The Story Behind Ganesha's Elephant Head
Ganesh is the Indic archetype for the warrior-guardian. In the cosmology of Vedic times, Ganesha is elephant-headed, having had been decapitated by his father, Shiva, during a drunken rage.
Why was Rama angry?
His son Ganesha had been retained by his mother Parvati to guard her door from unwanted intrusions during her bath.
Once he sobered up, Shiva realized his error, and asked the animals who would donate their head to replace Ganesha. Only the loyal war elephant offered her head to replace Ganesha's, seeing as Ganesha was her master. It is said that the elephant reincarnated as Ganesha's consort...
The Myth of Ganesha
In actual fact, Parvati created Ganesha because Shiva was away so much she missed conceiving and giving birth to another son. (See the link in the following URL for more details.)
Here's a link to the etymology and background for Ganesha, who may actually had been a tribal leader of a group of indigenous tribes called the Vināyakas who were conquered by the ancient Aryans of India.
Also, the Vinayaka is mentioned in Buddhist Tantra as the the six-armed form of the Buddhist protector Mahakala (Shadbhuja), which is an emanation of Avalokiteshvara standing atop an elephant headed supine figure.
Relationship between the Vinayakas and Ganesha
Quite possibly then, the Vinayakas were mythologized as demons (psychological manifestations of spiritual evil which creates difficulties and obstacles) in the Veda.
With Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist tradition, the psychological aspects of the mind represented by the Hindu god Ganesha, the Remover of Obstacles, were spiritually "propitiated" through Buddhist meditation to serve the Buddha.
Thus, the Buddhist Vinayaka represents the emanation of Avalokiteshvara known as the Buddhist protector Mahakala, who represents absolute reality without attribute, form or quality.
Later in East Asian Buddhist history Mahakala becomes one of the Chinese Seven Gods of Fortune, the God of Darkness (in Chinese, Dà hēi tiān (大黒天), and in Japanese, Daikokuten.
Through Daikokuten's relationship with Marici, Vinayaka is related to Bhaisajya Guru Buddha, the Medicine Buddha.
Reference:
Vinayaka's connection to Buddhism: http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=207
Showing posts with label Shiva. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shiva. Show all posts
20070121
How the Goddess Was Born
One day many moons ago,
Shiva spoke to the maiden
through the vision of red eyes
by a homesick woman
who'd been abandoned by her lover.
Then the maiden saw deities
come to bow and propitiate her.
For she has become Shakti.
With her new powers even the heavens moved.
Yet her dancing brought dread
to family and friends alike,
who are lost in their reality.
So they sent her to the Moon,
a 28-day stay in Limbo.
To this day the Goddess tells
very few people of her visit to dreamtime,
lest she be banished to the moon for life.
Indeed, she now feels people
who she's befriended have turned on her.
She even abandoned the stability
of Sister Serenity.
Now the past has faded away
until only the myths are left
in dreamtime, where
Shiva waits for her return
when she sleeps and
the Goddess dances
with him once again.
Shiva spoke to the maiden
through the vision of red eyes
by a homesick woman
who'd been abandoned by her lover.
Then the maiden saw deities
come to bow and propitiate her.
For she has become Shakti.
With her new powers even the heavens moved.
Yet her dancing brought dread
to family and friends alike,
who are lost in their reality.
So they sent her to the Moon,
a 28-day stay in Limbo.
To this day the Goddess tells
very few people of her visit to dreamtime,
lest she be banished to the moon for life.
Indeed, she now feels people
who she's befriended have turned on her.
She even abandoned the stability
of Sister Serenity.
Now the past has faded away
until only the myths are left
in dreamtime, where
Shiva waits for her return
when she sleeps and
the Goddess dances
with him once again.
20050521
Tantra: Beyond Sexuality - Embraced By Sensuality
Tantra is about becoming unconditional love.
The Bengali Shiva practices may make use of sexuality in its worship.
However, sexuality is merely one tool of many used by the tantrika to be embraced by the bliss of ecstatic worship of the cosmic union of God and Godddess.
Since, at the core of the tantric practice is the journey of becoming unconditional love, it helps to study the love stories of Gods and Goddesses such as Krshna and Radha, Shiva and Parvati, and others.
