Dr KK Aggarwal
Padma Shri and Dr B C Roy National Awardee
President, Heart Care Foundation of India
If Lord Krishna was the first counselor who taught the principles of counseling, Lord Ganesha taught us the principles of stress management.
We should worship Lord Ganesha and become like him whenever we face any difficulty or are stressed out.
The elephant head of Lord Ganesha represents that when in difficulty, use your wisdom, intelligence and think differently. It can be equated to the Third Eye of Lord Shiva. Elephant is supposed to be the most intelligent animal in the kingdom. Hear wisdom implies to think before speaking. Lord Budha later also has said that don’t speak unless it is necessary and is truthful and kind.
The broken and unbroken teeth of Lord Ganesha represent being in balance in loss and gain. It indicates that one should not get upset if the task is not accomplished and also not get excited if the task is accomplished. In times of difficulty, Ganesha also teaches us not to lose strength and control one’s attachments, desires and greed.
The four arms of Lord Ganesha represent strength. Ropes in two hands indicate attachment, Laddu or Sweet in one hand represent desires and mouse represents greed. Riding over the mouse indicates controlling one’s greed.
Lord Ganesha is worshiped either when one’s task is not getting accomplished or when a new work is initiated. In these two situations, these principles of Lord Ganesha need to be inculcated in one’s habits.