Dancing with Śiva

What Is Lord Gaṇeśa’s Special Duty?

ŚLOKA 23

As Lord of Obstacles, Gaṇeśa wields the noose and the goad, icons of His benevolent power of preventing or permitting events to happen in our life. Thus, we invoke His grace and wisdom before any worship or task. Aum.§

BHĀSHYA

Lord Gaṇeśa, the God of time and memory, strategic­ally seated on the mūlādhāra chakra, poised between the high­er and lower chakras, stabilizes all sentient beings. He holds the architect’s plans of the divine masterpiece of universal past and future. Only good comes from Lord Ga­ṇeśa, who by taking the form of an elephant distinguishes Himself from other Gods. The charyā pāda be­gins with His worship. He staves off misfortune for those who perform penance in His name. He guides our karma from with­in us through the timing of events. Before any im­por­­tant un­dertaking, we supplicate Him to clear ob­sta­cles from the path, if it be His will. This Lord of Ob­stacles prevents us from hurting ourselves through living under an in­complete concept or making a request un­needed or be­ginning an endeavor not well thought out. Before we petition Him, He ex­pects us to use all of our faculties to arrive at the decision He would have made. The Āgamas declare, “These Lords who, it is said, on the pure path, attend to the various duties deriving from a higher realm of māyā are at the prow of the ef­fects of the higher realm of māyā.” Aum Namaḥ Śivāya.§