Why are Ganesha idols immersed in water?
Yesterday night, As I was waiting for Mini to join me at the chinese restaurant, I decided to entertain myself by listening to the conversation which the 3 gentlemen (2 Indians and 1 Australian) seated at the table behind me were having.
At one point, when they were discussing about the festivals in India, the Australian asked "Why are ganesha idols immersed in water?". The other 2 did not know the answer.. neither did I. I was then wondering as to why we (Indian's) never bother to find out the details of anything..Is it our education system that is to be blamed which never encouraged us to delve into any subject?
Anyways, I tried searching for the answer and this is what I found..
Hindus pray to images of Lord Ganesha, large and small, many of them made specially for the occasion by cottage industries and street side artisans, and those that do not wish to keep the idols alive by daily prayers, offerings and lighting oil lamps, immerse them in the nearest water body (all rivers, lakes and the sea which are sacred to Hindus).
During Pooja Worship, the Deity is invited to enter the moorty / idol. So if you desire to keep the Moorty, you are obligated to tend it every day with offerings and prayers. You have invited the Divinity to be your guest, and your offerings are hospitality. If you do not care to do this, then it is respectful to place the Moorty in a body of sacred water.
As the sacred scriptures tell us, God casts forth these countless worlds and universes, as a spider casts forth its web. And what are caught in this Divine Web of Samsara and Maya but all the countless Jiva (Souls) which are little sparks and microcosms of that Divine Light of Brahman (which is brighter than 10,000 suns). And then God draws the web of the phenomenal world back into Himself again. So our worship involves Creation, Preservation (in the form of Pooja), and Dissolution (saying goodbye, departure) once again into non-Existence.
http://www.acharyaonline.com/ganesha.htm
At one point, when they were discussing about the festivals in India, the Australian asked "Why are ganesha idols immersed in water?". The other 2 did not know the answer.. neither did I. I was then wondering as to why we (Indian's) never bother to find out the details of anything..Is it our education system that is to be blamed which never encouraged us to delve into any subject?
Anyways, I tried searching for the answer and this is what I found..
Hindus pray to images of Lord Ganesha, large and small, many of them made specially for the occasion by cottage industries and street side artisans, and those that do not wish to keep the idols alive by daily prayers, offerings and lighting oil lamps, immerse them in the nearest water body (all rivers, lakes and the sea which are sacred to Hindus).
During Pooja Worship, the Deity is invited to enter the moorty / idol. So if you desire to keep the Moorty, you are obligated to tend it every day with offerings and prayers. You have invited the Divinity to be your guest, and your offerings are hospitality. If you do not care to do this, then it is respectful to place the Moorty in a body of sacred water.
As the sacred scriptures tell us, God casts forth these countless worlds and universes, as a spider casts forth its web. And what are caught in this Divine Web of Samsara and Maya but all the countless Jiva (Souls) which are little sparks and microcosms of that Divine Light of Brahman (which is brighter than 10,000 suns). And then God draws the web of the phenomenal world back into Himself again. So our worship involves Creation, Preservation (in the form of Pooja), and Dissolution (saying goodbye, departure) once again into non-Existence.
http://www.acharyaonline.com/ganesha.htm
posted by Arjun Narayan at
9:32 AM
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