The Setting Sun.....

Its end of February and days are becoming hotter day by day. But Coorg being a hilly area cools down quickly after sunset and the change is so dramatic that watching over the setting sun becomes all the more pleasurable. Its sun set time and I was leaving from college when I saw a jeep crossing me riding towards the sunset point near our college and decided that after my hectic day this is how I am going to unwind. It will not be my first visit to this point but every time I come over here the joy has always remained the same.


So I took the road uphill enthusiastically and reached the spot.  First thing I noticed was that there was still sometime before sunset. There were few boys sitting around having a sort of picnic and a family taking snaps of them with the view. I parked my bike sat over and tuned in to my lucky ali’s playlist. The view has the whole of town with its varying shades on the showcase. There are children playing in a far off ground, workers returning from farms and street lights slowly getting illuminated…. And this ‘hulchul’ of life is surrounded by the silent lush green landscape till our view is limited by lofty mountains to which the sun is fast approaching….. as the cool breeze enveloped me, it consumed all my tiredness and the thoughts that were striking my soul slowly metamorphose towards being more philosophical…!!!! What’s the secret about witnessing a sunset that brings out the philosopher in us????

Is it the visual confirmation and experience of finding near ending of a day which has been lively, full of activity, testifying ‘life’ by slowly curling into silence and darkness with an uncertainty of what comes next??? Is there a similar logic at work in making us philosophical (or religious) as we grow old and near our end of this journey!!!!!??? Or is it just our biological clock…..!!!!


I guess it’s a mix of both…. Being humans, in every conclusion we look  back and contemplate as to how much we gained and what did we lose… a setting sun brings that conclusion to our biological clock… it makes us ponder on what choices we made and how well did we walk  our course… and I think it is a very vital natural process embedded in us…..

Each day we should be asking ourselves a question: Will I be still doing this today if it was the last day of my life??!!!

And if the answer is “NO” continuously for many days we should know that something in our lives needs to CHANGE. Such an exercise will make us follow our heart, will prevent us from living someone else’s life and will gift us a life which we would like to live again and again…. the same way :) :)

This setting sun has enriched me with a tool. Hopefully I will continue to follow my heart in my journey and I pray the same for you…………

Luv n Luk,
Pranjal.

Interpretation of the story - 3

Shiva had granted a boon to Ganesha that before anything auspicious is begun; Ganesha’s name would be invoked... So Ganesha also represents the beginnings of anything good.

When light passes through a prism and breaks into its constituent colors, Red is the first color visible to the human eye... The beginning! Lord Ganesha’s signature color is red. How astonishingly scientific!

Every year, especially in the city of Mumbai, around the beginning of September, the festival of Lord Ganesha is celebrated with great reverence, enthusiasm and joy. Lakhs of idols of Ganeshji are installed for 10 days with great pomp and ceremony. Small idols find their way in various people’s houses and really giant ones (3 floors high) are installed in various colonies all over the city. Poojas and Aartis are done, Prasad is given... And everyone has a great time.

The energy and feeling of the entire city completely changes as the atmosphere gets charged with the mantras and the devotion of millions of people... It is a magical time to be there...

On the last day however, all these idols are taken and submerged into the seas off the coast of Mumbai... To the cries of “Ganapati Bappa Moriya!! Pudhcha Varshi Laukar Yaa!!!” Meaning Victory to Lord Ganesha, Come back to us quickly next year...

(By the way, this does affect the seas and the environment, but more and more people are becoming environmentally conscious and having Ganeshji’s idols made out of quickly degradable materials... I am sure soon we will see very green Ganapati Festivals in Mumbai!)

There is a great significance to this: All the Gods are within us... In every cell of our Being. During the festivals, with great reverence we ask them to manifest themselves in the idols so we can worship them and play with them... Once we are done with the celebration, the final Pooja mantras actually invite the Gods back within us... So now it’s just a pretty statue... And so that we can learn non attachment, all the idols are put in the sea... This is done every year, to keep reminding ourselves about our own Divinity... And of course to celebrate and enjoy this great journey called Life!

