TV Channel

Part 1: The Primacy of Beginnings and the Wisdom of Gaṇeśa In the Śiva Purāṇa, we continue our discourse on Gaṇeśa. We previously discussed his origination, the process of prayer, and his meaning. While we are speaking from the Śiva Purāṇa now, there are many stories about Gaṇeśa across various Purāṇas. According to scripture, there are many kalpas, eras, and ages. Therefore, across many ages, Gaṇeśa has many stories of how he was generated. According to the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, it states that Gaṇeśa is Brahmā. He is the omnipresent supreme one. Gaṇeśa generated that principle. This is why it is said that before starting creation, before creating this universe, Brahmā also meditated and worshipped Gaṇeśa. Before beginning creation, the initial energy—Gaṇeśa—was already there. He is the beginning energy. For your reference, in the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, chapter 1, verse 15, it says: So it says that Gaṇeśa is one of the gods who is nirguṇa, who remains in invisible forms, and whom we need to chant. That is why he has many names and many forms according to action, duty, and obligation. That is why we normally say, "Gaṇeśāya Oṁ Gaṇādhipāya Namaḥ." He is the team leader of the gaṇa. He is the leader of all the goddesses, and "Umaputrāya"—the son of Umā. Umā is Pārvatī. "Agaṇāśaya Vināyakāya, Īśaputrāya"—the son of Īśvara. "Sarvasiddhi Pradāya"—he will grace you for the completeness of every effort. And "Ekadantāya"—he has one tooth; he has no two teeth, only one tooth, and that is why he is called that. He is addressed by many names according to his actions and duties. Gaṇeśa is one of the most popular, integrating, and motivational gods. How do we interpret and know Gaṇeśa in modern times? Gaṇeśa is the energy of the beginning, the beginning energy. That is why you can see that in the Western world, it is said, "Morning shows the day." Similarly, the first impression is the best impression. That first impression is Gaṇeśa and the energy of Gaṇeśa. If you make Gaṇeśa happy, if you start anything with a good heart, it will proceed in a better way. Gaṇeśa is also the positive source, the positive energy. Whenever you start anything, if you meditate before beginning, the result is good. Nowadays, it is said that before going to the Olympic games, athletes also meditate for a while to calm down their stress and emotions so they can perform better. Even in the White House in America nowadays, starting at the minister level, before making a decision, they just meditate—no matter the method—they keep calm for a couple of minutes. This means the beginning is the best way to start. That is why Gaṇeśa is the beginning, the energy of the beginning. No matter in whatever way you call it, no matter whatever name you give, no matter whatever you say, the first beginning things, if you have good energy, that will lead to perfection. That is why Brahmā also generated it. Scripture says that Brahmā worshipped Gaṇeśa before starting the creation of this universe. Similarly, Mahādeva also, before killing the Tārakāsura daitya and Tripurāsura, at that time also he worshipped Gaṇeśa. And similarly, Viṣṇu also, many times. That is why scripture says he is the beginning, the source of beginning. So whatever we understand is here: if anything we are going to start, just worship Gaṇeśa or bring the auspiciousness within yourself. That will be good. That is why again comes Gaṇeśa, who is one of the perfect persons, the perfect Gaṇeśa. "Gajānanaṁ bhūta gaṇādi sevitaṁ." Here it is said that Gaṇeśa Bhagavān is always worshipped in the beginning. Why is he worshipped in the beginning? It is said in the scriptures, in the Gaṇeśa Purāṇa also it is mentioned that Gaṇeśa is the form of Brahmā. When Gaṇeśa is the form of Brahmā, then what did Brahmā do in the beginning of creation? He started worshipping Gaṇeśa. So, how do we know Gaṇeśa in today’s society? How do we believe in Gaṇeśa? What is Gaṇeśa? Whatever work you do, at that time, for the perfection of the work, when you become dhyānāśrita, when you do pūjā, then the sacred feeling that comes to your mind, that is the feeling of Gaṇeśa. From that feeling, you get spiritual pūjā. In the work from birth to death, in any work, Gaṇeśa jī’s contemplation and dhyāna is because of this. So here, in every Purāṇa, Gaṇeśa jī’s birth is explained in different ways. The Śiva Purāṇa is based on Pārvatī’s body, but the other Purāṇas are based on the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, Brahmā Purāṇa, and Skanda Purāṇa. And it is said that Pārvatī jī was making Gaṇeśa of bālū (sand) in Gaṅgā jī’s arrow. And his head was that of an elephant. After that, she really drowned in the river. She started crying and crying, and with the blessings of Lord Viṣṇu, she came back. And Gaṇeśa jī’s veneration started. And then you read in the second Purāṇa, in the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, it is written that Pārvatī jī prayed to Viṣṇu Bhagavān and got a son. After she got a son, she called all the gods and goddesses for blessings. But they did not come, so she called the God of Saturn (Śani) with great desire. After coming, with the grace of Saturn, Lord Gaṇeśa’s head fell down. After that, Lord Viṣṇu immediately attached the elephant’s head with the Sudarśana Cakra. And after attaching the head, Lord Gaṇeśa started speaking. And Durvāsā Ṛṣi blessed the elephant with 13 Pūjās. That’s why when the elephant’s head touched Lord Gaṇeśa’s body, Gaṇeśa’s Pūjā started first. So this is a different story of Gaṇeśa in a different Kalpa, different Purāṇas. But in the Śiva Purāṇa, it is said that it is for the protection of Lord Pārvatī. But what is Pārvatī? She is the power of nature. So, every time, anytime you can see Gaṇapati, it is that beginners—not only in one place, there are various places. In the earlier session, I explained that Gaṇeśa originated from Pārvatī’s body, from her dust. But in different Purāṇas, the story is different. In the Mārkaṇḍeya Purāṇa, it says the goddess was originated from Pārvatī. But Pārvatī meditated for Viṣṇu, and Viṣṇu blessed Pārvatī, and Pārvatī got a beautiful, handsome son. But what happened? She invited many gods and goddesses to share the blessings, but at that time the god Sūrya did not arrive, and she repeatedly invited Sūrya Deva. At that time, Sūrya Deva came very late. When the Sun comes, because of its evil eye, the planet Sun, that star (the child's head) falls down. When Gaṇeśa’s star (head) fell down, then immediately Viṣṇu, God Viṣṇu, went out and found an elephant, and with his Sudarśana Cakra, he brought the elephant’s head, and then Gaṇeśa became the elephant-headed God. So, that time is in the different kalpas and different Purāṇas, it says. But no matter whatever the Purāṇa says, we need to focus that Gaṇeśa is the beginning energy of the beginning. If you have the beginning energy, it is good. The first impression is the best impression, is the good impression—that is the moral here. Now we are going to, in this chapter, it says that Gaṇeśa is a married person, and how he found his spouse, and how they arranged the marriage. So that is his story. We already talked about Kārtikeya, the Kumāra jī. Kumāra jī also came from when the Kāmadeva... (the ash of) Śiva jī and Kārtikeya came. And Kārtikeya and Gaṇeśa are now Śiva and Pārvatī’s two sons. When they were brought up, it is usual that we worry about our kids—when they are ready to marry, we talk about the spouse and how they can marry, and where can we find the best person. We talk. Similarly here also, Pārvatī and Śiva had a meeting and they talked to each other that they needed to find a spouse for Gaṇeśa and Kumāra (Kārtikeya). They started to talk, and Śiva asked Pārvatī, "How are we going to find the marriage? Both sons are equal to us. Gaṇeśa is also very adorable, and Kumāra is also very adorable, so who is going to marry first?" This is a very difficult question, and Pārvatī says that, well, Gaṇeśa will marry first. And Śiva says, "No, it’s not fair. We need to arrange something, so we need to create some idea of who is going to marry first." And they started to talk. Lord Śiva said, "No, both our sons are equal to us. So, whom should we marry first? Lord Gaṇeśa and Kārtikeya." So at that time, Lord Śiva took out a shoe (or set a condition). What is it that on this earth, whoever will come first after doing the circumambulation (of the earth), he will marry first. Otherwise, we will not marry him until he comes. So, whoever comes after the circumambulation will get married first. This proposal was given by Śiva jī, and that proposal was given to both the sons. After giving the proposal to both the sons, what about Gaṇeśa jī? He is a big