Welcome to the September 2010 issue of

Vaastuyogam.

Vaastuyogam aims to bring to its readers the

fundamental principles of Vaastu and reveal it , not as

fragmentary pieces of knowledge but as a coherent

and complete program for architectural design and as

a corpus of knowledge that forms a blueprint which

has been adapting itself to the regional and social

variations it has encountered and which is the very

b a s i s o f i t s

cont inuat ion and

contemporary use.

Vaastuyogam has

taken up debate with

a r c h i t e c t s a n d

engineers. Interviews

w i t h t h e m a r e

published regularly in

each issue. We now

shift the theatre of

enquiry to the builders

community.

September is the

month of Ganesh

Chaturthi-the famous

a n d b e s t l o v e d

festival of Maharashtra and on a lesser scale of the

states of Gujarat, Orissa, Andhra, Tamil Nadu and

also Nepal and Sri Lanka. In the south Lord

Ganesha’s younger brother Kartikeya is worshiped

extensively as Lord Murugan. In an upcoming issue

of Vaastuyogam, we shall discuss the various

temples dedicated to these two sons of Shiva.

Meanwhile, we join the Ganesh Chaturthi

celebrations with an essay on Lord Ganesh in our

Vedic India series.

This month we speak to the Sunder group a leading

industrial house of Hyderabad. The Sunder group

has interests in steel, decorative laminates and are

venturing into the infrastructure business by

coming up with a five star hotel in IT-SEZ.

We met Mr. Madhusudan Sonthalia chairman of

the Sunder group and his two sons Mr. Dheeraj

Sonthalia and Mr. Parag Sonthalia in their

corporate headquarters at Hyderabad.

Excerpts from the interview:-

We are into the business of

manufacturing steel and decorative laminates. We

started our sponge iron unit Sunder Steels Limited

in1996. It was the first of its kind, mini-sponge iron

unit in India. Now, of course, there are over 400

such plants all over India. Setting up that unit was a

miracle of design and costing. Against the

generally estimated cost of about Rs.100 crore for

a 100 tonne plant, we were able to build our 50

tonne unit at a cost of only Rs. 5 crore. The whole

project was the handiwork of my father and his

handpicked team. SMS Steels Pvt. Ltd., our pig

iron unit has been commissioned this year. Its blast

furnace technology is currently the only one in

South India of similar capacity.

We were introduced to Dr. Rao around the year

2000 by Shri Ramakantji from Ahmedabad. At that

time, our joint family had parted ways and we were

staying temporarily in a rented house. When

Ramakantji visited our house, he was appalled by

the extent of its Vaastu faults. He advised that we

Mr. Parag Sonthalia:

Dr Ravi Rao

- Vedic India 10Lord Shree Ganesha

- Vaastu Alerts 7Doors and Windows

- Architect’s Voice Galaxy Group 4

www.vaastuyogam.com u Volume 25 u Pages 12 u September 2010

Mr. Madhusudan Sonthalia

1- Vaastu Turnaround

Mr. Madhusudan Sonthalia

meet one amazing Vaastu consultant who

was actually from Andhra itself but had

settled in Ahmedabad and had a sucessfull

Vaastu practice. He also warned that we

should make the Vaastu changes quickly or

we might land ourselves in a spot. However,

the main issue here was that we were total

non-believers in Vaastu. We had not heard

from any Vaastu consultant nor did we want

to.

Though it was true that our business and

finances were passing through troubled

times, it did not occur to us that we should

attempt Vaastu intervention to improve our

take a step by step approach. We began

with small but startlingly potent changes that

did not involve any demolition. Even as the

changes were being made, we started

experiencing improvement in our business.

In the beginning, some of the improvements

came as a total surprise to us. We tried to

link this happy change of fortunes to some

strategy or actions of ours but then it

occurred to us that we were refusing to

acknowledge that a powerful ally had joined

us and was re-engineering circumstances in

our favor. That was when we became true

Vaastu followers.

Once, our resistance to Vaastu was

dismantled, we went all out and sought-out

the changes that needed to be done. Dr.Rao

was always there matching our pace and

enthusiasm. We undertook the more serious

Vaastu works only if you implement it...

I speak from experience

I would advise that

people should not have

fantasies that by reading

a couple of books they

will master Vaastu.

