Perhaps the most popular god in
the Hindu pantheon, the elephant-headed Ganesha is known by many names
Eternal Ganesha
By Gita Mehta
Perhaps the most popular god in
the Hindu pantheon, the elephant-headed Ganesha is known by many names:
the Pitcher of Prosperity, the Remover of Obstacles, the Grantor of
Boons, the Guarantor of Success, and the Lord of Beginnings. It is hard
not to recognize Ganesha, with his head of an elephant, protuberant
belly, many arms -- girdled by a serpent and riding a mouse!
In Eternal Ganesha, the
author, Gita Mehta, provides chapters for each of Ganesha's
characteristics -- examining the origins of the god as well as the
symbolism behind, for example, the serpent or the mouse. Of the
juxtaposition of contradictory animals such as elephant and mouse, Mehta
writes: "They also point to a moral imperative -- that opposites can and
must live in peaceful co-existance. Non-violence and humanism derive from
that imperative. The elephant does not kill living creatures to survive;
it is a symbol of ahimsa or non-violence. A human body encircled
by a snake connects the elephant to a mouse, the union of the small with
the great, the microcosm with the macrocosm…Ganesha incarnates Hindu
philosophy's fundamental law, the unity in diversity that it is humanity's
primary duty to maintain."
Eternal Ganesha completely
enchants the reader in the chapter entitled "Ganesha's Miracle."
Discussed here is the phenomenon that occurred on September 21, 1995, "…at
dawn in a temple on the outskirts of Delhi, India, when milk offered to a
statue of Ganesh just disappeared in thin air." More and more reports came
flooding in, describing scenes where the idols -- all over India -- were
drinking milk! "Within seventy-two hours the international press began
reporting an even more astounding development. The miracle had jumped
national boundaries. Now Hindu idols around the world were consuming milk
by the gallon." Many apparently felt a new god been born to save the
world from evil.
I recently had the opportunity to
attend a lecture and book-signing given by Mrs. Mehta at the Rubin Museum
of Art in New York City on September 13. The Rubin Museum is the first
museum in the Western World dedicated to the art of the Himalayas and
surrounding regions, and it houses a good-sized statue of Ganesha where
offerings of flowers and dollar bills can be found at its base. Mrs.
Mehta was joined by moderator Kathryn Selig Brown, a museum curator (who
promises a Ganesha exhibit in 2009).
Mrs. Mehta, who has been a
television war correspondent as well as the author of several best-selling
books, discussed Eternal Ganesha at length. The author told a
story explaining why the god is so loved by writers -- he lost his tusk
while transcribing the epic narratives of India, the Mahabharata
and the Bhagavad Gita. After days of writing, his last pen ran
dry, and quick-thinking Ganesha broke off his own tusk to continue the
task of transcribing. The author also noted how the trunk of this idol is
shaped into the symbol for "OM -- the sound of God." Ganesha is therefore
"believed to embody OM in the physical form."
I am delighted by this book and
the wonderful photographs that accompany the text. It lends itself to a
lovely coffee table book, but one that you may also want to keep on your
bookshelves for reference -- and a healthy dose of inspiration.
Eternal Ganesha by Gita Mehta
128 pages, 125 color illustrations
Publication Date: October 2, 2006
$25 hardcover, Vendome Press
Review by Diane Saarinen