bull (in form) and has a small mouse (vehicle). He walks very slowly. And Gaṇeśa jī is also the heaviest for his own body. So, how will he walk? He had a problem in his mind. So at that time, Pārvatī and Śiva decided that whoever makes a circle of this earth, whoever comes first after making a circle of the universe of the earth, then that person will get married first. So they decided. At that time, Gaṇeśa is in trouble. He has a big belly, and the vehicle is very small. How can I make a circle around the whole earth and come? Obviously, I’ll be second anyway. There are only two people in competition, so definitely he will be second. But whoever comes first will get the marriage, so that’s the problem. That’s why he was thinking attentively. What will happen? How am I going to be first? And he was thinking that. But in the meantime, Kārtikeya started his marathon already. He took his vehicle and started to go to make a circle of this universe, this Earth. And in it, the Purāṇa says that Gaṇeśa was in a big trouble first, but you know that Gaṇeśa is the buddhimān, he’s a very wise person, and he creates some wisdom. He went home and took a bath and started to think, "Well, what will be the idea?" So, the master, and he was the ideal master, and he thought, "Well, so I have to do something." And when he took a bath, he made the two cushions over there, and he invited mother and father, that is, Śiva and Pārvatī, and he requested mom and dad: "Please, I would like to worship you first." And Śiva and Pārvatī were seated, and he worshipped with the pañcopacāra, ṣoḍaśopacāra, and as a god, he worshipped everything. And later on, he made a parikramā, not only one time, seven times—pradakṣiṇā. Pradakṣiṇā means moving from the south direction... south to that’s north... in direction. That’s why the pradakṣiṇā starts from dakṣiṇ. That means, like if you see this wall, that started the sun from east, that around this dakṣiṇ side, around. The Dakṣiṇ, around the south, that the sun moves from here to there, from the south direction. That’s why the south direction is the universal rule, to move. That’s why Gaṇeśa also made the pradakṣiṇā of mother and father, the south direction. And he said, "Oh, my father and mother, I made this circle now seven times, not only one time. Seven is the completion, like seven days: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. And the seventh day is the completion of one section, one week." Similarly, the Saptarṣis, the seven, that is an accomplishment. That’s why I made the seven times. And Śiva said, "Well, you did the seven times, you worshipped us. Now what would you like to say? Still, you have to go to make a circle of this universe. So, do you think you want to marry now?" And Gaṇeśa said, "Well, yes, I would like to marry. You have to declare me, I am the first." And Śiva said, "No, this is not fair. It’s a tricky thing." And Śiva told, "Keep asking Gaṇeśa." And Gaṇeśa said, "Well, you told, you gave the instruction that if anyone makes a circle... that the mother and father, they are the greatest and greatest pilgrimage. And that is the great thing, greater than the universe, greater than anything. And you told that one day, that if anyone makes a circle, that one time is the completion. If you say that the Veda is wrong, that’s fine then. So if the Vedas’ wisdom is not true, then that’s okay. If you are claiming that it is true, now you have to declare, 'I am the first person. I have to get the married chance.'" So he proposed that. And Pārvatī was so happy. "Oh, my very wise son, thank you for telling that. I was worried about you." And Pārvatī was so happy. So that’s why that is saying that idea is greater than anything. So, idea—so the mind is bigger than the buffalo. So that’s why he also told Gaṇeśa jī, "What will you do?" Gaṇeśa jī was in a lot of trouble. The rat doesn’t even move fast. And the one who comes after performing the earth’s circumambulation, that is the one who gets married first. But what did Kārtikeya do? He went to Gaṇeśa jī’s house? (No). But Gaṇeśa had an idea. He went home, took a bath, and circumambulated Śiva and Pārvatī seven times. After the circumambulation, Śiva jī asks, "You are saved from performing the earth’s circumambulation?" But they say that you only have told in the Vedas that, Lord, whatever you do to your mother and father, if you treat your mother and father as your son-in-law and bless them, then that is the biggest benefit, the biggest son-in-law for the son, the mother-in-law for the daughter. So you only told me. If you tell that this is a lie, if the rest of the Vedas is a lie, then what is that page of yours? Leave it, tell a lie. Otherwise, you announce to me that I will have to get married, that there is no one bigger than mother and father in the world, there is no pilgrimage, there is no birth, there is no religion, there is no world. So you only told me. Gaṇeśa started telling, "Now what should Śiva jī do?" That was right. He told me at one time, so Śiva jī also agreed. Pārvatī was very happy. So when Gaṇeśa proposed that, then Śiva can’t say no because that was written in the Vedas. So, the first thing is Māta and Pitā. The first thing is the greatest thing. Before starting anything, you say the salutation to the mother, salutation to your dad, salutation to the guru. So that was the formula. If Śiva said no, that cannot be possible, then the Veda is not telling truth, so there was the conflict. That’s why Śiva also had to accept. So Śiva said, "Well then, you win now." So that’s done. So thank you, congratulations, you win the Veda now. So you have got the great idea. You are the idea master. So that’s Gaṇeśa, the idea master. Idea works better than anything. So if you go anywhere else, if you have an idea, that idea creates wonderful things. Ideas can be smaller, but they come in a successful way. If you see the banyan tree in India, that’s the biggest tree, the banyan tree, but the seed is very small. The small seeds, if you plant somewhere else, the tree becomes big. So anything that’s the idea, wisdom is, it might be small, but that can be the great, greater things. So that’s why the truth is also very small, but that comes in a greater way. So that’s why the... Yoga is a small way. Yoga is small, very small, only two words there, but it has got very... that you can see the Brahmā in that. Through the yoga, you can attain liberation, wonderful things. So that’s why the idea is wonderful, and without idea, we cannot go anywhere else, and God also exists in the truth. So, if you heard about the philosopher Nietzsche, so you heard, obviously Nietzsche, isn’t it? What he says, that he wrote in his life that God doesn’t exist and God is dead. He wrote all the time, and God doesn’t exist. We are existing now. If there is God, he needs to come and talk. He needs to say something, and he needs to say what is good and wrong. So he’s not existing. And later on, he claimed that in whole day, whole year, whole life he spent that God doesn’t exist, that was his principle. But in the end, at the end of the day when he died, then in the cemetery, in his cemetery, there is, that’s in marble, somebody wrote that "Nietzsche is dead." God said, "Before, he used to write that God is dead, Nietzsche said." There was a proverb, and his cemetery, somebody said, "Like now Nietzsche is dead," and God said, "So that means that God exists forever, and we are coming and going. Only the energy remains forever. Just we are temporary." That’s it. Why is it saying that we need to follow the permanent things, not the temporary? The temporary will remain just for a while, and it’s like water bubbles. Water bubbles come and go, and the truth remains forever. In the same way, the idea we are talking about here, the idea, is one of the great ideas. And also, in that idea, what does it want to talk about? And what moral lesson do we want to take? Gaṇeśa gives emphasis that the mother and the father are great persons. Māta, Pitā are the biggest in the family. Gaṇeśa Bhagavān says that Māta, Pitā are above Bhagavān. "Mātṛ Devo Bhava, Pitṛ Devo Bhava, Ācārya Devo Bhava." As it is written in our scripture, the biggest are Māta and Pitā, and after that is Gurujan. That is why, before doing any work, you take the blessings of Mātā and Pitā and go, then it will be the best. And what do you say, Śaṅkarācārya? The Śaṅkarācārya told that mother cannot be wrong anytime. But children can be wrong, so mother cannot be kumātā. It’s not me. Mother cannot be worse for our kids, but kids can be. That’s why mother is the great. That’s why we always said the mother is the great, and that’s why we always, in our philosophy, wherever you are born, that’s a motherland: Mother Earth and Bhārat Mātā. Nepal Mata, but