He protects all beings, in addition to the doors of temples and houses, and bestows upon worshippers the ability to open their spiritual gifts. He is considered to be the guardian of beauty, for example, as well as the bearer of grace, compassion, and prosperity. In addition to being the remover of obstacles and Master of Wisdom and Knowledge, Ganesha also encompasses various other forms of symbolism. That, in a nutshell, is how the great Ganesha with the elephant head came into being. This greatly upset Parvati, and upon seeing her distress, Shiva promised to give Ganesha a new head from the very next living being he could find. But later on, when Ganesha refused to allow Shiva into his home, they ended up dueling and Shiva cut off Ganesha’s head. Here we find that Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva (the Hindu Lord of Transformation and Supreme Reality) and the Goddess Parvati (the Hindu Mother of the Cosmos), who was brought to life to guard Parvati’s door and keep her safe from harmful intruders. In order to explain the elephant head, we must turn to Hindu legend held within the Vedic scriptures. The trunk is believed to symbolize his ability to “lift obstacles,” while his rat friend is able to enter small spaces and overcome obstacles there, too.īut how did the elephant head come about? Usually, you’ll find a rat companion at his side as well. Typical depictions of the deity include his having anywhere between four and ten arms, a sideways-bent trunk, a pot belly signifying fullness and contentment, and attire of predominantly yellow or red. You’ve likely seen Lord Ganesha before, known mostly widely for his elephant head.

Ganesha, the deity with the elephant head You can listen to the mantra chanted here, but in order to fully understand why this mantra exists, we must first understand the story of Ganesha himself.

This chant is repeated for a recommended forty days (in a ideally ritual conducted at the same time every day) in hopes Ganesha will aid the speaker in spiritual transcending, healing, awakening consciousness, and using the power of the mind to overcome obstacles. Essentially, by chanting (either out loud or internally) the mantra, “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha,” (one of many mantras chanted in honor of Ganesha), devotees are believed to be using the sacred power of words and their accompanying sounds to call on their Lord Ganesha. What is the meaning of the phrase, “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha?”Īccording to the Hindu faith, Lord Ganesha is the Master of Wisdom and Knowledge, the awakening of the inner consciousness, and the first deity to be honored in Hindu rites.

Om gan ganapataye namo namah