‘Vinayaka Chaturthi’ – this word fills us with joy and we forget all our sorrows. This festival is celebrated in every Indian home. Not just India, many other countries too have tradition of celebrating Ganapati festival. That is why people of all countries are excited about Ganapati festival.

Students worship Lord Ganesha, seeking His blessings for their proper education. Traders and politicians worship Lord Ganapati and seek His blessings before starting any new task.

Lord Ganesha blesses us with broadmindedness, large-heartedness and fine outlook. He enters into our hardened intellect and drives away from it sluggishness and dullness. He then blesses us with fresh energy, enthusiasm and ability. He also grants victory for the task which the devotee has set out to execute. This is why, everyone, right from children to the aged, should unfailingly worship Lord Ganesha every single day!

Before beginning any new task, He is to be thought of and worshipped!

Lord Ganapati is an ardent devotee of His parents. Through His actions, He teaches that we should lovingly look after our parents, satisfy their needs, worship them and not cause them any sorrow. By worshipping His parents, He has become eligible for receiving the first worship (ādi pujya, Prathamavandya). Swamiji addresses this Lord as Prathamavandya, vakratunda in bhajans_._

His curved trunk (vakratunda) preaches that recitation of ‘Omkara’ is a must. His curved trunk represents Omkāra. His huge stomach houses within it innumerable universes. Just by seeing His idol we understand He is Parabrahma.

He is the lord for this entire creation which is made up of the 5 basic elements. He is easily reachable by the devotees. He is immensely pleased with just the first worship offered to Him in the beginning of any puja/ task. He grants the ashta siddhis (8 super natural accomplishments) to those who worship him with garika (grass).

With full faith and devotion, we should pray to be blessed with a good intellect (buddhi). Why do we seek good buddhi? Only when the intellect is good, accomplishments come to us.

It is a well known fact that through good buddhi, children can inculcate good and noble traits. With this their future will be bright. Parents too will love and respect children who have good intellect because they will turn out to be future good citizens and will look after them with love during their old age. As a result, the entire family will be peaceful and joyful. The entire society will be reformed and rendered prosperous. The root to attain all this is ‘good buddhi.’ As it is Ganapati who showers good buddhi we should never forget Him. We should eternally praise him as ‘siddhidhoota, buddhinaatha, siddhinaayaka’.

He is the Lord of Mooladhara or the base chakra. Standing as the foundation for every cause and effect, He showers victory on to his devotees. Everyone should therefore worship this God today and obtain His blessings.

He is worshipped today with all different types of leaves. This is to seek the protection of nature. When the nature is at peace, it will rain abundantly. In this way all are inter-connected. Ganapati is the essence of this nature.

He should be worshipped with the recitation of the following names-

OM Gananjayāya namaha

Om Ganapataye namaha

Om Herambāya namaha

Om Dharaneedharāya namaha

Om Mahāganapataye namaha

Om Lakshapradāya namaha

Om Kshipra prasādanāya namaha

Om Amogha siddhaye namaha

Om Amitāya namaha

Om Mantrāya namaha

Om Chintāmanaye namaha

Om Nidhaye namaha

Om Sumangalāya namaha

Om Beejāya namaha

Om āshāpoorakāya namaha

Om Varadāya namaha

Om Shivāya namaha

Om Kāshyapāya namaha

Om Vandanāya nandanāya namaha

Om Vāchāsidhāya namaha

Om Dundivināyakāya namaha

Those who think of Him with these 21 names, will not be subjected to ill-repute. They will be blessed with good knowledge, reputation and wealth.

May everyone be blessed with a good buddhi with Varasiddhi Vinayaka’s grace! May every heart be filled with purity and peace! May all this chaos, lack of peace and turbulence be wiped away from this world and it be rendered peaceful!

Om shanti shanti shanti.

(ETV Ganesh Chaturthi 2013)