Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Ganesha, the elephant-headed Hindu God of success


This image of Ganesha shows him with his father, Shiva and his father's vehicle, the white bull named Nandi. It is a more humanized version of Ganesha because his face is given more human qualities aside from the long nose and big ears of an elephant. It is interesting to see a slightly human face considering that stories of Ganesha's creation involve a young elephant's head being placed on a young boy's body.


This shows Ganesha with a human body, but the head is strictly that of an elephant's. It is interesting to see different representations of Ganesha, considering that the head of Ganesha represents the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and the body of Ganesha represents the earthly existence of human beings.


This image of Ganesha shows a more abstract version of the Hindu God, with only the head and body being the most distinguishable parts of the drawing. You would have difficulty recognizing the creature below Ganesha, a mouse, if not for the head. The mouse is Ganesha's vehicle, meaning he is humble enough to ride the smallest of creatures. Ganesha is also holding up his right hand in a similar way to Shiva in the first picture we viewed.



This last image of Ganesha seems to represent a more sinister side of the Hindu God. He appears more menacing by the look of his eyes, but also because of the "swastika" on his forehead. However, the swastika in Hinduism represents two things: a representation of the sun's rays and surprisingly enough, it also considered a symbolic representation of Ganesha. Ganesha also seems to be holding items which belonged to other Hindu gods, like the conch shell in his upper left hand and the lotus flower in his lower right hand.