yajvan
04 December 2009, 11:43 AM
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~
Namasté
this post could be considered a continuation of http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4837 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4837)
It is on symbols. Since the post mentioned above was more on nama (names) , it seemed reasonable to begin a new post for symbols (saṃketa - hint, intimation or to allude to ).
Symbols are vast and wide within sanātana dharma. They are a way to communicate and depict deeper ideas, behaviors and truths.
The 1st ( which is most appropriate) is to start with some symbols of gaṇeśa.
oṁ gaṇeśvarāya namaḥ
ॐ गणेश्वराय हमः
Many have read how gaṇeśa gained his elephant head… yet I thought a reasonable question to ask is what is the meaning/symbol of this gajāsya ? And perhaps what is the symbol/meaning (saṁketa) regarding other objects like the rope (pāśa) and perhaps the goad (aṅkuśa ) ? Others are welcome to add additional items as they wish to the list.
gajāsya or gajamukha - elephant headed or elephant faced.
pāśa - noose
aṅkuśa - a hook, especially and elephant driver ( the mahout sometimes called the gajājīva) hook gajāsya or gajamukha - elephant headed or elephant faced.
The elephant is associated with memory and hearing… The notion of 'an elephant never forgets' is the idiom used. And his big flopping ears gives this gentle animal excellent hearing ability.
What is memory and what is hearing? Śruti is what is heard, directly cognized. The veda-s are considered śruti and considered the Divine Word, revelation of the Infinite revealed to the ṛṣi or one in possession of ṛta¹ consciousness.
And what of what is remembered ( memory) ? It is smṛti - recollection. What śāstra-s are considered smṛti? The vedāṅga-s ( limbs of the ved), dharmaśāstra-s ( law books), the pūraṇa-s , the ithihāsa-s.
So with gaṇeśa-ji, He possesses and is the home of all knowledge. His head represents wisdom and the source of wisdom at the same time.
More could be said about His tusk (dantin) or trunk-snout (tuṇḍa), yet appreciating symbolism of gaṇeśa-ji-s
elephant head with wisdom is the first offer. We can look at tuṇḍa and dantin in a future post if there is interest.
pāśa - noose
This noose on its own carries a symbol of capturing or roping. In gaṇeśa-ji's hands it offers ( IMHO) a few suggestions.
He uses this noose to capture obstacles. Yet it is also used to rope paśu-s and pull them in the right direction.
This could be out of the way of obstacles, or onto the right path. Now what are paśu-s ? Any tethered animal.
Five kinds are considered: a domestic animal (as opposed to mṛga or wild animal), humans, cows, horses/mules , goats and sheep.
Why are humans considered paśu-s? We are tethered to the senses - dragged here and there by them. Once mokṣa arrives, the we graduate from this grouping. Yet this noose is also used to pull one closer to the Divine, closer to gaṇeśa-ji.
Now what if a gentle tug on this rope/noose is not sufficient? Then what does gaṇeśa use? The aṅkuśa - a hook.
aṅkuśa - a hook
The aṅkuśa may be used for stubborn obstacles. Ones that require a bit more force/śakti. Both an obstacle and a person may fall into this category of 'stubborn' , stiff or inflexible. This sticking point could be a knot or granthi.
This word granthi is defined as 'a knot tied closely and therefore difficult to be undone ' . It is also defined as 'crookedness'. Some consider the ego ( ahaṁkāra is 'I maker' and māmakāra is 'mine or me maker') as one of the major knots.
I have seen in others ( and at times in me) that some of these blemishes drop with maturity, knowledge and the expansion of awareness. Perhaps only the 'rope' was needed for many of the afflictions to be removed. For other ingrained blemishes the aṅkuśa is needed for some (people), and not for others. Other blemishes were reviewed in post 20 here: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=35875&postcount=20
There are other symbols we can review e.g. mūṣaka ( mouse), thought to be tamo-guna, petty (small) desires that nibble away (like the mouse) and reek havoc quietly yet with impact over time. Gaṇeśa-ji sitting on-top of the mouse suggests subduing these negative tendencies and is pati ( Lord) over the mouse. Yet there are other views on this matter, and we can leave it for another post.
Perhaps if you know of a symbol that gaṇeśa-ji uses, you may wish to share it with the HDF reader.
tat puruṣāya vidmahe
vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi
tanno dantī pracodayāt
taittirīya āraṇyaka 10.1.5
praṇām
words
ṛta or ṛtam - as a noun divine truth ; sacred or pious action; this word ṛtam is rooted (√) in i , 'to go the right way, 'virtuous'
~~~~~
Namasté
this post could be considered a continuation of http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4837 (http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=4837)
It is on symbols. Since the post mentioned above was more on nama (names) , it seemed reasonable to begin a new post for symbols (saṃketa - hint, intimation or to allude to ).
