HAPPY GANESHA CHATURTHI 2013

"Vakratunda Mahaakaaya Suryakotee Sama Prabha
Nirvighnam kuru mey Deva, Sarva kaaryeshu Sarvadaa"

Vakratunda	curved trunk
Mahakaaya	large bodied
Surya kotee	million suns
Sama Prabha	with the brilliance of
Nirvighnam	free of obstacles
Kuru	make
mey	my
Deva	Lord
Sarva Kaaryeshu	in all work
Sarvada	always

Ganesha Chaturthi is also known as Vinayaka Chaturthi and Ganesha Chauth. Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated as birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha. On Ganesha Chaturthi, Lord Ganesha is worshipped as the God of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. It is believed that Lord Ganesha was born during Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month.

Ganesh Puja is preferred during Madhyahana as it is believed that Lord Ganesh was born during Madhyahana Kaal. Madhyahana Kaal is equivalent to midday according to Hindu division of the day.

It is believed that one should not see the moon on Ganesha Chaturthi. Sighting the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi creates Mithya Dosham which means false accusation of stealing something. Depending on start and end time of Chaturthi Tithi, sighting of the moon might be prohibited for two consecutive days. Moon should not be sighted while Chaturthi Tithi is prevailing. Further, Moon risen during Chaturthi should not be sighted even if Chaturthi Tithi gets over before moonset.

Ganesha Chaturthi in year 2013 will be celebrated on 09^th September 2013. The madhyahana puja time for this purpose is of 2 hours 27 mins duration (11.10 a.m. to 1:37 p.m.)

The Ganeshotsav, the festivity of Ganesh Chaturthi, ends after 10 days on Anant Chaturdashi which is also known as Ganesh Visarjan day. On Anant Chaturdashi, devotees immerse idol of Lord Ganesh in water body after a gala street procession. Anant Chaturthi (or Anant Chaturdashi) is the last day of the “Ganesha festival” celebrated in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. It is the tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi which falls on the 14th day of the bright Bhadrapada (the sixth month of Hindu calendar). The day follows the immersion of the idols of the beloved Lord but to be welcomed the next year with equal fervor. Some people observe a vow in honour of Lord Vishnu, which if kept for 14 years is supposed to bring wealth. Anant Chaturdashi will be celebrated on 18^th September 2013.

 

How to conduct Puja on Ganesha Chaturthi

On this auspicious day a beautiful idol of Lord Ganesh should be made of clay or some metal like silver or it could be brought from the market. The trunk should be curved in the left. Now this idol should be installed on a high pedestal with its face facing east/west or north. Having anointed the idol with sandalwood or saffron paste and invoking the Lord for the 'Pran-pratishtha' (consecration), offerings with 21 objects should be kept ready, which should include Patri (leaves), Kewra (pamdames), Shamee (a kind of tree leaves), white flowers (lily), Durba (grass twigs), red sandalwood, sindoor (red vermilion powder), panchamrita (a potion made from mixing milk, curd, honey, sugar and water) and the leaves of Tulsi or basil etc. One must remember that basil leaves or Tulsidal are permitted in the Lord's worship only on this day, and not on other days. Now, after seating yourself on the Kushasan (a small mattress made by the weed called Kusha), you should invoke the Lord and complete the worship as mentioned earlier. After this, you can perform the Mahabhishek (Grand Anointing Ceremony) by Panchamrita etc., and sing the 'Aarti' of the Lord with a lighted lamp waving in your hand before the Lord's idol. Then the oblation of Durba, flowers etc. should be offered to the Lord. After this religiously move around the Lord seven times in anti-clockwise direction and lie with hand and feet fully stretched on the ground with face facing the ground to salute the Lord. This sort of special salutation is called Sashtang Namaskar'. Then 21 Laddoos should be offered as the Lord's symbolic food or the 'Prasadam' which should be distributed to as many devotees as possible. It is said in scriptures that 'Prasadam' should be distributed to the greatest number of persons possible with each getting as little of the share as to have it totally absorbed or digested by the eater's body and there should not be any refuse left out of it after digestion.
Having made the offering, the following 'Mantra' (incantation) should be recited:

Ganadhipa namasteastu Umaputraghanashana
Ekdantabhaktreti tatha mooshak vahana
Vinayakesha putreti sarva siddhi pradayaka
Kumar gurve tubhyam poojaneeyah prayatnatah

[I bow to the head of Ganas, the Destroyer of all sin, the son of Uma (parvati), who has One Tusk and Elephant-Face and the mouse as His vehicle. Supreme Leader, who grants the boon of son and every desire, whose elder brother is Kumar (Kartikeya)- this way I endeavor to worship you)

    "Aum gam ganapataye namah"

                                     Happy Ganesha Chaturthi

Acharya Vikas Malhotra

Astrologer, Numerologist and Spiritual Healer

{MBA, LLB, FCS, MA (Public Admn), FIII, JYOTISH VISHARAD}

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