Elephant: September 2014

Wednesday, September 10, 2014

Pancha Ganapati / Detail

5-day festival from December 21-25 of every year, invokes the colours of Lord Ganesha’s 5 shaktis (powers). A shrine is to be created in the main living room, which would contain a large statue or picture of Ganesha, and decorated with banana leaves, pine cones, tinsel, etc. Then, on each of the days, children are invited to decorate Ganesha in the colour as below and the family is to focus on a special sadhana (spiritual discipline).

Day 1 | Yellow: Love and harmony among immediate family members
Day 2 | Blue: Love and harmony among neighbors, relatives and close friends
Day 3 | Red: Love and harmony among business associates and the public at large
Day 4 | Green: Invoke the joy and harmony that comes from music, art, drama and dance
Day 5 | Orange: Invoke the love and harmony in all three worlds (presumably the heavens, earth and the underworld)

Aum! Ganesha's first shakti is home life,

Protection, harmony, fertility --

Respect becomes the man, as love the wife,

Obedience their cherished offspring's glee.

Aum! Ganesha's second shakti's -- family --

By blood, by marriage and proximity.

Word and thought controlled, like minds agree,

While faithful friends preserve community.

Aum! Ganesha's third shakti's the market,

Where commerce earns the earth stability,

Where forthright, selfless merchants, free from debt,

Conceive, produce, exchange prosperity.

Aum! Ganesha's fourth shakti brings culture --

Refined expression, graceful artistry

In music, dance, in poetry and sculpture

Or common conduct performed consciously.

Aum! Ganesha's fifth shakti is dharma

Fair merit found in virtue's charity --

Where love of God does conquer ancient karma

And Siva's slaves earn grace's rarity.