As well, even the love story of Princess Diana and Prince Charles is a useful tool.
Ecstatic sensuality is a spiritual practice.
Mere sexuality pales at what it can achieve: unconditional love.
"But what of Kundalini?" asks the novice.
Let go of your preconceived ideas about life and nature.
Cultivate new bonds with the web of life itself.
In this way, you become unconditional love...
The Bengali Shiva practices may make use of sexuality in its worship.
However, sexuality is merely one tool of many used by the tantrika to be embraced by the bliss of ecstatic worship of the cosmic union of God and Godddess.
Since, at the core of the tantric practice is the journey of becoming unconditional love, it helps to study the love stories of Gods and Goddesses such as Krshna and Radha, Shiva and Parvati, and others.
As well, even the love story of Princess Diana and Prince Charles is a useful tool.
Ecstatic sensuality is a spiritual practice.
Mere sexuality pales at what it can achieve: unconditional love.
"But what of Kundalini?" asks the novice.
Let go of your preconceived ideas about life and nature.
Cultivate new bonds with the web of life itself.
In this way, you become unconditional love...
20041213
All About Hinduism (Shiva, Shakti and Maya)
All About Hinduism:
Siva, Sakti And Maya
The Lord Siva pervades the whole world by His Sakti. He works through His Sakti. Sakti is the conscious energy of Lord Siva. She is the very body of Lord Siva. The potter is the first cause for the pot. The stick and the wheel are the instrumental causes. The clay is the material cause of the pot. Similarly, Lord Siva is the first cause of the world. Sakti is the instrumental cause. Maya is the material cause.
Sakti is not the material cause of the universe, because she is of the nature of consciousness (Chaitanya). Siva is pure consciousness, but matter is pure unconsciousness. Sakti is the intermediate link between the two.
Sakti is the reflex of Siva. It has no independent existence. Siva assumes this form out of His great love for mankind. Siva wishes that all should know Him.
Commentary: Shiva is pure consciousness, and matter, pure unconsciousness. Shakti is the intermediary between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Maya is thus pure unconsciousness.
Anava, Karma and Maya
Souls (Pasu) are by nature infinite, all-pervading, eternal and all-knowing like Lord Siva (Pati). Yet they think that they are finite, limited and little-knowing, ignorant and temporary. This is due to their bonds (Pasa), viz., Anava, Karma and Maya which are called the three Malas or impurities. Anava is the impurity which makes the all-pervading Jiva think itself to be atomic (Anu). It produces the erroneous notion of finiteness. The second impurity or bond is Karma. The soul acts in certain ways on account of its limitation and does good and evil actions. Karma brings about the conjunction of the soul with its body. The results of the Karma have to be worked out in the world. There should be worlds and bodies, in order to experience the fruits of actions and acquire knowledge. These are provided by Maya, the third Mala or bond. Maya is the material cause of the world. The soul gets experience and limited knowledge through Maya.
The soul learns, by long experience, that this Samsara is full of pains and is transitory, and that he can attain eternal bliss and immortality only by attaining Sivatva or the nature of Siva or God-realisation. He develops Vairagya (dispassion), and Viveka (discrimination between the real and the unreal, the permanent and the impermanent).
Commentary; Anavan Karma and Maya are the Trimala, the three malas (impurities).
Jiva refers to the ego-self which thinks itself to be atomic.
Siva, Sakti And Maya
The Lord Siva pervades the whole world by His Sakti. He works through His Sakti. Sakti is the conscious energy of Lord Siva. She is the very body of Lord Siva. The potter is the first cause for the pot. The stick and the wheel are the instrumental causes. The clay is the material cause of the pot. Similarly, Lord Siva is the first cause of the world. Sakti is the instrumental cause. Maya is the material cause.
Sakti is not the material cause of the universe, because she is of the nature of consciousness (Chaitanya). Siva is pure consciousness, but matter is pure unconsciousness. Sakti is the intermediate link between the two.
Sakti is the reflex of Siva. It has no independent existence. Siva assumes this form out of His great love for mankind. Siva wishes that all should know Him.
Commentary: Shiva is pure consciousness, and matter, pure unconsciousness. Shakti is the intermediary between consciousness and unconsciousness.
Maya is thus pure unconsciousness.