we never say Australian Mummy, Australia Mummy, European Mummy. So that’s why the tradition we need to carry, that wherever you are born, that is also a birthplace, that is also a mother. And that’s why Sītā came from the universe from the earth, that is meaning also the mother, is this land as well. Mother, we came from this, and we exist from this. "Mātā Pitā sabse baḍe hote haiṁ, to usmeṁ bhī kyā hai, ki baḍe meṁ, jo Vivekānanda jī ne to bol diyā hai, ki Mātṛ Devo Bhava, Pitṛ Devo Bhava, Ācārya Devo Bhava, uske bād meṁ, Daridra Devo Bhava, Daridra Devo Bhava ko bhī, Garīb ko bhī. Seva karo, jab garīb bhī khush ho jāyeṅge, mātā-pitā guru khush ho jāyeṅge, to āpkā bedā par ho jāyegā." To achieve this, that is why it is, that Vivekānanda, one of the great saints, he told, first "Mātṛ Devo Bhava," then "Pitṛ Devo Bhava," "Ācārya Devo Bhava," and "Daridra Devo Bhava." Daridra is the poor person. If you go to a poor village, don’t tell them the religion or truth, what is this or what is that? Give them first food, and if we give the food, they are happy. The body is started to function, then you can talk, and then you can talk about the morality and the truth and eternal truth. So that’s why he added one sentence there: "Mātṛ Deva Bhāva, Pitṛ Deva Bhāva, Ācārya Deva Bhāva, and then Daridra Deva Bhāva." So first of all, you need to feed. The feeding is the worshipping for any persons. There was a story that one person was very hungry. He was starving for two days, but he was a very religious person, a very truthful person, and he was starving without food. And there was one pathik, a passerby traveler, and he told the person, "Do you want something?" And he said, "Yes, I’m hungry from two days. I haven’t eaten anything. Can you please give me something?" And he gave some food to him. And in the meantime, there was another guy who was passing. He said, "Can you give me food, please? I’m hungry. I have been starving for seven days, and you have been starving for only two days. I have been starving for seven days. Look, which hunger is great? Which hunger is deeper?" And the man gave for the seven days. She was hungry for seven days, so that’s the first thing we need to feed. We need to fulfill, we need to satisfy the hunger. That means, like, share your things with the poor people. Share your things first before preaching. Give them food. Because that was the scripture written, that when the world... there are many poor people. Still, there are many poor people, but we need to be looking after. And you can see that whatever population in Australia, the similar population of beggars in India, so look at this stuff. How many people are starving here? And similarly, if you go to the other countries, the same thing. That’s why it is always: if you give, you will be given. We can share, and if you share, you will never be empty, so that’s why whoever you give, you will receive. And so now we have a little song about Gaṇeśa: Śrī Gaṇeśa, Gaurī Gaṇeśa, Oṁ Gaṇeśa, Gaurī Gaṇeśa, Oṁ Gaṇeśa, Pārvatī Nandana Śrī Gaṇeśa, Pārvatī Nandana Śrī Gaṇeśa, Śaraṇaṁ Gaṇeśa, Śaraṇaṁ... Gaṇeśa... Śiva Nandana Gaṇapati Ganeśa, Śiva Nandana Gaṇapati Ganeśa, Gaurī Ganeśa, Umā Ganeśa, Gaurī Ganeśa. Śrī Ganeśa, Bhavati Nandana Śrī Śaraṇam Ganeśa, Śiva Nandana Gaṇa Pati Ganeśa, Śiva Nandana Gaṇa Pati Ganeśa. Gaurī Gaṇe, Oṃ Gaṇe, Pārvatī Nandana Śrī Gaṇe Śaraṇaṃ Gaṇe, Śaraṇaṃ Gaṇe,... Śaraṇaṃ Gaṇe Śrī Ādhyāśakti Ganeśa Bhagavān kī Oṃkāra Rūpa Śrī Ganeśa Bhagavān kī. So when Lord Gaṇeśa was given a proposal by Śiva and Pārvatī, he won it with his intellect. Now it is time for the wedding. The wedding preparations are going on. Śiva and Pārvatī are going to satisfy the work of their intelligent son, who is intelligent, who is above the senses and above tranquility, who is above patience and is a wise and intelligent person, who is going to satisfy the work. Is that how much Gaṇeśa is getting ready for marriage? But on the other hand, Kārtikeya is in the cycle, who keeps on doing the cycle of the earth. So why do they do the cycle? Why do they do Pradakṣiṇā? They do it from the south to the west, because as the sun comes from the east, from the south to the west. That is why, according to the rules of the earth, we are the parents of the mother and the father of the mother and the father of the mother and the father of the mother. The father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother. The father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother. And the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father of the mother, and the father, and the father of the mother, and the father, and the father of the mother, and... If we all follow this, then there will be peace in every house. If there is peace in every house, then there will be peace in the society. If there is peace in the society, then there will be peace in the world. So, it is the best way to serve the mother and father, the mother and the father. Now, in the Western world, in the nursing home, the mother and father are kept in the old age home. And in the old age, not the mother and father of the poor, but the mother and father of the rich are kept. So I’m talking about how Gaṇeśa gives us the lesson for modern society. Mothers, the parents are the great things. That, without the parents’ worship, we cannot go anywhere. So, mother and father are the temple of the god and goddess. Mother and father are the ideal persons. So, nowadays, what happens is people are very busy. They don’t want to look after, they don’t want to pay the debt of the mother and father, so that’s what they want, to keep the vṛddhāśrama in a nursing home in the Western world. So, in nursing homes, mostly people are keeping that whoever the richer person, the mom and dad, is remaining there. But here we have got mātṛ ṛṇa, pitṛ ṛṇa, deva ṛṇa, ṛṣi ṛṇa—we have got three ṛṇas. Part 2: The Three Debts and the Primacy of Parents When we are born, we have three debts, three loans we must repay. Among these three loans, the mātṛ ṛṇa—the debt to our parents—is paramount. Then there is the deva ṛṇa, the debt to the divine. To receive from this universe, we must also give. All the knowledge we have received—from the Vedas, the Purāṇas, from every source, from guru, teacher, and master—is a loan we must pay off. Whatever I am speaking now is not my own. The words were given by my mother and father. When I could not speak a single word, my mother taught me how to say hello, how to say goodbye, how to say namaste. Everything. So you too, whatever you are speaking now, those are not your words; they were passed down from your mother and father. Whatever knowledge you claim, whatever you are aware of, its source was also your mother and father. How to place your foot upon this earth was also taught by your mother and father. So how can you say, "This is mine," and "I know better than Mama and Dad"? No, they are the source. No matter how big a river becomes, its origin is supreme. The water flows from the origin. If the source is dirty, the entire river is dirty. That is why the origin is important. Thus, it is said that if the mind is pure, then the Gaṅgā is in the water pot (loṭā). If the mind is good, then that place itself is a pilgrimage site (tīrtha). It is in the loṭā. That is why you do not have to go anywhere. The mother of the house is crying. What is the use of buying a sari for the mother outside the house? Tradition begins at home, from the very start. If your mother is crying, you cannot truly donate anything. While she is living, after her death you may write in her name, build a memorial, or erect a statue. That does not work. Therefore, the first duty is to worship her while she is living here. We go to the Kālī temple, we pay a lot of money in donation, we offer fruits and sweets, but what about our own mother? The mother is there crying, and the Kālī of the home, Kālī Māyā roh rahī hai. What will you gain by making offerings in the temple outside? Therefore, begin from the home itself, for peace. Or, what it means is that Lord Gaṇeśa explains the importance of parents to our modern society. So parents are of utmost importance. Many ṛṣis have also said this. They said that no matter how great a saint or enlightened person one becomes, they always remember their mother and father (mātā-pitā). So, mātā-pitā se baḍe koī nahīṁ hotā. They taught you your first words, the first things: how to eat, how to speak, how to see, how to move. They have given everything. So, if you asked your mother something a thousand times when you were young, she would reply. But now, if your mother asks you a couple of things, you get angry and say, "Oh no, you don’t know the ways of the world." That is why honoring—honoring a mother does not necessarily