Vinayaka has many teachings that help man liberate himself. Worship of Lord Ganesha has been followed from very ancient times. In the Narayana Upanishad, Lord Ganesha is praised first. In the three Vedas, we find the mention of Lord Ganesha. Even in music, they pray to Ganesha for his grace. Do we have the qualities of Vinayaka? Lord Vinayaka has a pure heart. In fact, Siddhi and Buddhi (fulfilment and intellect) are his two eyes. He considered them as his consorts. For intelligence, we need to have Buddhi. For Buddhi, we need to have gratitude. An ungrateful man can never become an intellectual. Without intellect, one can never be successful. Vinayaka confers success. So, we need to know the inner significance of Lord Vinayaka. Today, before we start any work, we pray to Lord Ganesha. Without praying to the master of masters, Vinayaka, and thereby, acting in an egoistic way, we are bound to fail. Vinayaka Chaturthi is the first festival of the year, followed by other festivals.
Bharatiyas begin their daily prayers with a prayer to Lord Ganesha. Vinayaka is the head of spiritual, mental and physical levels. We should sustain and protect all these levels.
In our college, we have M.B.A. – meaning, Master of Business Administration, but it is not that. It stands for Mind, Body and Atma. We need to understand the integration and coordination of all the three.
Mind is given to enquire. Body is granted to perform. The Atma monitors the performance of these two. Atma is permanent. Mind is fickle and has to be made steady. It should be exercised properly. One should constantly enquire whether one has a mind like that of a man or a beast. We should not act according to our mind. The body should not do what the mind has decided. Intellect has the capability to discriminate whether a thought is good or not. If the thought is good, the intellect acknowledges it to the Atma. Man should realise that he is the combination of Mind, Body and Atma. He has to purify the mind. An impure mind is not acceptable to the intellect that transcends all the senses. We follow the mind and senses. Mind is the master of senses, but it is not controlling the senses. One may have a sensitive mind, but it is only an animal mind. So we should master the mind and be a mastermind.
To exercise the control of mind, worship of Vinayaka is important. Vinayaka does not react, but remains as a witness. Atma, the spirit, is eternal. It is the witness and so also, it watches everything, but does not interfere.(SSS Vol.34, pp. 234-236)
The nature of Vinayaka is found everywhere. Vinayaka is the master of Siddhi and Buddhi. We have to pray to such a Lord. If the leader is good, you will certainly reach the goal. Today, we do not have good leaders. Who is a good leader? Our conscience is the leader, but you have polluted that conscience. It is full of bad traits and wickedness. Vinayaka is the one who annihilates all such bad traits in our conscience. Mice smell everything wherever they go. Vinayaka has such a creature as his vehicle. He put the mouse under his foot. This means that he is not affected by any bad traits. As he is the master of all sacred qualities, sages and spiritual seekers praise him. We have to recognise and understand the significance of Vinayaka, who is there in our hearts. We have to think of him constantly. He is the presiding deity of all Gods. Shaivites as well as Vaishnavites worship Vinayaka. He symbolises all the religions. He stands for auspiciousness. Once you recognise this and worship accordingly you will redeem your lives. (SSS Vol.34)
The teaching of Vinayaka is one of sacrifice. You may not heed the contents of the Puranas, but you should not miss the vital principles which they convey to mankind. When Vinayaka was writing the Mahabharata to the dictation of Sage Vyasa, the latter laid down the condition that Vinayaka should go on writing non-stop whatever Vyasa said. But Vinayaka also stipulated a condition that Vyasa should never stop his dictation but should go on without a break. While he was writing, Vinayaka s pen broke and he did not hesitate to break one of his tusks to use it as a pen. That is why he is called Ekadanta or one with a single tusk.
This is a shining example of the spirit of sacrifice that Vinayaka exhibited for the welfare of humanity. That is why the Vedas proclaim that it is only by sacrifice one can attain immortality.
Vinayaka is the Lord of all learning (Vidya). Does learning mean bookish scholarship? No. Everything pertaining to the cosmos is included in the term learning (Vidya). Walking, talking, laughing, sitting, eating, strolling, thinking – every kind of activity is related to learning. Vinayaka is the master of every kind of learning. Today learning is identified with acquisition of information. But apart from knowledge of the physical world, we have many other kinds of knowledge relating to chemistry, the fine arts and other skills.
Vinayaka is the master of every kind of knowledge. Learning is related to intellect (Buddhi). It is not mere scholarship. Familiarity with books is not knowledge. One’s entire life is a continuous process of learning. Any process of enquiry is related to learning. But basically our enquiry should be concerned with finding out what is transient and what is permanent. This is true knowledge. (SS Oct 95 , pp. 253-256)
The Individual Must Identify Himself With Society
So long as man is immersed in body attachment, all types of hardships and misery haunt him. Body attachment is the root cause of sankalpas (thoughts). That is why Krishna exhorted man to give up body attachment. The inner meaning of this statement is that man should experience unity in diversity. Without vyashti (individual), there cannot be Samashti (society). Without Samashti, there cannot be srishti (creation). So, first of all we have to recognise the role of vyashti. Only then can we understand the principle of Samashti, which will in turn lead to the understanding of srishti. One who understands srishti becomes one with parameshti (God). In fact, the principles of Samashti, srishti and parameshti are very much present in vyashti.
Hence, one has to make efforts to understand vyashti in the first instance. Vyashti symbolises the individual (jiva) whereas Samashti stands for God (deva). There is not much difference between the individual soul and the Cosmic Spirit. So long as vyashti identifies himself with the body he leads a very ordinary life. It is only when he identifies himself with Samashti can he understand the principle of creation. So, firstly man should make efforts to understand the true meaning of vyashti. This is the message of Vinayaka. (SSS Vol.35, p. 238)
The letter ‘Ga’ (intellect) in the name Ganapati symbolises this aspect. The letter ‘Na’ stands for Vijnana (wisdom). So, Ganapati is one who grants good intellect and confers wisdom.
Today people perform Vinayaka worship without actually understanding its significance. Vinayaka symbolises the qualities of a true leader in all aspects. ‘Viyate Nayake Iti Vinayaka’ meaning, He is a master unto Himself. In this world Vinayaka is worshipped by many. However, Vinayaka does not worship anyone as He has no master above Him. Even Ishvara, the father, worships His son Vinayaka, but it does not happen the other way. (SSS Vol.35, p. 239)