Vinayaka is one of the forms of Lord Ganesha, He is portrayed as Vinayaka. In this eighth form, he is depicted as a reputed leader. Lord Ganesha is worshipped first before the beginning of any new venture. According to the Bhavishya Purana, Lord Ganesha leads noble people towards the path of righteousness, hence He is known as Vinayaka. The deity with the face of an elephant is the son of Lord Shiva and Parvati. Vinayaka refers to being a Nayaka (hero) or Swami (leader). It is believed when a devotee worships and prays to Him with faith and devotion and performs the rituals of Punyahvachan, and then he will not come across any hindrances in his work. In this form, the Lord is regarded as the vanquisher of disasters.
According to the various legends mentioned in Mahapuranas and Upapuranas, Lord Ganesha was without a father or Nayaka, thus he is known as Vinayaka. In some accounts, the Lord is identified as the son of Ambika. He was assigned as the leader of the Ganas or Bhutaganas (troops of ghosts), by Lord Shiva and Lord Brahma. He was given the task of creating obstacles and difficulties in the actions of asuras or demons and sinners. Vinayaka is also known as Rajaputra, Kusmanda, Salakatankata, Sammitra and Mitra. The ancient Hindu religious scriptures describe that in this form, Lord Ganesha has three eyes and four hands, in which He holds a serpent, his own tusk, a rosary, a pasa or ankusa, sweets and a coconut.
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