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Reading Notes: Pattanaik's 99 Thoughts On Ganesha Part B

Part III:

  • Representations
    • 4 Forms
      • Avatar
        • God descends to earth to solve worldly problems
      • Ganesha has four in different yugas
        • Krita Yuga
          • Riding a lion he killed demon brothers Narnataka and Devantaka
        • Treta Yuga
          • Riding a peacock he killed the demon Sindhu
        • Dvapara Yuga
          • Riding a rat he killed the demon Sindura
        • Kali Yuga
          • Riding a horse he kills the demon
    • 8 Avatars
      • In Mudgala Purana Ganesha takes 8 forms to kill 8 demons
      • Vakratunda
        • God with curved trunk
        • Rides lion to kill Matsara
          • Demon of jealousy
      • Ekadanta
        • God with one tusk
        • Rides rat to kill Mada
          • Demon of vanity
      • Mahodara
        • God with great belly
        • Rides rat to kill Moha
          • Demon of attachment
      • Gajanana
        • God with elephant head
        • Rides a rat to kill Lobha 
          • Demon of greed
      • Lambodara
        • God with pot belly
        • Rides a rat to kill Krodha
          • The demon of rage
      • Vikata
        • God with deformed body
        • Rides a peacock to overpower Kama
          • Lord of lust
      • Vighnaraja
        • Master of obstacles
        • Rides a serpent to kill Mama
          • Demon of self indulgence
      • Dhumravarna
        • Smoke-colored god
        • Rides a rat to kill Ahamkara
          • Demon of arrogance
    • 32 Images
      • King of Mysore
        • Ordered list of all images of the gods to be made
        • Sri-Tattva-Nidhi
          • 32 various forms of Ganesha
    • Collective
      • Ganesha controls and mitigates two bodies
        • Nava-Graha
          • Nine male deities
          • Nine celestial bodies
        • Sapta-Matrika
          • Nine female deities
          • Diseases that affect children
      • Ganesha became known as the remover of obstacles
PartIV:
  • Stories
    • Lord of Obstacles
      • Always have to propitiate to Ganesha before any activity 
      • If you don't you do so at your own parel
    • Parashuram
      • Gave his axe to Ganesha
    • The Moon
      • No one looks at moon on Ganesha Chaturthi because it will bring bad luck
    • Syamantaka
      • Krishna looked at moon on Ganesha Chaturthi and was cursed
    • Race
      • Narada offered a mango to whichever one of Shiva's sons could go around the world three times the fastest.
      • Kartikeya went right away
      • Ganesha waited until Kartikeya was just about to finish the third round before he got up and quickly ran around his parents three times
      • He went around his subjective world while Kartikeya went around his objective world
    • Valli's Marriage
      • Kartikeya fell in love with Valli (Beautiful tribal girl)
      • Prayed to his brother for help
      • Got the girl in the end
    • Vyasa's Scribe
      • Asked Ganesha to help him make sense of the events of the Mahabharata
      • Ganesha became Vyasa's scrive
      • Wrote the Mahabharata down
    • Kaveri
      • South India prayed to Ganesha to end drought
      • With the water came prosperity and joy
    • Ravan
      • Ganesha stopped Ravan from becoming invincible
    • Vibhishan
      • Ganesha became the famous Ganesha of rock-fort temple
    • Kuber
      • Kuber 
        • Treasurer of the gods
      • Thought he could satiate Ganesha's appetite
      • Couldn't 
    • Ganga to Godavari
      • Ganga flows South as river Godavari
    • Divodasa
      • Kashi people worshipped Shiva and Gansha because they drove away the unrighteous King Divodasa
    • Paradisa
      • Ganesha described as paradise in Ganesha Purana
Part V:
  • Symbols
    • Elephant Head
      • Represents prosperity and power
    • Human Body
      • When people can overcome their animistic desires and use their human brain they can achieve a lot
    • Pot Belly Lambodara
      • Represents wealth with the least amount of effort
    • Curved Trunk
      • Right
        • Spiritual reality
        • In temples
      • Left
        • Material world
        • In house
    • Red Color
      • Material relity
    • Axe and Noose
      • Parashu=Axe
        • Symbol of analysis
      • Pasha=Noose
        • Symbol of synthesis
    • Goad
      • Elephant goad
      • Symbol of encouragement and restraint
    • Sugarcane
      • Association with all things material and sensual
    • Single Tusk
      • Domesticated elephant
    • Rat
      • Ganesha removes the pest of problems from our lives
    • Snake
      • Ganesha holds the potential prosperity of the cosmos in his huge belly
      • He holds it all in with the serpent wrapped around his stomach
    • Peacock
      • Represents the joy of nature when rain arrives
    • Modaka
      • AKA Laddus
      • Symbol of wealth and all the sweet pleasures that wealth gives man
Ganesha running around his parents three times

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