require... If you do not have a mother, then she who protected you, who brought you up, who helped you, she is also a mother. That is why we always say Durgā Mā, Sarasvatī Mā, or Lakṣmī Māta, because they have given us so many things in this universe. At this time, Gaṇeśa is ready for marriage, and arrangements are being made. Pārvatī found two girls, and in that time it was also acceptable to marry. The goddess was ready to marry, and Kārtikeya, the younger son, was moving about, but Gaṇeśa was there, ready for marriage, and he prepared. There are two beautiful ladies, Ṛddhi and Siddhi. They are ready for marriage to Gaṇeśa, and Gaṇeśa is also very happy because of wisdom. The wise one thinks he does not need to move about unnecessarily, and that is why it is said that in this world, 90% of people follow only 10%. Ten percent of people enjoy with their ideas, and 90% of people follow them, work hard, and pay more, but the 10% enjoy all the time. So, because of an idea, in the same way, success—if you do business or anything—if you have a good idea, you can build your career in a better way. Less effort, more money. And if you have more money, you can survive easily and you can devote your time to meditation, yoga, and spiritual practice (sādhana). You can do it. Otherwise, you have to do everything repeatedly all the time. That is why we need money, but wise money, not from cheating or any wrong means. The idea is supreme. You know that in India, there is always a trick; many people want to trick others, but the idea must be for dharma, not for other purposes. One day, what happened in India—if you have traveled by train, especially local trains, there is a huge crowd. You need to jump into the train, and thousands upon thousands of people are traveling. There was a very tricky fellow who wanted to travel easily and happily. When the train stopped, they took out two snakes from their pocket and threw them onto the train. "Oh, look at this snake! Look at this snake!" And everyone ran away shouting, "Snake! Danger!" Everyone was gone, and it was actually a fake snake. The two guys started saying, "Oh, look at this! We are now free. We have plenty of seats, we can even sleep." And they started to sleep. It was very hot in India. While they were sleeping deeply, they later woke up thinking the train was moving. They asked a guy, "Welcome. Where are we? Which station?" The man said, "Well, they found a snake on the train, and the last compartment was detached here. The train has already left." So they remained there. That trick did not work. The train was already gone. It is the same thing: if you use a negative trick to gain something falsely, you will not achieve. But an idea for a good purpose is alright. The idea is good for a good person, for good things. But for cheating and other purposes, that idea is just for deception (dhokā). Dhokā de, dhoke dhokā hī milegā. Or, achchhā suk de, doke to suk milegā. Is liye kyā hai ki jo achchhe karam ke liye āp ṭrik karoge, dharm ke liye ṭrik karoge, to... Dharma achā rahegā. So here also, Gaṇeśa's trick was for a good reason. There was no harm to anyone. Ṛddhi and Siddhi were ready, they arranged the time, and they married. Many gods and goddesses came to give them blessings. Gaṇeśa Jai, Bholī Gaṇeśa Bhagavān Kī Jai. So, Lord Gaṇeśa was there, and from that day, Gaṇeśa remains with Ṛddhi and Siddhi. Ṛddhi and Siddhi mean prosperity and perfection, prosperity and completion. That is why, if you ask Gaṇeśa, he will give prosperity, because prosperity is in his hand, in his court. That is why, if you ask... that is the God's energy. If you listen to the story, they may be historical characters: Gaṇeśa, Śiva, Pārvatī, Ṛddhi, Siddhi. But when you go into the significance, the spiritual meaning, that good energy brings you completeness and success. What is the modern definition of success? The modern definition of success is continuation and dedication. That is called success. Not only the aim, but the continuation. If you allocate time, success also comes. If you make an equation, first you need to have an aim. Willpower plus time is called success, and that is why you will achieve success. If you want to become a great, enlightened person, but you are not investing time—you only have desire—then desire alone will not bring you there. Desire does not. To cross the river, you need to row the boat. In the same way, if you want to get success, you definitely pray to God. And when you pray to God, then you find success. That energy gives you success. First, you need to bring it. You want to win the lottery? First, you need to buy a ticket. If you do not buy a ticket and just say, "Oh God, give me the lottery," how will He give it? First, you need to take a step. That is why if you start, God will complete it. If you start the journey, God will complete it. So that is the theory with Gaṇeśa as well. Lord Gaṇeśa is such that if you start, he will complete it. It is in his hands. So, whatever it is, you should start. If you do not start, how will it happen? If you do not buy a letter... That is half of success. So Gaṇeśa is always wise. And that motivates us, talks to us to be wise rather than merely putting in effort. And meditation is also wisdom. Wise means... Some people say, "Why do we have to meditate? If we meditate, that half hour is wasted. In half an hour, you can earn money—that's many dollars." So per hour you can earn that much. By American or Australian standards, that is $17 per hour. In some other country, it may be different. So, while you are "wasting" time, maybe you could create more. But you know that if you keep cutting vegetables or anything with a knife the whole day, what will happen? After a certain time, it will start to slow down. If you sharpen it and then cut again, it will be better. That is sharpening. So the mind also, you are sharpening it when you meditate. That means you need a break, and in the break you need to sharpen, to revitalize, re-energize, regenerate your mind. That is a retreat as well. It is the same thing: you are busy with daily life—cooking, waking up, going to college, university, or work—the same daily routine. But in a routine, you energize. You came into this universe, you came into this retreat, this holy place that energizes. That is the beauty of pilgrimage. So that is why you may not find God here, but your mind will be ready to find God because of this sort of retreat and pilgrimage. And Gaṇeśa has got Hṛddhi Siddhi. Hṛddhi Bhe, Siddhi Bhe. Hṛddhi Siddhi. And they started to live happily. And what happened, you know, after that? He was already married. And after marriage, what happens? After marriage, children happen. Now it is the turn for the children. Also, Ṛddhi-Siddhi gave birth to two children. Their names are Śubha and Lava. Yes, Śubha and Lava. Śubha means auspiciousness, Lava means benefit, gaining auspiciousness. So Ṛddhi gave Śubha, and Siddhi gave Lava. Thus, Ṛddhi-Siddhi gave Śubha-Lava. So when we worship Gaṇeśa, he has Siddhi, Ṛddhi, and also Śubha and Lava. Then we are seeking that Lava—benefit—and auspiciousness. So Gaṇeśa will give you auspiciousness. Gaṇeśa Bhagavān kī śādī ho gayī Ṛddhi Siddhi ke sāth meṁ. Uske baad me kyā ho gayā? Ki śādī ke baad me kyā hotā hai? Bachche hote haiṁ. To bachche ho gaye. Ki unkā kyā thā? Ki Śubha aur Lava thā nām. Ṛddhi ne Śubha de diyā aur Siddhi ne Lava de diyā. So when you worship Gaṇeśa Bhagavān—if you do any kind of auspicious work—then for siddhi and for completeness, the primordial deity (ādya devatā) Gaṇeśa Vighneśvara, what he does is he gives you siddhi and removes any obstacle. That is why. That is why in the mantra also, four fruits are given. What are the four fruits? Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa. For these, the world fights. For which our duty becomes a duty to bring human life. That is achieved by Gaṇeśa. So, you will get four. The mantra says that Gaṇeśa will provide four fruits: Ṛddhi and Siddhi. What are the four fruits? Dharma, Artha, Kāma, Mokṣa. Those are the four fruits. That is the major goal of this human life: dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa. Not only dharma, not only kāma, not only material gain; the ultimate goal is liberation. But we are indulging either in artha or in kāma. So if you are progressing with dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa, that is good. So dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa is the goal of sanātana dharma and human life. Dharma, artha, kāma, mokṣa are fine in human life, but if we get entangled in money, greed, work, and household chores, then we cannot go towards mokṣa. But what happens with Gaṇādhipati is that he gives four boons: ṛddhi, buddhi, sahita, nam. So they got married, and so Ṛddhi and Siddhi gave śubha-lābha, two sons. After that, a new phase began, and people came and worshipped Gaṇeśa. And what happened? Kumār (Kārtikeya) was traveling; he had gone out. So Kumār had not arrived. There was already a marriage, and children were also born. But he had not arrived yet. By the time he would come, there might even be a grandson. So Kumār was roaming, and he traveled for many, many days and months. Finally he arrived, and he thought, "I am the first..." Because Gaṇeśa has a big belly and cannot move properly—maybe he has diabetes or something—so maybe he would arrive later. "Oh, so I am the first person. Maybe the goddess will come months later." But he got the information: no, Gaṇeśa was already married and even had children. What surprised him? He became upset. So when people are upset, what do they normally do? People either say, "Okay, you live there, I'm going now," and tell their mom and dad things like that, or they throw things, break the television or sofa or anything. But Kumār was not that arrogant anyway. So he said, "Well, I was supposed to be first? It's not fair. I traveled all around the earth, circled all the way, but how come I'm not first?" That's not fair. Then everyone is... What happened is, it started... Oh no, it had already happened. Gaṇeśa had good wisdom, and that wisdom worked for him, and he got married. So Kumār was not quite happy. So what happened was that Kumār jī had gone for a walk. Gaṇeśa jī had also gotten married and had children. And Gaṇeśa jī came and said, "Now what will I do?" Now that he (Kumār) has come home, what do we do? When he gets very angry, what do we do? We fight at home, we fight with our parents. "Now I will leave the house and go. You stay." So I had to get married first. So Kumār jī started talking like this. So at that time, he (perhaps Śiva) explained a lot and said, "Hey Kumār, don't be so stubborn because you have done this, but Gaṇeśa Bhagavān is very intelligent. He has carried out the wishes of mother and father. There is no one happier than a mother and father. His interpretation was good." So then Kumār jī was not very happy. He became a saint. What happened? Kumār said, "Well, if there is no luck to get married, then what will happen? Then I'll go and become a saint. I'll always observe brahmacarya. I'll maintain celibacy better." So he left the house. Even Pārvatī said, "No, no, son, come, come... don't go like this, don't do this." So Pārvatī was saying, Pārvatī and Śiva were telling and requesting, "Please don't go, we'll find another way or something." But he said, "No, no, no. If you are decided, that's all that is done." So he went, and he went to the Śiva region. He went to Krauñca Parvata (the Krauñca mountain). He went to that mountain, and he never got married. He always remained a saint because he did not, in his story—if you read it straight—he did not get a chance, and he gave up married life. But if you go in a deeper way, there are two ways of life: you can either get married and still attain dharma, or you do not need to get married; you maintain celibacy. Still, there is a path for both. So it is saying that destiny is not a chance; it is a matter of choice. So you can choose anything. If you have regret—"Oh, I'm not a sādhu saint, how can I attain liberation?"—do not worry. The Goddess has proven that path. And if you are a saint—"Oh, I'm not a gṛhastha (householder)"—a gṛhastha can also attain liberation. Kumār is the example, and he is the example for modern society. Both are happy. And that is why from that day he was Kārtikeya, Skanda. But now after that, he declared, "I want to be a brahmacārī, I want to be sent." And from that day, people started to call him Kumār. Kumār means unmarried, a virgin. So he remained on Krauñca Parvata all the way, and he is seen only one day. What is that day? According to the lunar calendar, it is the month of Kārttika. That is the seventh month of the lunar calendar. It is called Kārttika. Vaiśākha, Jyeṣṭha, Āṣāḍha, Śrāvaṇa, Bhādra, Mārgśīra, then Bhādra, Kārttika, and Mārgśīra, also Aśvin and Kārttika. So there is the seventh month, Kārttika. And if there is the Kṛttikā nakṣatra (the constellation Kṛttikā) in the month of Kārttika and it is full moon, that is when Kārtikeya arrived. That is why on that day there is a big festival in Kārtikeya temples. And in India also, there is a Kārtikeya Utsav, Kumār Utsav. Kumār Utsav left his home and went for penance. He went to Krauñca Parvata. After that, he is seen only once in the world. At one time, that is in the month of Kārttika, in the Kṛttikā nakṣatra, and at that time, if there is a pūrṇimā (full moon), then we can see him. That is why on that day, with great fanfare (dhūmdhām), we worship Īskandar (Skanda), we do pūjā, we do pāṭh, we do everything. That is why, the thing is, Kumār became a saint and Gaṇeśa started his family life. And in family life, he has sons, and whoever worships will get blessings. And when is Gaṇeśa's day, when we celebrate? That is also in Bhādra. Bhādra Gaṇeśa Caturthī—that is in Bhādra, the fifth month of the lunar calendar. The fifth month is Bhādra, and in Bhādra, on the śukla pakṣa caturthī (the fourth day of the waxing moon), that tithi, on that tithi we celebrate Gaṇeśa Caturthī. On Gaṇeśa Caturthī, people all around the world celebrate. But every fifteen days, Śiva and Pārvatī come into this universe. Every fifteen days means on the new moon and full moon. Śiva and Pārvatī—that means like yin and yang, north pole and south pole, that is nature. Sky, earth, north direction, south direction—so that is the magnetic balance as well, and the universe runs in that way. Jai Bhole! Gaṇeśa Bhagavān kī jai! Then how did he get to eat laḍḍū? And why did he get laḍḍū from Gaṇeśa Bhagavān? The deities (devatās) did a lot of hard work and made laḍḍū of amṛta (nectar). And what is the use of making laḍḍū of amṛta? They set a condition that whoever goes on a pilgrimage (tīrtha) and returns first would get the laḍḍū. So what did he do? Gaṇeśa Bhagavān did the same because he has great intellect. That is why he used his mind to perform the rituals for his mother and father. And he got the laḍḍū of amṛta. Laḍḍū means reward. And all the deities were watching. Lord Gaṇeśa got it. That is why Lord Gaṇeśa is called the lover of happiness. Lover of happiness means he who eats the laḍḍū of happiness. Pramoda mānandaṁ dadatīti modakaḥ? Lord Gaṇeśa is the one who gives happiness. That is why Lord Gaṇeśa got the laḍḍū. Is that the biggest idea? If you take to work with a strategy (yukti), it will be very good. That is why, in the Bhagavad Gītā, what is it? Win the mind, not the world. You cannot win the world. That is why, what is it? Win the mind, lose the mind, win the mind. That is why you win the mind so that you do not run after the external world. Because whatever is meant for you will remain in order. You buy shoes... Here I like to explain how Gaṇeśa obtained the laḍḍū. Why do we offer laḍḍū? It is said that laḍḍū is not only a fruit or sweet; it is a gift, a present, a prize. All the gods gathered once and found the amṛta nectar. When they found the nectar, they made a bowl of the nectar, and everyone wants the nectar laḍḍū, isn't it? So everyone wants it, and whoever eats it can survive longer, can enjoy, can remain happy, and it is also the source of happiness and enjoyment. That is why all the time, all the goddesses discussed, "Who is going to eat it?" So everyone is claiming, "No, that's my right." Everyone is saying, "No, I am this." The great persons of each sector are having discourse and debate. In the meantime, what happened? Gaṇeśa was also there, and he thought he didn't have any chance because he is a big-bellied person, with a large mouth, and not that physically active. Maybe he does yoga, but different yoga, not hot yoga. And Gaṇeśa also said, "Well, is that the case? Then I'll have to make a trick." A trick always works, isn't it? Other things don't work; that's why you need to make a trick. Man is the one who has to suffer, and the mind is the one that has to be bound. So what did God do? God took out the shoe of the mind. What did he take out? He went again. He went near his mother and father. He went near his mother and father and considered them to be the pilgrimage site (tīrtha) and performed circumambulation (parikramā) around them. Then he came and declared himself the first. All the tīrthas had come. So he said, "How is that a tīrtha?" Because what greater tīrtha is there than mother and father? So he got the laḍḍū, he got the reward. And after he got the laḍḍū, all the deities were watching. From that day, the laḍḍū was in his hand. That is why it is said, "modaka priya pramodam ānandam dadatīti modakaḥ." He got the laḍḍū which gives him ānandam (bliss). So that means he did the same thing, the same trick. The laḍḍū was ready as a prize for whoever returned first from a pilgrimage. That was the proposal, and he used his trick—the same thing. Well, there is no greater tīrtha, no greater temple, no greater spiritual practice (sādhanā) than making one's mother and father happy, appeasing them. He came back and again repeated the same thing. He circled his mother and father and won the prize of the modaka laḍḍū. That is why it is called modaka. Modaka means the source of enjoyment. The laḍḍū is only a symbol, but it represents the source of enjoyment, the source of pleasure, the source of eternity, truth, and achievements. And Abraham Lincoln says—what did he say? Abraham Lincoln said there is no color of achievement. For achievement, it doesn't have any color. Anyone can get it. That is still true in modern society; it happens. So if you have the effort, if you have the courage, you will get that prize. I would like to explain one thing. I would like to add here: who was the first conqueror of Mount Everest? Do you know? Yes, wonderful. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. Tenzing Norgay Sherpa from Nepal, and Edmund Hillary from New Zealand. They conquered it, and when they summited Mount Everest, they came back. After coming back, the world's attention went to them. "Whoa, the highest, tallest wall, 8,848 meters high, Mount Everest, is conquered by two guys." And they are now here, and they were invited by many nations. A journalist asked, "Oh, how did you conquer it?" And he said, "No, we didn't conquer it. We didn't conquer Mount Everest." The journalist was surprised. "How come you did not conquer it? How come you didn't climb it?" And they said, "Well, we didn't climb Mount Everest. We conquered our mind. We conquered our heart's courage." Many people climb Mount Everest, but no one gets success. But we had that faith. We conquered our mind, that's why we conquered it. That's why we became winners. In the same way, it is said, "Mañkī jīt, jīt mañkī har har." So if you have weakness in your mind, no matter what... You can see in India or any zoo, there is a big elephant tied with a small rope. If it wanted, it could break it, but still it remains there. Why? Because its mind is very weak; it is trained. Part 3: The Victory of the Mind: Lessons from Gaṇeśa From the beginning, there is a small rope. The elephant is very small. They put it in a chain, and that chain cannot be snatched and cannot be broken. At that time, they beat and train it in that way. When the elephant grows bigger, it still thinks, "I cannot do it. I cannot tear it. I cannot break it. I have to remain here." That is a mental problem. The Goddess always says that—it is better than modern psychiatry. You have to be strong in your mind. You can conquer; you can win. That was the message of the Goddess. The Goddess went and found the mother and father, moved around and moved around, and said, "It is all right," so he got the prize. That is why modaka priya. Modaka priya kā matlab kyā hai ki prize usko mil gayā. Gaṇeśa Bhagavān ko isī liye usī din se laḍḍu ko Gaṇeśa Bhagavān ko milā, kyūnki ek itihās hai ki man ko jītne kī liye, aur mātā-pitā aur man se akal se baḍā hone kī liye ho. They said, for Sāgara Mātā, two men went there: Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay Sherpa. When they came back, all the journalists asked them, "You have won the Sāgara Mātā," but they said, "No, we have not won the Sāgara Mātā." All the journalists asked, "Why not?" They said, "We have not won the Sāgara Mātā; we have won ourselves, our mind." Because the victory of the mind is the biggest victory. You see an elephant; it is so big, but it is tied with a small rope. Because since its childhood, it has been taught in the mind that the rope cannot be broken. That is why it has been filled in the mind since childhood, and the mind has lost. That is why we are also losing in life because of this. That is why there is a very big crowd in the world now, but there is no humanity in the crowd. There are many friends, but there are very few true friends. The house is very big, but humanity has become very small. All the watches are expensive, but no one has time. You can spend a lot of money and do treatment, but what is it? There is no health. So what happened? There is wealth, but there is no religion. If you wear expensive clothes but you do not have time, what will happen? Nothing. That is why there are so many people, but there is no friend. On your Facebook, there are many friend requests. There are thousands of friends, but it is very hard to find true friends. That is why Kṛṣṇa says that it is better not to make many friends, rather than finding many friends and much not-good company. Better you walk alone. If you have hundreds of friends, you may have only two or ten true friends. That always reminds you to follow good company and good things. So here is Śiva Pūrṇath’s story, that laddū modaka priya, how Gaṇeśa is modaka priya. Now another section comes with Gaṇeśa: why he has one tooth, ekadanta? Why has he got one tooth? There are different stories in different Purāṇas. Ekadaṇṭa is the unification, Advaita; that is the only one, omnipresent. But there is a story in the Purāṇas—Īśāna Purāṇa, Gaṇeśa Purāṇa, and Kārtikeya Purāṇa—that says Gaṇeśa was not only wise; he was a very good fighter as well. If you have heard, Parāśara Ṛṣi and Gaṇeśa had a lot of friendship, and enmity also. When he has difficulties, Gaṇeśa goes to fight. If you know about Pārśurāma, Pārśurāma is also Śivajī’s disciple. Śivajī’s devotee is Pārśurāma. Pārśurāma was very big because he used to carry the paraśu (axe). By doing Siṃhanāda, at that time there was a big fight. So you know why Gaṇeśa is modaka priya, why he makes laddūs? Why does Gaṇeśa have one tooth? Why does he have only one tooth? Why not two? First of all, it is a sign that there is only one God in the world. The form of God is the same. Due to their work, the name can be different, but the God of God is the same. So there is a lot in the same form, and there is one in a lot. There is one thing in all. In all life, in all human beings, there is the presence of God, and there are all living beings in one. So it is the same; there is only one. There are many stories in the Purāṇas. Pārśurāma was a brave man. He had a fight with Gaṇeśa. During the fight, Gaṇeśa defeated Pārśurāma with an elephant’s horn. After that, Pārśurāma had a huge vajra. Śivajī gave it to him. Śivajī attacked with the vajra. Gaṇeśa thought, "What else will we do to this vajra?" So at that time, there was a fight between Pārśurāma and Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa is very brave, and Pārśurāma also was a brave person. He did it twenty-one times. He finished; he defeated all the Kṣatriyas in this world twenty-one times. He was very powerful. He always holds the paraśu, the divine axe given by God. He is always holding it, and he is a very, very brave person, Pārśurāma. Gaṇeśa was once confronted by Pārśurāma. They were fighting, and while they were fighting, Pārśurāma brought the big Vajra that was blessed by Śiva. Pārśurāma was one of the great disciples of Śivajī. At that time, Pārśurāma received that Vajra, and when they were fighting, Gaṇeśa lifted Pārśurāma and threw him away. Pārśurāma was fearless, and later on he prayed to Śivajī. Śivajī gave him the divine Vajra, and he threw the Vajra towards Gaṇeśa. Gaṇeśa thought, "I can defeat everything, but this is from my father, my Śivajī. What can I do? If I do not stop it, that will kill me. If I stop it, then something happens." The Vajra came, and Gaṇeśa, again wise, did not say no; he did not fight, but he blocked the Vajra with his one tooth. So that one tooth fell because of the Vajra. He is protected; he respected the Vajra also, the divine weapon, but he lost his one tooth. That is why the tooth is lost, and he always remains Ekadaṇṭa. So that is why Gaṇeśa, the son of Pārvatī, is always eka-daṇṭa. That was the story in the Purāṇa. As we mentioned in the morning, that is why he has got cūī mūṣī. Why does he have a mouse? Why does Gaṇeśa jī have a mouse? Why does he have mūṣī? The rat keeps on biting. It has to be bitten. Anyone can see that it bites grains, clothes, ropes. Its indication is that Gaṇeśa is the one who is able to straighten the channel of the mind. Even the channel of the mouse, like our brain, our mind, our head is very channeled. It thinks here and there, but Gaṇeśa is the one who is able to keep it steady. That is why Gaṇeśa, what God wants is that. That is why we call the husband of the mouse as the husband of the mouse. That is why Gaṇeśa Bhagavān. The second meaning