Anava, Karma and Maya
Souls (Pasu) are by nature infinite, all-pervading, eternal and all-knowing like Lord Siva (Pati). Yet they think that they are finite, limited and little-knowing, ignorant and temporary. This is due to their bonds (Pasa), viz., Anava, Karma and Maya which are called the three Malas or impurities. Anava is the impurity which makes the all-pervading Jiva think itself to be atomic (Anu). It produces the erroneous notion of finiteness. The second impurity or bond is Karma. The soul acts in certain ways on account of its limitation and does good and evil actions. Karma brings about the conjunction of the soul with its body. The results of the Karma have to be worked out in the world. There should be worlds and bodies, in order to experience the fruits of actions and acquire knowledge. These are provided by Maya, the third Mala or bond. Maya is the material cause of the world. The soul gets experience and limited knowledge through Maya.
The soul learns, by long experience, that this Samsara is full of pains and is transitory, and that he can attain eternal bliss and immortality only by attaining Sivatva or the nature of Siva or God-realisation. He develops Vairagya (dispassion), and Viveka (discrimination between the real and the unreal, the permanent and the impermanent).
Commentary; Anavan Karma and Maya are the Trimala, the three malas (impurities).
Jiva refers to the ego-self which thinks itself to be atomic.
20041210
When My Eyes are Open
When my eyes are open,
three eyes are open.
One of them is Shiva's.
When my eyes are open,
only his glows like a ruby.
When my eyes are open,
I see with Shiva's eye,
an ocher dot on my forehead.
When my eyes are open,
Shiva's eye grants me foresight.
When my eyes are open,
his eye is omnipresent.
Whose eyes are opened
by the illumination
that Shiva provides?
three eyes are open.
One of them is Shiva's.
When my eyes are open,
only his glows like a ruby.
When my eyes are open,
I see with Shiva's eye,
an ocher dot on my forehead.
When my eyes are open,
Shiva's eye grants me foresight.
When my eyes are open,
his eye is omnipresent.
Whose eyes are opened
by the illumination
that Shiva provides?
20030925
True Emptiness (poem)
Homage to Ganesha of the highest spirit,
the essence of Parvati, and the dance of life,
the creativity inspired by Shiva.
Subhuti and the Flower Shower provides inspiration for the following poem:
How is the true emptiness revealed?
Speak not of emptiness
not even the gods know emptiness.
This is the true emptiness.
the essence of Parvati, and the dance of life,
the creativity inspired by Shiva.
Subhuti and the Flower Shower provides inspiration for the following poem:
How is the true emptiness revealed?
Speak not of emptiness
not even the gods know emptiness.
This is the true emptiness.
20030922
Ganesha Protects My Blog
Homage to Ganesha of the highest spirit, the essence of Parvati, and the dance of life, the creativity inspired by Shiva.
Through the motivation for maintaining this blog, the highest spirit of creativity, Shiva and Parvati are worshiped
In a blog, since this is a private log of my thoughts - the mere intellectualization - I am only imparting facts, worshiping Ganesha where appropriate.
Most gurus, rishis and swamis will declare that intellectual works are in vain, since they are devoid of spiritual action.
As well, an ordinary person's response to the words of an intellectual person is to defer to them. The risk here is to decide on vanity rather than to be humble when other people praise your intellectual prowess. The unspoken caution from the ordinary person is to say, "Beware of your ego when I praise your intellect."
The appropriate response is to thank the ordinary person, and to follow up by closing with, "Now that's been acknowledged, I have nothing more to say."
Having written that, I close with this poem, ad-libbed:
Through the motivation for maintaining this blog, the highest spirit of creativity, Shiva and Parvati are worshiped
In a blog, since this is a private log of my thoughts - the mere intellectualization - I am only imparting facts, worshiping Ganesha where appropriate.
Most gurus, rishis and swamis will declare that intellectual works are in vain, since they are devoid of spiritual action.
As well, an ordinary person's response to the words of an intellectual person is to defer to them. The risk here is to decide on vanity rather than to be humble when other people praise your intellectual prowess. The unspoken caution from the ordinary person is to say, "Beware of your ego when I praise your intellect."
The appropriate response is to thank the ordinary person, and to follow up by closing with, "Now that's been acknowledged, I have nothing more to say."
