Legends of Ganesh Aarti Lord Ganesha, who is the elephant headed God, is a very ancient deity who is worshipped by the Hindus. Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati and is also known as ‘Ganapathi’, ‘Vinayaka’ and ‘Vigneswara’. He is the God who helps his follower to overcome all the obstacles in life and get the desired 'Moksh'. He also protects homes and cars. Ganesha is also associated with learning and study. Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the first deity before the beginning of any religious ceremony. Every project is started with adoring this God. Worshipping Lord Ganesha endows the man with courage and confidence needed for any endeavour. The priest with the chanting of Ganesh Aarti invokes the presence of Lord Ganesha using the statue as a channel, or body for his energy. This ritual is called as the ‘Pranapratishhtha’. After this, the ritual called ‘Shhodashopachara’ (16 ways of paying tribute) follows, with the coconut, jaggery, modaks, durva (trefoil) blades of grass and red flowers. The statue is anointed with red unguent, typically made of ‘kumkum’ and sandalwood paste. Hymns of Ganesh Aarti Lord Ganesha is worshipped by the aarti- Jai Ganesh Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh deva Mata jaki Parvati, Pita Mahadeva. Ek dant dayavant, char bhuja dhari Mathe sindur sohai, muse ki savari, Jai Ganesh... Andhan ko ankh det, kodhin ko kaya Banjhan ko putra det, nirdhan ko maya, Jai Ganesh... Pan chadhe, phul chadhe, aur chadhe meva Ladduan ka bhog lage, saht kare seva, Jai Ganesh... Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh, Jai Ganesh deva, Mata jaki Parvati, Pita Mahadeva The aarti can be translated as- The devotee perform salutations to Lord Ganesha who is the son of great Lord Shiva and Parvati, who is daughter of the mountain king Himalaya. He is the Lord of compassion, who has single tusk, four arms and a bright mark of vermilion on the forehead. The mouse serves for his conveyance. People offer him betel leaves, blossoms, dry fruits and ‘laddus’. Famous Ganpati Aarti sung in central India is: ‘Om gan ganapateye namo namah Shri siddhi vinaayak namo namah, Ast vinaayak namo namah, Ganpati bappa moray...’ Significance of Ganesh Aarti Lord Ganesha is one of the most sacred and loved Hindu Gods. Each new puja is started by first worshipping and offering worships to Lord Ganesha. He is invoked and called to preside over any worship. Lord Ganesha is also the first to be worshipped in any fortunate event. Blessings of Lord Ganesha are believed to be the most powerful ones. |