Vinayaka Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord Ganapati, the son of Lord Mahadevan and Goddess Parvati. This time Vinayaka Chaturthi is coming on August 22. The Vinayaka festival begins on Shukla Chaturthi and lasts for ten days. The festivities will end on Anantha Chaturdashi. It is believed that worshiping Ganesha at this time is the best way to attain wisdom and Siddhi.
Ganesha’s birthday is Chaturthi or White Paksha Chaturthi, which falls after the black moon in the month of Chingam. On that day, if a garland or archana with garlands, garlands, modaka offerings and Ganapati Homa is performed for Ganapati, the result is the supreme siddhi. It is best to meditate on Ganesha, the food lover, by making modak or kozhukkatta at home and then eating it together as a family meal.
* Importance in Kerala too:
It was earlier celebrated in Maharashtra and other northern states. However, Vinayaka Chaturthi is still very important in the Ganapati temples of Kerala. Vinayaka Chaturthi is also celebrated in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh. This time Vinayaka Chaturthi is tomorrow.
According to Hindu beliefs, Ganapati Puja is performed to remove obstacles before any good deed. It is believed that all the deeds done with emphasis on Lord Ganesha will come to fruition. It is a good idea to perform Chaturthi Puja on Ganesh’s birthday in the name and on the day of each person to avoid any hindrances such as obstruction of marriage, obstruction of education, obstruction of children and obstruction of housing. In Vinayaka Chaturthi, it is best to recite with devotion the ‘Ganesha Sahasranamam’ which describes the one thousand and eight aspects of Ganesha.
* Worship
It is important to prepare and worship idols of Lord Ganesha for Ganesha festival. After making beautiful idols of Lord Ganesha, poojas are performed for one to eleven days. Praying to Lord Ladu during this period is part of the faith.
Once, on his birthday, Lord Ganesha, who was trying to get up, slipped and fell as his stomach was full. Laughing at this, Chandran cursed, “May all those who see you on Vinayaka Chaturthi day hear the bad name.” Therefore, there is a belief that seeing the moon on Ganesha Chaturthi will bring disgrace. Another belief is that on the fourth day, Chandran mocked Ganapati who danced with joy. Chandran mocked Ganapati’s dance as a dance that supported the abdomen. There is another belief that Lord Ganesha cursed those who saw the moon in anger to have bad consequences. Those who suffer from Ketu Dashadosha will get immediate results if they perform Ganesha Puja and Ganapati Homa on Vinayaka Chaturthi as a remedy.
G ‘means intellect, na’ means wisdom and ‘pati’ means master. In that case, Ganapati means the ruler of intellect and wisdom. Chaturthi Pooja is a pooja performed by anyone on the day of Vinayaka Chaturthi. Wash and clean first. Wear gorgeous clothes. The place of worship should be kept clean and sprinkled with fresh water.
Place a small idol or image of Lord Ganesha there. Also keep flowers, sandalwood and fresh water for worship. Place the cuttings on a flat plate in front of the idol of Lord Ganesha. Knead the turmeric powder in water and make a dough in a way that is imaginative of Ganesha. Top it with saffron and decorate with flowers.
Black currant can also be used for pooja. Keep the offerings in front of the idol. Unniyappam, aval, modak, kozhukkatta, sweet bread or leafy vegetables are used for offerings. It should be placed on a clean tongue. At the same time, coconuts and fruits can be placed in another bowl or leaf.
The pooja can be started by lighting a lamp. Pushparchana can be done by composing Ganesha Chaturthi hymns. Then the offerings can be offered to the Lord. After the pooja, the offerings can be given to others in a pleasing manner. After all the poojas, the turmeric idol should be immersed in any water. Pooja should start from the time of Chaturthi.