is that when the mouse bites, then our rebirth, rebirth... death. So what happens is that birth by birth, we take a full birth, we repent, and we come into the sorrow of the world. But with the blessings of Gaṇeśa, we become free from the sorrow of birth by birth. The mouse bites the rope of birth and death. The mouse always cuts the ropes and anything, so that is why we have got the chain. That is birth and death, the chain of birth and death. We always have a chain. If you appease the Goddess, then the chain will be cut off. That is why the Mūṣaka also is a chain cutter. He is always good for everything, and that is why it is always good for worshipping Gaṇeśa. That is the initiating, the vibration of initiating or beginning. That is why he is the gatekeeper. You can see around the world, in many places they always keep Gaṇeśa, no matter if they know the story or not. It looks unique also, and Gaṇeśa is there. Why does Gaṇeśa have the big ear? The big ear—here, in India, there is a basket that is used to clear up the rice, to clear up any other junk in the home. It is a cleaner, like life cleaning; it is like a vacuum. Your ear always cleans the dust and everything, and that cleans out the bad karmas. That is why Gaṇeśa has got the big ear, and the big ear always helps. He is always a trick and always humble, always respectful. When you have respect—respect means respect is started from Gaṇeśa, Gaṇeśa Bhagavān. There was a person who was just about to fly. At that time, what happened is one guy bought a chips packet, and it was declared in the airplane, "This is the time for flying. This is the boarding time." He went to the boarding space, and still time was remaining there. He thought, "While we are waiting, I need to buy a chips packet, and I need to wait." So he started to eat chips. At that time, what happened is he was eating chips, and one lady came and sat beside him and started to eat chips. He became so angry. "Oh my god, without asking, she is having those potato chips." It is wonderful. While he was eating, he had so much negativity. He is always thinking that all the time he was eating chips but not enjoying anymore. His mind is there: "Oh, what sort of naughty lady is that?" he is asking. Not even courtesy. Later on, it was announced again, "Okay, this is the time for boarding; please everyone come." At that time, he checked, "Oh, there is a new chips packet in his suitcase, another." So that was chips that was bought by the lady, and he was eating her chips. Look at this: she was so happy to eat, and she is not saying anything to anyone, and she is generous, so generous. But still, the mind, the status of the mind of the guy, is very restless, they say, whatever. It happens. It shows: be in the present and enjoy, be humble, and the humble generation comes. Charity begins from home. Gaṇeśa started from their origination point, mom and dad. Gaṇeśa is the biggest Tīrtha in the world. Mother and father are the biggest Devas. What we learn from Gaṇeśa is that he taught us to be happy with our parents. We have made it as a single dent. We have made it as a single dent. We have made it as a single dent. We have made it as a single dant. We have made it as a single dant. He sat with him and started eating, so he thought that he bought it without asking how he ate it. So at that time, he was very angry. But later, it was time to go. So at that time, when it was time to go to the plane, he saw that the chips packet he had bought was in his own bag. So he was very ashamed. Till now, he was eating chips of others, and he was abusing others mentally. So what is the reason? When dirt comes in the mind, then the truth also becomes wrong. That is why the purity of the mind is the greatest purity. In the Bhagavad Gītā, it is also the same. So, till here, this story remains. We again go to the bhajan. After one bhajan, we come back. Jai Bhole Bhagavān Śivjī kī, Brahmā Viṣṇu Maheśvarī kī. Now we have a small bhajan. The music, and let us enjoy with the music. You can clap, and then you can just memorize and enjoy the energy, the divine energy. We will have a little bit of story here, many stories actually, but we are close to conclude. Esa bola Shambhu dekhya sadhota padhari, Esa bola Shivji dekhya sadhota padhari. Dīna lōkake nāta nirājana, dīna lōkake nāta nirājana, māhi māhe apāri. E sābola śambu dekhyā sādho tapadāri, e sābola śīvjī dekhyā sādho tapadāri, tapadāri. Kahina katana sehe pari? Esa bola shambhu dekhya sadho tapadari. Esa bola shivji dekhya sadho tapadari. Tapadari prabhu, tapadari leri dundari. Esa bola shambhu dekhya sadhota padhari. Esa bola Śivjī dekhya sādhota pāḍharī, Jñānavī jñānadhyāna manadharī, Sejā samādhi sārī, Jñāna vijñāna dhyāna mana dharī, Sechā samādhi sārī, He kalyāṇa svarūpa śirāmaṇī, He kalyāṇa svarūpa śirāmaṇī, Harakā Kuberahe bandharī, Esabola Śambhu dekya sādhota pāḍharī. Mahādeva Śrī Devapurīṣa Nirākāra Avatārī, Mahādeva Śrī Devapurīṣa Nirākāra Avatārī Swāmījī, Paśaraṇagata Sevaka Caraṇaka Malihārī. Esa Bolā Śambū Dekyā Sādo Tapadārī, Esa Bolā Śivjī Dekyā Sādo Tapadārī. Tapadari, God bless you. Now we are here, Gaṇeśa. Why is he receiving adoration? Why does he love Sindūr, red sindūr, vermilion? Again, here there is one story: Gaṇeśh Bhagavān ke liye kaise vah ek dantayā ho gaye? Gaṇeśh Bhagavān kaise modak priya ban gaye? Kaise dūrbā prāpti ke liye? Unone durba priya ho gaye, abhi yaha pe aajata hai ki baat sindūr kaise Gaṇeśa Bhagavān ke liye uttam hai, pūjanīya hai. What does Lord Gaṇeśa have to do with vermilion? That is why we come here. There was a time when Brahmā jī tried a child. That child was very red, of vermilion colour. The child of vermilion colour, what he used to do every time was, he used to say, "Hey father, where should I go and live?" Since childhood, he was of a Dānav nature. "Where should I go and live?" He was looking at Lord Śiva, Brahmā, and Viṣṇu with great difficulty because they were children from the beginning. They were going to destroy the world. He was asking, "Where should I go and sit?" Because there is a place to live for the real man, but he was asking for that. At that time, Brahmā said, "Now you can live wherever you want." So he thought, "I will live wherever I want. What is it that I will kill someone or the other?" Because he had received a blessing that whoever he caught would die. But Brahmā had given a blessing that you can do this with everyone, but you will not be able to do this with Umā Putra. If you do this with Umā Putra, you will die. This was the blessing. So, Gaṇeśa, why does he love, why does he adore the sindūra, the reds, the vermilion? Because one day, one time, in one Kalpa—there are many Kalpas, many ages, many times—at that time, what happened is Brahmā, the creator, created one tiny boy. The boy in red colour, his eyes red, whole body was red. It is like a red panda, red colour. He was not a god; he was a demon. At that time, that demon asked, "Oh Brahmā, please give me bliss," and Brahmā blessed him. "Wherever you go, wherever you capture, wherever you hug, then the person will die, and the person will come in your control, except the Umāputra, except Pārvatī kā beṭā. Okay, whoever you catch will come into your control." So, except the Umāputra, which is Gaṇeśa, he was blessed in that way. The boy asked Brahmā, "Well, can I go to Śiva?" He went to try, just for a try he went to Śiva. "If I grab Śiva, he will be under my control." Śiva told, "Well, I am the person that I always remain in symmetry. Why do you want to help me? You want to stay in symmetry? If you hold me, you will be in symmetry, so better not to hold." Then he convinced him. He went to Viṣṇu and asked, "Can I hug you?" Viṣṇu says, "Well, I am not young enough. You are a very young boy, so better to go and find some other place." In the meantime, he came to the earth and started to hug everyone. Whoever he used to hug would come under his control. He started to misuse his power. Wherever he went, he used to hug, and he used to get control of it, and he misused the power. As you know, if you have any power and you misuse it, always there are some consequences. It will not—maybe you will enjoy first, but later on the outcome will not be pleasure. The outcome would not be that much happier. In the same way, he is going everywhere, and he is torturing, giving a lot of pain to everyone. At that time the earth was shaking. In the meantime, Pārvatī gave birth to Gaṇeśa there, and Gaṇeśa was a little bit ugly—that is another story here. At that time, Māhiṣmatī was on the earth. Māhiṣmatī also gave one beautiful son, and that beautiful son they exchanged, and Gaṇeśa came to earth. The beautiful boy goes to the earth. Whatever we talked before, that was the beautiful, handsome boy that was