The fifth shakti of Lord Ganesha is the combination of the first and the third in vibration, and it extends into the wonderful feelings obtained by the outpouring of love of this God. Loving Lord Ganesha with all your heart and soul is the combined merging of these five shaktis. This gives the added boon of being able to be charitable; for those who love God perform charity, build shrines and temples and participate in the overflowing generosity from their resources, earning abundant punya, fine merit, accrued for this life and passed on to the next. We can see that harmony within the immediate family and harmony extended to all business associates creates the spiritual dynamic within the individual and the group to burst forth into loving this benign God and receiving His material, emotional, intellectual and spiritual abundance.

The Hindu soul who is immersed in the love of the Lord of Obstacles knows he is not the giver, but only the channel for the giving. He is intuitively aware of the maya of his existence, yet acutely aware of the necessity of sharing his natural, blissful state of having become one with this Lord through the first five shaktis. Such a devotee is the pillar of the temple, the protector of the sadhaka, the respecter of the priesthood and the obedient servant to the holy scriptures, and is seen by all as the compassionate one. Being free in mind, emotion and body, the family that lives basking in the five shaktis of Ganesha performs daily puja and yearly pilgrimage while upholding the five obligations, the pancha nitya karmas,of the Hindu with joyous ease.

In addition to celebrating Panchaganapati at home each day from Dec 21-25, some of our sishyas also gather with relatives and friends to celebrate as a group and enjoy the festive atmosphere.

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The fourth shakti is an outpouring from having held fast to the first three. It is a combination of the first two shaktis, stabilized by the third. The fourth shakti of Lord Ganesha brings through the creative-intuitive mind -- the love of culture and all that it brings, religious formalities and the respect and appreciation of discipline. Here we find the vibration of religion, which brings as a boon creativity in music, art, drama and the dance. It is through these refining rays that religious life is adhered to and congested forces are braided together in a harmonious pattern for a glorious future. It is through the fourth shakti that religious practices are performed consistently and the refinements of the past are carried into the future. It also extends to devotion toward one's ancestors and all forms of positive community participation.

The third shakti of Lord Ganesha is this same love extended to all persons one has dealings with in the external world: business associates, a casual merchant and the public at large. It is honest and harmonious relationships in conducting the business of trade and dealings in goods, finance and the distribution of the wealth of the world. This is a most important vibration to be felt, and constantly felt. This shakti of the Lord is tenuous to hold onto, for worldly and materialistic forces, as you well know, militate against this kind of harmony. But once these lower powers are conquered, worries cease, concerns are alleviated and heartfelt joy comes. Such is the grace of loving Ganesha. As the Tirukural (120) declares, "Those businessmen will prosper whose business protects as their own the interests of others."

Lord Ganesha's second shakti is the same feeling as the first but extended to relatives, neighbors and friends, all who are part of the extended family. This is more difficult to hold, as inharmonious conditions often arise. These are called asuric forces, which come between people, causing misunderstanding and upsets. Through prayers and through worship, the first shakti can be extended beyond the circumference of the immediate family to include acquaintances, relatives and friends. When this vibration of harmony is felt, all the power of the Lord is with you, as the first shakti and the second shakti merge they bring, in abundance, an onrush of the third shakti.