Ganesh Chaturthi is a festival celebrated by Hindus all over India, especially in Maharashtra to mark the birth of Ganesh ji, son of Goddess Parvati and God Shiv. This festival is celebrated on Shukla Chaturthi in the month of Bhadrapada which generally falls between August and September. This year Ganesh Chaturthi is on September 13, 2018.
People celebrate this festival with great enthusiasm. They bring clay idol of Ganesh ji and worship it for a period of ten days. People prepare modaks, which are Ganesh ji’s favorite sweet, offer puja and on the tenth day (Ananta Chaturdashi), Ganesh idols are immersed in water.
There are many mythological beliefs behind this festival. Let us have a look at them:
It is believed that once when Parvati was taking a shower, she asked Ganesh ji to guard the area and prevent anyone from entering the bathing area. When Shiv ji tried to get in that area, Ganesh ji stopped him. This enraged Shiv and he severed off Ganesh ji’s head. Witnessing this, Parvati took form of Kaali and was all set to destroy the creation. Fearing the destruction, Shiv ji ordered his disciples to get the head of the first animal they see. They found an elephant and brought its head, which was attached on Ganesh ji’s body and he was endowed with powers. From then, this festival is said to be celebrated.
Another story states that when Ganesh ji won a race against his brother Kartikeya to circle the universe, Ganesh ji was declared as the winner as he circled around his parents. Ganesh ji was blessed by Shiv ji to be worshipped first among all demigods and from then onwards Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated.
History of Celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi.
The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi was initiated by Shivaji Maharaj and was continued till the rule of Peshwas.
The celebration of Ganesh Chaturthi was started by Lokmanya Tilak during the British reign in our country in 1893 to enable people to meet. He was the main person behind the immersion of Ganesh idols on the tenth day. This festival served as meeting place for freedom fighters during that era.
Present scenario
Today, India is independent and people do not need any communal gatherings to exchange their thoughts. Everyone is free to move and to talk to anyone. So technically, we do not require such communal gatherings. Today people have started looking upon this festival from a religious point-of-view rather than communal perspective. Due to this it has become impossible to eliminate this celebration as it will hurt Hindu sentiments.
Immediately post-independence people used to be very devout while carrying out puja during Ganesh Chaturthi. But as time passed by, religious values were taken over by modernism and people started looking upon it as a means of recreation. Presently, during the festival, you will find bowers in every street with loud speakers playing vulgar songs. You will also find people drunk and playing cards in the bowers in the night as a pass-time to stay awake the whole night during the period of ten days.
The money collected in the charity box is often used to sponsor the parties or picnics after the festival gets over. The whole ten day period is full of sound pollution from loud speakers and crackers used while bringing the Ganesh idol and while taking it for immersion in the water. Also, after immersion, the next day when half dissolved idols of Ganesha comes on the shore, they are dumped in the drain. It is just not a pleasant sight to see.
Are we acting in accordance to our scriptures??
Our scriptures are the Holy Vedas and the Bhagavad Gita. Neither the Vedas nor the Gita support any kind of celebration of festivities. Our scriptures do not support worshipping any demigod. Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 9 mantra 23 and 24 states that those who worship demigods are worshipping opposite to the scriptures and it will be a cause of their decline. Those people who worship other demigods are referred to as fallen, fools, evil-doers, and people with demonic nature in Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 7 mantra 15.
People generally worship gods to attain salvation-freedom from the cycle of birth and death. The speaker of Bhagavad Gita clearly says in Adhyay 9 mantra 20 and 21, that there is only one way to attain salvation and that is by obtaining three mantras from a true saint. He has also given the way to identify a true saint in Bhagavad Gita Adhyay 15 mantra 1 to 4. Any saint who will be able to explain all the parts of the tree mentioned in this chapter will be completely knowledgeable and will be a complete saint.
Who Is That Complete Saint?
A careful study of the “Gyan” given by all the so called gurus presently reveals that no one is aware about the parts of the tree mentioned in Bhagavad Gita adhyay 15 mantra 1 to 4. Only Tatvadarshi Sant Rampal ji Maharaj is the one who is giving complete details of this upside down tree of world. To know more, please listen to his Spiritual discourses or simply visit www.supremegod.org