Having written that, I close with this poem, ad-libbed:
Be ever watchful of the highest spirit in this dance of life. Be Ganesh guarding his mother Parvati. Be Shiva and replace your mind with the wisdom of the divine elephant, and memorize each transitory moment in satori.
20030921
Shiva Devotion, Buddhist Practice
I pay homage to Ganesha.
I pay homage to Parvati.
I pay homage to Shaiva.
Let their blessings shower forth...
Inspired by Irina, I will try to synthesize her music into my eclectic literary lifestyle as a Buddhist.
For at the core of my being, I do not exist: the world and its all its splendor is reflected in my soul.
Another source of inspiration is insomnia, so undoubtedly most of my brain is half-asleep. Supposedly I do not greatly appreciate the depth of the wisdom here intellectually.
However, emotionally and psychologically, the spiritual essence and the depths of my mind and body are at one.
If this is delusion, then it is a peaceful one.
For Love of a divine nature which is Buddha Nature arising to acceptance of sunyata, which is emptiness, is the ocean of mercy into which my heart-mind returns.
Please do not rationalize what was just written, and forget all about logical analysis of these words as psycho-social phenomena. This is not solely a reaction to insomnia.
Rather, this is Love expressing itself through me, all the devas and devis adoring the Godhead, radiating their loving-kindness.
These words are expressing the deepest love reflected from the noble source: the Absolute.
So be it.
I pay homage to Parvati.
I pay homage to Shaiva.
Let their blessings shower forth...
Inspired by Irina, I will try to synthesize her music into my eclectic literary lifestyle as a Buddhist.
For at the core of my being, I do not exist: the world and its all its splendor is reflected in my soul.
Another source of inspiration is insomnia, so undoubtedly most of my brain is half-asleep. Supposedly I do not greatly appreciate the depth of the wisdom here intellectually.
However, emotionally and psychologically, the spiritual essence and the depths of my mind and body are at one.
If this is delusion, then it is a peaceful one.
For Love of a divine nature which is Buddha Nature arising to acceptance of sunyata, which is emptiness, is the ocean of mercy into which my heart-mind returns.
Please do not rationalize what was just written, and forget all about logical analysis of these words as psycho-social phenomena. This is not solely a reaction to insomnia.
Rather, this is Love expressing itself through me, all the devas and devis adoring the Godhead, radiating their loving-kindness.
These words are expressing the deepest love reflected from the noble source: the Absolute.
So be it.
20030920
Om devadharmoyam priyasurasya
I humbly offer a translation of "Om devadharmoyam priyasurasya"...
om = Homage
deva = divine, heavenly; may pertain to both the feminine and masculine attributes of Divinity, i.e. the Indic Pantheon which represents the good in all things.
dharma = custom, practice, merit, virtue.
yam = offering
Priya = beloved, devoted
asura = the highest spirit
i.e. the divine and spiritual essence, transcending the personification of the Divine as god or goddess, "sura".
Thus, in English, the crudest approximation of the Sanskrit mantra is:
Divine & heavenly merit-offering to the Beloved Highest Spirit.
In the Priyasura rock carving, the devotee is holding prayer beads and is kneeling before an empty stupa. The stupa is topped with a trident.
Thus, symbologically, Priyasura is one of the asuras conquered by Shiva.
So the implication is that this Higher Spirit is accessible through devoted worship of the higher forms of Shiva (Vishnu, Durgha, Kali, etc.).
om = Homage
deva = divine, heavenly; may pertain to both the feminine and masculine attributes of Divinity, i.e. the Indic Pantheon which represents the good in all things.
dharma = custom, practice, merit, virtue.
yam = offering
Priya = beloved, devoted
asura = the highest spirit
i.e. the divine and spiritual essence, transcending the personification of the Divine as god or goddess, "sura".
Thus, in English, the crudest approximation of the Sanskrit mantra is:
Divine & heavenly merit-offering to the Beloved Highest Spirit.
In the Priyasura rock carving, the devotee is holding prayer beads and is kneeling before an empty stupa. The stupa is topped with a trident.
Thus, symbologically, Priyasura is one of the asuras conquered by Shiva.
So the implication is that this Higher Spirit is accessible through devoted worship of the higher forms of Shiva (Vishnu, Durgha, Kali, etc.).
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