Mushikavaahana modaka hastha,
Chaamara karna vilambitha sutra,
Vaamana rupa maheshwara putra,
Vighna vinaayaka paada namasthe

MEANING: "O Lord Vinayaka! the remover of all obstacles, the son of Lord Shiva, with a form which is very short, with mouse as Thy vehicle, with sweet pudding in hand, with wide ears and long hanging trunk, I prostrate at Thy lotus-like Feet!"

Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most popular of Hindu festivals. It is the day most sacred to Lord Ganesha. It falls on the 4th day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada (August-September). Clay figures of the Deity are made and after the pooja, are immersed in water.

Lord Ganesha is the elephant-headed God who is worshipped first in any prayers. His Names are repeated first before any auspicious work is begun, before any kind of worship is begun. He is considered the Lord of power and wisdom. He is the eldest son of Lord Shiva and the elder brother of Kartikeya.

The following story is narrated about how He came to have the head of an elephant:

Once upon a time, the Goddess Gauri (consort of Lord Shiva), while bathing, created Ganesha as a being out of the mud of Her Body which is why he is called Maanasa Putra. She placed Him at the entrance of the house and instructed Him not to allow anyone to enter while she went inside for a bath. Ganesha followed His mother's orders. Even when Lord Shiva returned home quite thirsty, Ganesha stopped Him at the gate. Shiva became angry and cut off Ganesha's head.

When Gauri learnt of this she was heart-broken. Shiva then ordered His servants to cut off and bring to Him the head of any creature that might be sleeping with its head facing north. The servants went on their mission and found only an elephant in that position. The elephant's head was brought before Shiva. The Lord then joined the elephant's head onto the body of Ganesha.

Lord Shiva made His son worthy of worship at the beginning of all undertakings, marriages, expeditions, studies, etc. He ordained that the annual worship of Ganesha should take place on the 4th day of the bright half of Bhadrapada.

His Mantra is Om Gum Ganapathaye Namah.

He has as his vehicle a small mouse. He is the presiding Deity of the Muladhara Chakra, the psychic centre in the body in which the Kundalini Shakti resides.

He is the Lord who removes all obstacles and hence called Vigna Vinayaka. His Bija Akshara (root syllable) is Gum.

Ganesha is the God riding on a mouse, one of nature's smallest creatures and having the head of an elephant, the biggest of all animals. He is the Lord of Ganas or groups, for instance groups of elements, groups of senses, etc. He is the head of the followers of Shiva or the celestial servants of Lord Shiva.

Lord Ganesha is very fond of sweet pudding or balls of rice flour with a sweet core. He set out moving on His mouse at night. Suddenly the mouse stumbled--it had seen a snake and became frightened--unseating Ganesha. His stomach burst open and all the sweet puddings came out. But Ganesha stuffed them back into His stomach and tied hisbelly with a snake.

Seeing all this, the moon in the sky had a hearty laugh. Lord Ganesha in his annoyance, cursed the moon that any one who looked at the moon on the Ganesh Chaturthi day would earn a bad name or censure. The only way he can be freed from the curse is by repeating or listening to the story of how Lord Krishna cleared His character in the story of the Syamantaka jewel quoted in the Srimad Bhagavatam. In the story, Krishna is accused of killing his cousin, for the sake of the auspicious bead which was given by the Sun God and brought health, wealth and happiness for the owner. If you still feel bad about seeing the moon on the day, reading the story of the Shamanthaka mani (bead), it is said can clear the obstacles that arise from seeing the Chauthi Moon.

Ganesha and His brother Lord Subramanya once had a dispute as to who was the elder of the two. The matter was referred to Lord Shiva who decided that whoever would make a tour of the whole world and come back first to the starting point had the right to be the elder. Subramanya flew off on his vehicle, the peacock, to make a circuit of the world. But the wise Ganesha in loving worshipfulness, went,around His divine parents and asked for the prize of His victory.

Lord Shiva said, "Beloved and wise Ganesha! But how can I give you the prize; you did not go around the world?"

Ganesha replied, "No, but I have gone around my parents. My parents represent the entire manifested universe!"

Thus the dispute was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha, who was thereafter acknowledged as the elder of the two brothers.

On the Ganesh Chaturthi day, take a bath, go to the temple and offer prayers to the Lord. Offer Him modaks and sweet pudding made of coconut and jaggery. Pray with faith and devotion that He may remove all the obstacles that you experience. Many devotees round off their prayers with sit-ups after uttering this prayer:

Simha Prasena mamadhi,
Simho Jambavatha hathaha.
Sukumaaraka maarodhi
Thavaheshya Shyamanthakaha