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In vedic(as sanctioned
by Vedas) Hinduism, among all aborable Gods, Lord Ganesha has incomparable
importance. Without worshipping Lord Ganesha first, one should never start
any function. Even if one wishes to perform or start any God or Goddess's
festival/worship the first God to be worshipped is Lord Ganesha. No other
God is given such an exclusive importance in Hinduism. One may have a query
that why so much importance is given to Lord Ganesha?
Lord Ganesha is the symbolic
form of sound or word OMKAR, which has incomparable everlasting universal
divine appearance. Before starting any function Lord Ganesha is to be worshipped.
Lord Ganesha or Omkar is the basic form of the nature according to the Hindu
Philosophy and it is known form of all unknown or unexpressed total universal
divine knowledge. OM is infinite and formless. As per Upanishada's, (knowledge
gained at the feet of the preceptor) Sky immerged first, from the total universal
divine knowledge. The purified word form of sky is 'OM'. It is not like in
today's language where words have symbolic or general meaning but not it's
self existent meaning.
Omkar has a sound and total universal divine knowledge. Ishwar or God is full of powerful spiritual form. Three types of relation with word are namely - meaning, implication and defect. But there is a different relationship between word 'OM' and its meaning, which is self existent or natural. Sound was the first ingredient of the total universe. If one purifies the sound which was heard buring the big bang and tries to listen this universal sound by yogic method then it sounds like 'OM'. OM alias Omkar is the first ingredient of nature. In Atharvashirsha and Ganesh Vijay there is a reference that all matter immerged from OM. It is believed that sky made from the sound, touch is made from sky, wind is made/originated from tangibility or touch, Form or structure is made from wind, water is made from form, smell is made from water, light is made from smell and finaly, Earth is made from light. Omkar is the original root cause of the universe and all the things of universe are the sound waves in nature. Today the power of sound is universally accepted by science and technology.
is made up of
,
,
,
-
Aapti or Utapati(birth or origin or generation) refers to Bramha
-
Utkarsha(prosparity) refers to Vishnu
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Nash(destruction) refers to Mahesh
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Association of first three letters
It is symbol of a soul which
is very bright and aloof from sins and merits.
A general tendency of man is to imagine a God in the form of an ideal human
being. In all religions different forms are used for worshipping. In Hinduism
Omkar form is used for worshipping. But the form of OM was not satisfactory.
All great sages arranged Omkar vertically . (which looks like Lord Ganesha)
and made symbolic form of OM as Lord Ganesha. It means worshipping Lord Ganesha
is like worshipping the incomparable everlasting total universal divine knowledge.
In Puranas(mythology) of other Gods and Goddesses , they are treated with
honor and praised. In those also, one can find the idea that Lord Ganesha
as a symbolic form of OM. The above reference is very important which is given
in Ganeshtapini Upanishada, Ganesha Puran, Shiva Puran, Devi Bhagwat. The
symbolic form of worshipping OM is worshipping Lord Ganesha.
With the information available in mythology and based on philosophers ideology
one can say that only energy was present at the time of the beginning of the
universe. This basic universal energy was infinite and formless. Energy can
not be seen but one can feel it or one can see the after effects. The sound
generated from this basic universal energy was like the sound one pronounces
the OM. One can say that the symbolic form of basic universal sound is OM
and the ideal form of the OM is nothing but Lord Ganesha. One can practice
the meditation with OM.