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Shri
Ganesh
 Lord
Ganesh is the most popular deity of GSBs. God is
said to be omnipresent and this is virtually
true in the case of Ganesh as we can see his
pictures and idols everywhere including the
wedding or upanayanam invitations besides New
Year and Diwali Greeting Cards. He is worshipped
on every occasion or while embarking on any
work, as a remover of hurdles.
Though he is the presiding deity of
wisdom, rarely people pray him for wisdom.
Legend
:
Lord
Shiva angrily cuts off the head of a boy, who
did not permit him to enter his own place. When
Mother Goddess Gowri tells him that the boy was
her creation and son, to pacify
her,
he orders his men to bring the head of any
living being that sleeps during daytime
stretching its head pointing to south. They
found a baby elephant doing so and without any
hesitation brought its head.
Thus the boy was reborn as Gajanan, the
elephant-headed one. Shiva made him the leader
of the ganas, Ganapati
or Ganesh with blessings that he would
receive the salutations first
as Vighneshwara
or the remover of hurdles. Ganesh is
known for granting boons and favours instantly.
He likes sweet modakas,
simple
durva grass and dasavala flowers (hibiscus) and
his colour is that of blood. His favourite day
is Tuesday. There is a belief that we must not
keep the idols of Ganesh at home as he might ask
for food or nivedya.
God in any form never asks for food as
God is always a giver and not a receiver.
Every
year on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi Ganapati
festival is celebrated in most of the GSB homes.
They bring the clay idols of Ganesh for a
day-long worship with great happiness and at
night the idol will be ceremoniously immersed in
the well, lake, river or the sea. It is a day of
great rejoices but only such of those families
who have inherited the worship of Ganesh will
perform the pooja. In many temples, Ganesh is
one of the parivar devatas and while starting
any business or opening any office premises,
Ganahomas, or havans are performed.
In
Mumbai, two GSB Institutions celebrate
Sarvajanik Ganeshotsav when thousands from all
parts of the city congregate:
GSB
Seva Mandal, at Matunga Mumbai celebrates 5 days
Ganeshotsav. A gold crown worth Rs.1.00
crore adorns this 16 feet high Ganapati.
People in thousands participate.
The
celebration at Shri Ram Mandir Wadala, Mumbai
will last for 11 days and is well attended on
all days. Besides
regular poojas, havans, homas
in the evenings there will be cultural
programmes
during the festival in both the places. (Pic.
Lord Ganesh in Shirali temple one of the
Kuladevata
Temples.)
Sankasti:
Sankasti is
one vrita which is observed by many devotees to
win the grace of Lord
Ganesh who
is supposed to
bestow it immediately. According to this
vow
one has to observe fasting on
the 4th day of black half of lunar
month, i.e on Chowti during
Krishna Paksha during the day and take food only after the moon-rise at
night,
after seeing the moon. Tuesday is supposed to be Ganapati
Bappa’s day and if Sankasti
falls
on this day it is regarded
more auspicious called Angarika.
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