The legend around the birth of Lord Ganesha goes like this. Goddess Parvati once made a boy out of the dirt on her body. This boy of dirt soon came alive. Parvati went to have a bath and told the boy to guard the place and not allow anyone in. This boy was guarding the entrance when Shiva arrived, demanding to see his spouse. Since the boy had come to life in Shiva’s absence, he did not recognise Shiva. He stood forward and barred the Lord’s entry. Shiva was so enraged by at the boy’s stubborn resistance that he cut off the boy’s head with his Trishul. Then Parvati emerged from her bath and finding the boy beheaded, she exclaimed that this was her son. Seeing her grief, Shiva repented and sent his men out to look for a head in the forest to replace the boy’s lost head. The men brought him an elephant’s head. Shiva fixed this elephant head on the boy and made him alive again. This boy was called Ganesha. Later Shiva declared Ganesha to be his own son and pronounced that the boy would be the first to be worshipped among gods. The boy was appointed the head of all the ‘Ganas’ (classes of beings) and thus named Ganapati.
Significance of Ganesha’s birth
Parvati in this story represents the mind. Parvati’s dirt represents Maya, which is the distraction produced by illusion and the lust of the mind. The boy was made of Maya which is why he prevented Shiva (the Soul) from meeting the mind (Parvati). Cutting the head off denotes the removal of Maya and replacing it with an elephant’s head (it is said that an elephant never forgets) signifies the reawakening of the lost memory that the mind and the Soul should be together for creation to happen.
Importance of Ganesha in Muladhara Chakra
Ganesha signifies the true purpose of our birth which is the Mula (Basic), Adhar (Foundation) of our existence. Praying to Ganesha awakens the memory of one’s life purpose on this earth. He signifies the Riddhi, Siddhi and Buddhi one needs for inner awakening to realise the existence of the soul. Worship of Ganesha removes obstacles from our path and leads us towards our true goals.
Know more about the mystical Muladhara or Root chakra located at the base of the spinal cord in the workshop done in Chakra Yog which is available in 3 parts.