Symbols are vast and wide within sanātana dharma. They are a way to communicate and depict deeper ideas, behaviors and truths.
The 1st ( which is most appropriate) is to start with some symbols of gaṇeśa.
oṁ gaṇeśvarāya namaḥ
ॐ गणेश्वराय हमः
Many have read how gaṇeśa gained his elephant head… yet I thought a reasonable question to ask is what is the meaning/symbol of this gajāsya ? And perhaps what is the symbol/meaning (saṁketa) regarding other objects like the rope (pāśa) and perhaps the goad (aṅkuśa ) ? Others are welcome to add additional items as they wish to the list.
gajāsya or gajamukha - elephant headed or elephant faced.
pāśa - noose
aṅkuśa - a hook, especially and elephant driver ( the mahout sometimes called the gajājīva) hook gajāsya or gajamukha - elephant headed or elephant faced.
The elephant is associated with memory and hearing… The notion of 'an elephant never forgets' is the idiom used. And his big flopping ears gives this gentle animal excellent hearing ability.
What is memory and what is hearing? Śruti is what is heard, directly cognized. The veda-s are considered śruti and considered the Divine Word, revelation of the Infinite revealed to the ṛṣi or one in possession of ṛta¹ consciousness.
And what of what is remembered ( memory) ? It is smṛti - recollection. What śāstra-s are considered smṛti? The vedāṅga-s ( limbs of the ved), dharmaśāstra-s ( law books), the pūraṇa-s , the ithihāsa-s.
So with gaṇeśa-ji, He possesses and is the home of all knowledge. His head represents wisdom and the source of wisdom at the same time.
More could be said about His tusk (dantin) or trunk-snout (tuṇḍa), yet appreciating symbolism of gaṇeśa-ji-s
elephant head with wisdom is the first offer. We can look at tuṇḍa and dantin in a future post if there is interest.
pāśa - noose
This noose on its own carries a symbol of capturing or roping. In gaṇeśa-ji's hands it offers ( IMHO) a few suggestions.
He uses this noose to capture obstacles. Yet it is also used to rope paśu-s and pull them in the right direction.
This could be out of the way of obstacles, or onto the right path. Now what are paśu-s ? Any tethered animal.
Five kinds are considered: a domestic animal (as opposed to mṛga or wild animal), humans, cows, horses/mules , goats and sheep.
Why are humans considered paśu-s? We are tethered to the senses - dragged here and there by them. Once mokṣa arrives, the we graduate from this grouping. Yet this noose is also used to pull one closer to the Divine, closer to gaṇeśa-ji.
Now what if a gentle tug on this rope/noose is not sufficient? Then what does gaṇeśa use? The aṅkuśa - a hook.
aṅkuśa - a hook
The aṅkuśa may be used for stubborn obstacles. Ones that require a bit more force/śakti. Both an obstacle and a person may fall into this category of 'stubborn' , stiff or inflexible. This sticking point could be a knot or granthi.
This word granthi is defined as 'a knot tied closely and therefore difficult to be undone ' . It is also defined as 'crookedness'. Some consider the ego ( ahaṁkāra is 'I maker' and māmakāra is 'mine or me maker') as one of the major knots.
I have seen in others ( and at times in me) that some of these blemishes drop with maturity, knowledge and the expansion of awareness. Perhaps only the 'rope' was needed for many of the afflictions to be removed. For other ingrained blemishes the aṅkuśa is needed for some (people), and not for others. Other blemishes were reviewed in post 20 here: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=35875&postcount=20
There are other symbols we can review e.g. mūṣaka ( mouse), thought to be tamo-guna, petty (small) desires that nibble away (like the mouse) and reek havoc quietly yet with impact over time. Gaṇeśa-ji sitting on-top of the mouse suggests subduing these negative tendencies and is pati ( Lord) over the mouse. Yet there are other views on this matter, and we can leave it for another post.
Perhaps if you know of a symbol that gaṇeśa-ji uses, you may wish to share it with the HDF reader.
tat puruṣāya vidmahe
vakratuṇḍāya dhīmahi
tanno dantī pracodayāt
taittirīya āraṇyaka 10.1.5
praṇām
words
ṛta or ṛtam - as a noun divine truth ; sacred or pious action; this word ṛtam is rooted (√) in i , 'to go the right way, 'virtuous'