TALKS FROM MORNING SATSANG ON SEPTEMBER 19 2012 AT TIRUVANNAMALAI ASHRAM, INDIA
On the great festival day of Ganesh Chaturthi, Paramahamsa Nithyananda speaks on Hinduism's most beloved God. He comments that Ganesha is more like a household family member than a deity. Sometimes the rituals and rules of temple worship can create distance between devotees and God, but in Ganesha's case there is no such problem. Everyone is equally welcome at His temples; and He is accepted by worshippers in every sampradaya.
TRANSCRIPTIONS:-
Ganesha, beloved of all hinds. Understand, Ganesha more like a house-hold member of hindu family, than a god. Because he does not carry anything related to the, seriousness of god. but he can create the sacredness in all of us. Embodiment of pranava, omkara sound. He is the first god, in the hindu tradition. His very shape shows he is a happy person. Not bothered about nirahara samyama, not bothered about any other things. Living blissfully, happily eating whatever devotes give, above all, beyond the red tape of agamas.
Sometime, the agamas become red tapism. Stopping us, making us feel 'distanced' from the divine. This happened in me, before going to Ramakrishna mission, I had the darshan of Sri Ramakrishna in my dream, in the visions. I used to feel so close with Sriramakrishna. I just know he is mine I am his' But when I went to the Ramakrishna mission, when I took up the responsibility of pujari, there is so much of rules and restrictions "Don't stand here, Don't sit there, Don't touch this, don't touch that"
With so much of restrictions, I really felt I lost the closeness with Sriramakrishna. Sometimes, the agamas which is created, which was supposed to help you, to feel the deeper connection with the deity or guru or god, creates certain distance. But, when I settled with that system, then I saw, the distance also disappeared, and the system was also flowing properly and the feeling connection was growing, getting built. Anyhow, Ganesha is not bound by any of this agamic, red tapism, bureaucracy. Ganesha temples are the only temples where there is no caste system. Anybody can be a priest. In shiva temples, Iyengars cannot be priests. Even if you are a brahmin, if you are from iyengar family, you can't be a priest. In vishnu temples, even if you are a brahmin, if you are from Iyer sub sect, you can't be a priest. In the saiva siddhanta temples, even if you are a brahmin, if you are iyengar or iyer, you can't be a priest. You have to be only a desigar. Only that sub-sect can be a priest. But Ganesha does not have any restrictions. Not only that, he is the largest worshipped god in the world. Because no other religion has so many gods and there is no hindu who will not worship Ganesha, even if they are vaishnavites they start their rituals with Ganesha. They may not accept shiva or Shaivism but they accept Ganesha.
In hinduism, there are seven Sampradayas.
-- Worshippers of Ganesha
-- Worshipers of Vishnu
-- Worshippers of shiva
-- Worshipers of Devi
-- Worshipers of Surya
-- Worshippers of Subramanya
-- Worshipers of their Gurus
No one god is accepted by all 7 sampradayas other than Ganesha. All seven sampradayas, has to start their rituals with Ganesha worship.
Souras - Worshipping Surya. They don't need to accept Shiva or Vishnu. And in their worship, you will not find place for Shiva or Vishnu.
Shivites - You will not find any place for vishnu in their worship system.
In vaishnavites, you will not find any place for shiva in their worship system. The vaishnavites are said to have a bell in their ears. If they see somebody chanting "shiva shiva", they will ring the bell fast so that the mantra does not enter into their eyes.
Same way, shivites, They are said to never cross any vishnu cities or where the vishnu temples exist. Because they should not get influenced it seems. Anyhow!
Shaktas, put shiva at the feet of Devi. They don't worship any other deities.
But whether you are a shaktha, shaiva, vaishnava soura, gaumara or kartabaja, Kartabaja means
the guru worshippers - people who worship their own guru as incarnation of God. Actually Nithyananda sampradaya will fall under the kartabajas only. You guys are guru worshippers. Basically, you believe your own Guru is an incarnation of God. So you guys are the Guru sampradayas. Kartabaja sampradayas - sampradayigars. Basically vedantis are Guru worshippers. So, what ever sampradaya you may belong to, but you have to start your worship with Ganesha, Ganesha puja. Ganesha, is the most beloved of the whole hindu tradition and who does not create the red tapism of agamas between disciples, devotees followers and himself. Easy to approach, Can be worshipped through any medium, You don't need to even have a big stone deity installed as per agamas. Just cow dung, a piece of cow dung, keep it and say "Ganapathaye namaha", He is there. Thats the beauty of Ganesha. His form is the ultimate.
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