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Episode 1Deities

Why Is Ganesha Always Worshipped First?

Before your last exam… your new job… your wedding… whose name was spoken first?

The three reasons Try it this week Sources

Reason 1

The name

Gana, the earthly beings. Isha, their lord. He is also Vighneshwara, the remover of obstacles.

Reason 2

The earth

Vishnu rules Vaikuntha, Shiva rules Kailash, and Ganesha rules the earth. Parvati shaped him from it, so in some rituals a simple lump of earth stands in for him.

Reason 3

The language of light

We pray in naad-bhasha, the language of words. The gods hear prakash-bhasha, the language of light. Ganesha translates, and our words become light.

Whose name is spoken first?

शुभShubh

लाभLabh

So that's why his name comes first. Before the effort, before the gain. Shubh, then Labh.

Try it this week

The mantra

ॐ गं गणपतये नमः Om Gan Ganapataye Namah

SourcesK.V. Singh, Hindu Rites and Rituals, ch. 1, "Why Is Lord Ganesha Worshipped First?" Told as tradition tells it; families practise this in many ways.

What will you begin with Ganesha this week?

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The new film, its meaning in plain words, and one small practice for your week. Nothing else.

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