8/14/2019 Vighna Nivaraka Chaturthi - Ganesh Chaturthi

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8/14/2019 Vighna Nivaraka Chaturthi - Ganesh Chaturthi

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8/14/2019 Vighna Nivaraka Chaturthi - Ganesh Chaturthi

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why.

On this Bha:drapad Sukla Chathurtthi day people worship Gaja:nana with freshlotuses, honeyed fragrant flowers, greeny shoots and leafy stems of variousmedicinal plants and trees brought from pure forest shrubs. They use Maizecandles, sugarcane, banyans, unhybrid & natural sweet juicy fruits etc., toworship God.The function in a nut shell enlightens us that we shouldn't disrespect or illtreat animals, plants and trees. We should also worship them with an attituderealising that they are also different forms put in His service.

We offer our Mangalasasanams to you all on this auspicious occasion forworshipping Gaja:nana with heartful devotion and thus always be in His wonderfulservice without obstacles of any sort.Jai Srimannarayana ! **********************************

Speaking on the significance of Viswaksena'sworship on BhAdrapada sukla Ekadasi, HH SriTridandi Jeear Swamy discussed the importand ofthe Commander in Chief of Periya Perumal in oursampradAyam, and how he is one of four dEvathaswho have the power of removing obstacles. Whilepopular Hinduism sees these obstacles as thoseobstructing good education and material success,Sri Jeear Swamy pointed out that for aSriVaishnava the obstacles that must be dispelledare those that stand in the way of doingnityakainkaryam to SrimanNarayana.

The most popular and well known of the Ganapatisis Vinayaka, recognized by his gaja mukham(elephant head), which is adorned withVibhuti(sacred ash), and Ekadantham (one tusk).This is the popular god of Hinduism that wasbrought to life in a clay doll by Parvathi, andthen was beheaded and restored to life as thelovable elephant headed Deity by Siva. ThisGanesha is the Deity that is worshipped by Saivason the Vinayaka Chaturthi Day.

The Remover of Obstacles worshipped bySriVaishnavas is Viswaksenar (sEnai mudiliyAr),the Commander in Chief of Perumal's MilitaryForces who is also recognized as an AchAryan in

our paramparai. He is the one whom we shoulddirectly beseech to remove all obstacles thatstand in the way of our kainkaryam to the Lord.It is said that while the Lord is enjoying thecompany of ThayAr in the lovely gardenssurrounding paramapadam, Sri Viswaksenar isguarding the Divine Couple and is also taking careof all of the matters of state for them, in a moodakin to Lakshmana. Sri Viswaksenar's nature issuch that He survives solely on the sEsham ofemperumAn Alone. His form is similar to the

8/14/2019 Vighna Nivaraka Chaturthi - Ganesh Chaturthi

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Lord's, but he has been seen taking on a elephantheaded form, as well. In this form, however, SriViswaksenar, contrary to his saiva counterpart,has two tusks (dviradAs) and dons Thiruman on hisforehead.

Before describing the third "Ganesha," HH touchedon a rather mysterious fourth, Sri Prasna, who isdescribed in pAncharAthra Agamam. He is said tohave emerged out of a great yAgam to Perumal thatwas being performed by Indran.

The Third Remover of Obstacles is the MostPowerful of All - and really is the only One thatwe need - having 19 heads, each adorned withUrdhvapundram, and 4 arms. MAndukya Upanishad goesinto great detail on describing this 4th and onlytrue Remover of Obstacles as being Sriman NarayanaHimself. Perumal Himself as the Protector andBenefactor of each and every soul, removes theobstacles that stand between Him and HisDevotees. This avathAran of the Lord is alwaysseen standing with ThAyAr as SriLakshmiGanapathi. Sri HH touched upon how theignorance of the masses has led to a severemisrepresenation of this Avatharan, and how weshould not let this sway us from our recognitionthat Sri LakshmiGanapathi is Sriman NarayanaHimself.

Sri HH went on to analogize how the three Ganeshas(other than Sri Prasna) are each a controller ofone of three states of an individual'sconsciousness, jAgrath dasa, swapna dasa, andshusupthi dasa. In the first state, the wakingstate, we are responsibile for the performance ofkarmas, the adherence to proper conduct, and thefulfilment of both material and spiritualpursuits. Consequently, it is this stage that ismost important to the path of the spiritualaspirant. While the other two Ganapathis protectus in the other two stages under the direction ofthe Lord, the Lord Himself as Sri LakshmiGanapathiprotects and helps us in each and every aspect ofour waking state, whether or not a jivan knows Hispresence or not.