Māhiṣmatī’s son, and there was Māhiṣmatī Nagarī. Barinda was the king’s name, and Puṣpikā was the queen’s name. From Puṣpikā, the boy came, and they exchanged. Later on, Gaṇeśa came down to the earth. When he came, the boy, the Sindhurasura, Sindhurasura was doing a lot of notorious things here and there, and here and there. That is why people were fearful. All the sādhus and saints were unhappy. At that time, Gaṇeśa was growing up day to day. So it is saying that whenever the demons have got the misuse of power, always there is some formula. Always there is a root; that is why. In this universe also, whenever you have power, where there is a problem, there is a solution as well. So always think about the solution, never panic in any situation, and follow good character. We always stand in front of the mirror. Why? Because we want to see better; our face looks better. That is why we stand in front of the mirror. If you see there, instead of your image, there is your character, then many people will disappear. They do not want to stay in front of the mirror, because this character comes, and whatever your sacred things that appear, so better not to face the mirror on your side. But people want to beautify their body; that is why they want to stay and just want to make a beautiful body, but not the mind. When you are not making the mind pure, then so many things come, and maybe negativity also comes. That is the thing. Later on, what happened is, Gaṇeśa Bhagavān is that—the queen of the city of Māhiṣmatī was Puṣpikā, and the king was Bāriṇ Rājā. Bāriṇ Rājā also gave birth to a son. After the son’s birth, the son of Umā was also born. The son of Umā was a little short because, due to Tulasī’s curse, Gaṇeśa Bhagavān’s stomach was enlarged. You all know that Gaṇeśa had a big belly. That was a curse by Tulasī. That is why when you worship Gaṇeśa, you do not offer the Tulasī Patra, Tulasī Dala. You offer the Dūrbā. So there was a curse from the Tulasī. That comes also later. If I get time, I will explain it differently. But now, when the demon Sindhura, Sindhurasur, they start to fight, and at that time, what happened is Gaṇeśa came, and Gaṇeśa started to fight, and Sindhurasur is defeated. He takes bath with his blood. That is why the Goddess loves the blood. The Goddess loves the sindūr, red sindūr, and it is not the blood, but the sindūr. That is why the demon’s blood, that is... so that is also mentioned in one stage of this Purāṇa, but anyway, that is a victory. The honor, the red means the honoring victory. You can see the flag is red, and the colour red is a fire colour. That is a braveness, the brave colour, and the honoring. When we receive the ṭikkā in our ājñā jñāna cakra, that also honoring redness is the victory. Gaṇeśa also loves the victory. Whoever wants the victory, you can receive Gaṇeśa. That is the story here. But anyway, in today’s, whatever we learn from Gaṇeśa and Kārtikeya is, there is the possibility of the two ways of life, and also we learn the moral story: the parents, mother and father, are one of the most important pilgrimages and most adorable. Start anything from the home, and that is Gaṇeśa’s lessons. Now we will have the chanting, everyone. Can stand up, and we will have Bhole Bābā’s dance, Bhole Bābā’s stretching, and also that you can enjoy the rhythm and sound. So now you have heard that for Gaṇeśa Bhagavān, why sindūr is beautiful. Sindūr is beautiful because he has killed Sindurāśur, so it is a symbol of victory. Sindūr is there, and sindūr we offer. So for now, in the bhajan, we will get together. Everyone stand up, stand up, and bring your hand on your head, and we will play Bholā Bābā’s song: Jai Bholā, Bholā Bābā Kī. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya,... Bolo Bholo Bhola, Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya Bhola Bhola... Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya,... Om Namaḥ Śivāya... Bhola Bhola... Om Namah Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya. ... Bholē, bholē,... om namah śivāya. Bholē, bholē,... om namah śivāya. Om namah śivāya, om namah śivāya. Om namah śivāya, om namah śivāya. Bholē, bholē,... om namah śivāya. Bholē, bholē,... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Śivāya, Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Śivāya, Śivāya.... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Bholā Bholā Bholā. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Bholā Bholā Bholā. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Bhole Bhole... Śiva Śiva... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ Mahādevāya Śiva Śiva... Bhole Bhole... Om Namah Śivāya Pārvatī Pataye Om Namah Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya... Devādi Deva Om Namah Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya... Bhole Bhole... Bhole Bhole... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Om Namah Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya... Śivāya Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya... Oṁ namaḥ śivāya. Oṁ namaḥ śivāya... Oṁ namaḥ śivāya. So, no one knows when it will be the end of life. This is a beautiful time. We are in a beautiful place and a special place with the closeness to God and Guru. Many saints, yogīs, and mahāpuruṣas meditated and came here thousands and thousands of years before, and still the energy is here in this Siprā River, in this Kumbh Melā. That is why let us enjoy one more time happily, and put your mind with Śiva Jī, and indulge with Śiva Jī. Obviously, Śiva comes here. When you remember, he will appear. That is why, who knows, this might be the last time for our Kumbh Melā. So why not we enjoy? That is why let us chant Śiva Mantra and Śiva. As we said that whenever you meet somebody, "Om Namah Śivāya," this guy is also going to die. So anyway, this life is uncertainty. That is why let us chant Om Namah Śivāya one more time, loudly and happily. Everyone can chant. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya, Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya,... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya, Bolo Bolo Bholē, Om Namah Śivāya. Oṁ namaḥ śivāya, Oṁ namaḥ śivāya,... Jata dharaya, om namaḥ śivāya, sanātanāya, om namaḥ śivāya, jata dharaya, om namaḥ śivāya, sanātanāya, om namaḥ śivāya, bhule bhule bhule, om namaḥ śivāya, bhule bhule bhule, Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya. Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya Śivāya, Śivāya,... Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya Digambarāya, Om Namah Śivāya Debyāya, Debyāya, Om Namah Śivāya Jaṭāṭharāya, Om Namah Śivāya Om Namah Śivāya, Om Namah Śivāya Gaurīśutāya, Om Namah Śivāya Bolo bolo... Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya. Oṁ Namaḥ Śivāya... Bolo bolo... Om Namaḥ Śivāya, Om Namaḥ Śivāya... Bolo bolo bolo, bhole bhole bhole, om namaḥ śivāya, om namaḥ śivāya, śivāya śivāya, om namaḥ śivāya, pināka hastāya, sanātanāya, pināka hastāya, sanātanāya, bhole bhole bhole, om namaḥ śivāya, om namaḥ śivāya, ... sanātanāya, om namaḥ śivāya, om namaḥ śivāya,... Bolo bolo bole, om namaḥ śivāya. Bolo bolo bole, om namaḥ śivāya. Om namaḥ śivāya, om namaḥ śivāya... Oṁ namaḥ śivāya. Oṁ namaḥ śivāya... Har Har Mahā De, Jai Jai ... Hari Om Om. Pūrṇam Adaḥ, Pūrṇam Idaṁ, Pūrṇāt Pūrṇam Udacyate. Pūrṇasya Pūrṇam Ādāya, Pūrṇam Eva Avaśiṣyate. Hariḥ Om. Yanmayā Bhakti Tenā Patram. Pushpam, phalam, jalam niveditam janai vedyam, tadgihanu kampaya awanam. Najanami, najanami tavarchanam, pūjā Kṣamasya parameśvari, Hari Om. Anyatha śaraṇam nāsti, tomevam śaraṇam mama. Tasmat kāruṇya bhavena rakṣamam, parameśvara tomevam. Atha cāpita tomevam bandhu chaśka. To mevam vidyā dramiṇam tumeva tumeva sarvam mamadeva deva. Om yo’pām puṣvam veda puṣvam prajāvan puṣvam Yo’pām āyatanam veda āyatanam vavati, āyatanam vavati. Chandramāva āpām puṣvam, puṣvam prajāvan āyatanam bhavati. Āyata Navam Bhavati, Āyata Navam Bhavati, Āyana Navam Bhavati. Om Kainavācha Manasendriyārva Budhyātmānavadkharo Miśhakālam Parāsvai Nārāyaṇa Me Hariyam Śrī Parameśwarāya Nārāyaṇa Mahā Yakundī Niśarahar Daulayāsura Vastavita Yāmi. Rabradhan Manitkarayas Smita Padmasana yā brahma-chul-saṅgar-partibhir-deve-sadā-bandhida-sāmāṁ-pād-sar-sati-bhavati-niśya-śa-jād-yā-pā-khā-khā-yai-na-vā-ca-ma-niśa-nirvā-vā-budhyāt-manavā-prakṛti-śauvāt Karo miyate saklam praspai nārāyaṇa mi samara piyami. Jai bali purāṇa puruṣottam bhagavān kī. Jai Brahma Viṣṇu Maheśvara kī. Satishaṇātan dharma kī. Gurū Mahārāj kī. Sādhu Santāna kī. Mahātmā Jana kī. Siprā Nadī kī. Sakala Tīrthādi Devatā kī, Paśupati Nāth kī, Guye Swarī kī, Dakṣiṇī Kālī kī, sakala bhakta janā kī jaya bolīye! Āśā kī, ānanda kī bolīye! Umāpati Mahādev kī! Oṁ Har Har Mahādev, Har Har Mahādev... SABBA MAṄGALAM BHAVATU SABBA MAṄGALAM...