the Leader. Let us just peep into our own being and understand who is the Master and who are the Followers. Our soul is the Master, and all the other parts of the body are the Followers. The mind is a follower of the soul. The soul is the master, and the mind is a follower. The soul is the Leader, and the mind is the Follower. But unfortunately, we have made up our mind as the master. The mind has its own misery. The mind is like a monkey. This is really a sad story. The mind has to be transformed from a smaller mind to a bigger mind. The mind has to be transformed from a lower mind to a higher mind. What is the bigger mind? What is a higher mind? A mind that is calm, composed, and centered must be bigger. A mind that is blissful and compassionate must be higher. A mind that has experienced Isha or the Supreme Consciousness must be higher.

There are three metaphors here. The one is the chopping of the head of boy Ganesha. The second is chopping off the head with a favorite weapon of Shiva called the Trishul. And the third is substituting the head of baby Ganesha with the head of a baby elephant. These are the three metaphors here that need to be understood. You will be surprised to know that in India, you can not even kill the mad dogs in the street. The animal lovers will drag you to court if you kill the mad dogs or other animals. The local municipal corporations are not able to take any action on the mad dogs in the streets. And all over India, there are many cases of dog-bite deaths. Very recently, the Supreme Court of India has expressed shock at all this. And to Shiva as a God, there does not arise any question of killing an animal or a boy. And to Shiva, as a God, there does not arise any question of killing his own son, even without the knowledge of Ganesha being his son. If God can kill, then He is not a God. Shiva, as a God, can not even think of killing an animal. God gives us only life. God gives us life to know and experience that the source of life is immortal and deathless. God means life, and life means God. As an intelligent boy, Ganesha must have defeated and refuted all the arguments of Shiva. Shiva must have noticed the intelligence within Ganesha. And Shiva must have also noticed that his mind is innocent and immature. As a father and Guru, Shiva must have given all the divine knowledge and wisdom to Ganesha. In Indian scriptures, they have used a very mysterious word called Dwij. The word Dwij means twice-born. One birth is the physical birth that we get through our parents. And by default, there is an ego and ignorance. Nobody is enlightened by birth. This ego in a human being can become as big as infinity. A Guru can come into our lives to kill this ego. Guru literally means the death of ignorance. It means the birth of wisdom. The death of the ego is the beginning of a new life. And with the death of the ego, we are again born anew. This new birth is the birth of the Enlightenment. When the ego is out, then God is in. When I am not, God is. And when I am, God is just impossible. This is the whole mystery. Ego and God can not stay together. The first metaphor of chopping the head of Ganesha means that Shiva must have killed the ego of Ganesha. Shiva must have helped Ganesha in transforming his mind. Shiva must have been a Catalyst and a Change Agent in transforming the lower mind of Ganesha to a higher mind. The weapon that is used to chop the head is called the Trishul. This is a favorite weapon of Shiva. Trishul is a metaphor for the three Gunas or attributes. The three Gunas are Tamas, Rajas, and Satva. Tamas means inertia, Rajas means motion, and Satva means balance. Tamas means motion, Rajas means acceleration, and Satva means Dynamic Equilibrium. Satva means a higher state of the mind. Satva means a balanced, composed, and blissful mind. Satva is a key. Satva means stillness. It is stillness in the dynamic world of actions. The head of a baby elephant is a metaphor for this higher mind. Look at the elephant. He has a big head. This is an indication of a higher mind and an evolved mind. It is an indication of no-mind. The ears of the elephant are very big. This is a metaphor for listening ears. We have ears, but we don’t listen. And if we don’t listen silently to a Guru, then the knowledge of the Upanishads is not possible. The very literal meaning of the word Upanishad means sitting down under the feet of a Guru or Master. This is a listening quality that is needed on the path of divine knowledge. The elephant has very large eyes. The large eyes are a metaphor for seeing the invisible. This is a metaphor to see the non-existence. With the help of the perceivable existence, we have to see the non-existence. With the help of our eyes, we have to see the invisible. With the help of the outer eyes, we have to move to the inner eye. The big eyes of the baby elephant are a metaphor for the inner eyes. The inner eyes mean the third eye. Look at the scientists. They are all scratching their heads. In the recent CERN experiments, they have reached the Higgs Boson. In the ancient scriptures, they have talked about Dur Drishti and Divya Drishti. Dur Drishti means a distant vision, and Divya Drishti means a divine vision. Divine vision means to see the invisible. Divine vision means to see the seer who is seeing through our being. Look at our being. It is not the eyes that are looking outside. Somebody is looking from within. God is looking from within. The creator has created the creation and is looking at his own creation. The creator is creating and looking at his own creation. The large eyes of the baby elephant are a metaphor for this vision. The large eyes of the baby elephant are a metaphor for an Enlightened Vision. The baby elephant has a large mouth but with only one tooth. Ganesha has also been called an Ekadanta. This is another name of Ganesha. He is formless and yet has many forms. He is nameless and yet has many names. Ekadanta means the one who has only one tusk. This one tusk is a metaphor for One Truth. There is only one science on Earth, but there are more than 300 religions. There is only One Truth, but there are hundreds of scriptures. The big mouth or throat is a metaphor for the realization of the Throat Chakra or Vishuddha Chakra. It is said that one must speak only after the realization of this Chakra. With the realization of this Vishudha Chakra, one will be capable of speaking only one truth and the eternal truth. The one tusk is a metaphor for one truth, and the big mouth is a metaphor for the Vishudha Chakra. So we have covered all the metaphors that are involved in the head of the baby elephant.

