Ganesha the child of God Shiva and Goddess Parvati is the God of Wisdom, Knowledge and Prosperity. Ganesha is one of the many gods worshipped in India. Ganesha is a combination of two Sanskrit words Gana - Tribe and Esha - Lord or Master.
Ganesha was not always elephant headed. Legend states that Ganesha's father Shiva left him and Parvati while Ganesha was just a baby and it was only several years later did Shiva return. However, on his arrival, he found a young child at the doorstep who refused to allow Shiva in, because his mother Parvati was taking a bath and had instructed him to guard the door, to not let anyone in.
The brave child being the son of the mighty Shiva, refused to bow down and let Shiva pass and Shiva being Shiva, took offense to not being let into his own abode. Neither of them knew each other and thus ensued a stand off between the two.
As time passed, Shiva grew angrier while Ganesha grew more stubborn. Finally Shiva's anger knowing no bound, in his rage decapitated Ganesha's head off. In that moment, Goddess Parvati came out to witness the commotion and was shocked to witness the whole ordeal . She was inconsolable and informed Shiva of who the young child was.
Realizing the grave mistake, God Shiva reached out to his tribe and followers (also known as Ganas) to help retrieve the head of the first living thing they find.
Well, as you can see from the picture, the Ganas stumbled across the head of an elephant which was then placed carefully on the torso of the child.
And thus, the name Ganesha. Gana - Tribe and Isha - Lord
One should invoke the name of Ganesha whenever one embarks on a new journey, be it a new skill, a new chapter in life or a new place. Ganesha is the God of Beginnings and invoking Ganesha's name is said to bring good energy and positive vibes.
Ganesha is known by several different names. Some of the names have been listed below
1. Ganapati - Synonym for Ganesha
2. Vinayak - Hero of the Battle over injustices
3. Vignesh - Destroyer of Obstacles
4. Pillai - Derived from the Pali word Pillaka which means A Young Elephant. Pail is an old language from which Sanskrit was derived
Ganesha was also a scribe for the famous texts of Mahabharata. Ganesha broke off a part of the tusk to use as a scribe to write Mahabharata.