Ganapati Bappa Moriya!!

Hope you enjoyed these posts on Ganeshji, do give in your feedbacks :)
Cheers :)

Interpretation of the story - 2

Ganeshji is the remover of obstacles... Obstacles are there because there is no Knowledge and awareness... as soon as wisdom dawns, all obstacles and problems just vanish like dew in the sunlight...And really what obstacle can stand in the way of an elephant?!

He has a huge stomach which signifies an all accepting nature... He is the Lord of all kinds of groups (Gan means group), so He accepts everyone... but He also wears a snake as a belt around the stomach, which means that He accepts you, but with the full awareness of a snake! It is not passive chalta hai attitude acceptance, but an active, participative acceptance...
He has many hands, one holds a rope, another a poke and still another a modak (yummy sweet).

He offers you the modak (sweet) of Wisdom and Knowledge and when you come near to Him to take it, He quickly ties you with the rope (probably while you are eating it)... meaning that once Wisdom has dawned, you can never really go back to whatever you used to be!

And it may happen that even having all the Knowledge and Wisdom, you may feel low, unhappy or miserable... then He pokes you (remember the snake? He accepts you as you are, doesn't cast you away, but takes action after acceptance)... to wake you up to Reality... And sometimes if the poking is too much for you and you try to run away (you can't He has got you tied with the rope! :)), He gives you the sweet, the Knowledge :) and that brings you back to Him. And so Lord Ganesha binds you sweetly and firmly to Himself!

He is Vinayaka. The peerless leader. He reports to no one!
And the mouse?

The mouse nibbles the veils of ignorance that surround our consciousness, so that true Knowledge can get established in the Self. So, Lord Ganesha rides the mouse who eats away the anger, the ignorance and allows the Bliss of Knowledge to dawn...
Thus Lord Ganesha is the gift of Lord Shiva for Parvati to teach and nurture her to always be in her true nature... The Celebration and Bliss of the Self!

Interpretation of the story - 1

Parvati is the Celebrative aspect of our consciousness. Parvat means mountain: The Earth herself rising up in celebration...

Now Parvati was dirty, meaning, the celebration had gone out of life, feeling of sadness, etc had arisen, and she decides to take a bath (be alone)...When you are not feeling good (your celebratory aspect is dirty), you say, give me my space, leave me alone...

The dirt that comes off her and she gives life to is the Ego... She tells the Ego see that no one disturbs me while i am not feeling well... dont let anyone come in!
Thats exactly what most people do when they are not feeling good: people usually isolate themsleves, feel separate from everyone and dont like others around them...
This is the significance of Parvati animating her ego and asking it not to let anyone disturb her because she is feeling dirty.

Lord Shiva is the protector of Parvati. So when He sees her that way with her ego standing guard, keeping the Bliss of the Self out, He does what any protector would do... Kills it!

Chopping off the head signifies killing the ego... Now, when you have had your ego trampled upon, you are going to feel even more hurt and bewildered, which is where Parvati flares up... to appease her and teach her, Lord Shiva replaces the child's ego) head with an elephant head.

The Elephant in Hindu mythology is held in great reverence. In old times, if a lover wanted to praise his girlfriend, he would tell her she is like an elephant... That was supposed to be the ultimate praise! Please don't try this today... you just might get flattened :)

The big head symbolizes Knowledge. The eyes of the elephant are kind, full of compassion and innocence: the most beautiful in the animal Kingdom. So Shiva replaces the head of ego (ignorance) with Knowledge and innocence! That's not all, if you have ever seen an elephant walk, stately and strong, you can see that nothing can stand in its way! So Shivji removed the ego and replaced it with Strength, Grace, Knowledge and innocence. What a superb combination! And the perfect gift for an angry, sulking wife! :)

Lord Shiva then names the child, Ganesh. The Lord of Knowledge and Wisdom.
Next more will be revealed about the mouse and some other really fascinating aspects of Ganeshji...