This is how Shiva has helped Ganesha to transform himself to a higher level of consciousness. This is how Ganesha acquired divine knowledge through their parents. He was young and also intelligent. He was a young, enlightened being. Through his parents, he became an Enlightened Leader. He was innocent but with a lot of awareness. He was innocent and intelligent. He was a young God. This is the reason why Ganesha is worshiped during school and college days. He is worshiped during the learning days of life. Life is, in fact, endless learning. Ganesha is the God of knowledge and wisdom. He is not only a God of the young but also a God of the old. He is not only a God of the beginnings but also a God of the endings.

This is the reason why in India, we begin everything with Ganesha and end everything with Ganesha.

Let us uncover the last metaphor. All Gods, including Ganesha, have four hands. This is a metaphor for having multiple skills. This is a metaphor for doing multiple tasks. This is a metaphor for multi-lateral thinking. This is a metaphor for multi-dimensional knowledge. This is a metaphor for a collaborative approach to problem-solving. The four hands indicate the understanding of the four Vedas. The four hands represent the four fundamental forces of the universe - Gravitational Force, Electromagnetic Force, Weak Nuclear Force, and Strong Nuclear Force. The four hands represent the four dimensions of existence: Physical, Metaphysical, Metaphorical, and Spiritual. The four hands are a metaphor for the four-dimensional existence - x, y, z (three spatial dimensions), and time (t) as the fourth dimension. The four hands are a metaphor for the four-dimensional subjective universe (mind universe) - past, present, future, and eternal.

Ganesha has knowledge of all four dimensions of existence. Such is the greatness of Ganesha. Jai Jai Ganesha!! 💡

The path of Tantra means moving from lust to love. It involves transitioning from sex to Supreme Consciousness. It is a journey from body love to soul love. The journey is about ascending into higher dimensions of being. I may not fully understand my body through my body alone; I might need the help of another body to truly know myself. I may not be aware of my feelings, and I may require the feelings of the other person to understand my own. The greatest human need is the need for connection with another person. Shiva says that Shakti is Agama, a way to know oneself. She is in the process of self-discovery. Shakti says that Shiva is Nigama, the ultimate goal of all knowledge. He is the formless Ekalinga, the ultimate goal. This is the science of Tantra. Sticking only at lust and sex can be dangerous; they can be starting points or triggers, but the real goal remains distant. The entire Tantra journey is about moving from Muladhara to Sahasrara. It is an inner journey from the lowest energy center to the highest, from lust to love, from sex to Supreme Consciousness. On this path, Muladhara is the beginning, and Sahasrara is the ultimate destination. Lust and sex mark the start, but love and Supreme Consciousness are the goals.