Vaastu is a science and

to grasp it is a long

journey. They will be

better served by putting

faith in a consultant of

stature like Dr. Rao. They

should listen to him and

implement the changes

as advised.- Mr. Parag Sonthalia

Sunder Group, Director

u September 2010

Mr. Parag Sonthalia (Left) and Mr.Dheeraj Sonthalia (Right) with Dr. Ravi Rao

- Mr. Madhusudan Sonthalia, Chairman-Sunder group

fortunes. We respected Ramakantji’s

judgment and in deference to his suggestion

we had Dr. Rao visit our works and advise us

regarding the course of action. Even as we

were calling him over, our fears started

rising. Andhra is the home of Vaastu and

Vaastu consultants are to be met in every

nook and cranny. Most of the Vaastu

consultants had earned a bad reputation for

themselves by doing an over kill of breaking

existing structures and putting the

householder or factory owner to excessive

expenditure and also by stoking fears of

unresolved Vaastu doshas. As our joint

family had just parted ways our morale had

eroded. We were in no frame of mind to

make costly alterations.

Dr. Rao proved to be a total departure from

the stereotypical Vaastu consultant. When

he visited our plant, he said that we would

u September 2010

Mr. Sundermalji, founder of the Sunder Group

changes involving relocation of walls etc.,

until we finally reached a near Vaastu

perfect situation. Whenever we experienced

reversals of some kind, we fell into the

routine of checking out if some unknown

Vaastu transgression from our side was

behind it. We would call up Dr.Rao and tell

him what was happening. It could be a

problem with quality control, or a nagging

labor issue refusing resolution or even a

roadblock to our cash flow. Dr Rao would

ask about the role of events and then give us

the specific solution to the problem. There

were no generalities involved; no recourse

to deflecting the blame. We would get from

him a direct and straight forward instruction

to do certain things and then wait for say 7 or

12 or x number of days for the solution to

show results. On the dot, we would see our

problem resolved. So, that is his style that

has endeared him to us. State the problem

specifically and get the specific solution.

Efficiency of the solution would be related to

the extent of implementation of Dr Rao’s

recommendat ions. Very o f ten he

admonishes us, “I had mentioned that you

were to shift this wall from here. You have

still not done it. Then how can you expect

results?”. This brings us to a very crucial

issue. Vaastu works only if you implement it.

People spend too much time in discussion

and doubt rather then get going with the

implementation.

I remember one instance

very clearly. In Sunder Steels, our sponge

iron unit the raw material problems were

crippling us. Even after making advance

payments down the line to Singareni

Collieries we never saw the coal reach us in

time. Everybody, it seems, was teaming

against us. Sometimes there would be a

lorry strike, sometimes an unexpected

accident on the road that blocked traffic for

days, sometimes a heavy downpour that

disrupted production in the mines.

When I explained this to Dr Rao, he asked

us to build a wall of specific length and

height at a point on the plant. I wondered

what a wall had to do with all these incidents

which were, seemingly out of anyone’s

control. However, it came as a pleasant but

unbelievable shock to me that once we

constructed the wall as per Dr Rao’s

Dheeraj Sonthalia:

instructions our Singareni Collieries related

raw material problem all but evaporated

once and for all.

When we made

plans to build a new house, we did

everything as per Vaastu because by then

our faith in Vaastu was total. I can say that

every nut and bolt in the house was used

after Dr Rao’s approval. When we set up our

blast furnace recently, the whole of it was in

accordance to Vaastu. Dr Rao approved the

plot and plant design and involved himself

with the supervision of the construction from

time to time.

Dr.Rao suggested that we should have a separate group logo which we could then use for all the companies. We went ahead because we had full faith in his judgement. We carried full confidence and trust in him and we knew that he would not put us to needless expense just for the heck of it.

Mr. Madhusudan Sonthalia:

6

Whenever we

experienced reversals

of some kind or the

other we fell into the

routine of checking

out if some unknown

Vaastu transgression

from our side was

behind it. - Mr. Parag Sonthalia - Director

6 Vaastuyogam u September 2010

Bringing coals to Newcastle:

Vaastu Today:

It may seem strange that being in Andhra, the citadel of Vaastu which has a Vaastu consultant at every street corner, our Vaastu consultant coms from Ahmedabad. As Parag told you earlier, we were no big fans of Vaastu. It was Dr Rao who introduced us to the subject and brought all the Vaastu benefits to our business. He is a great person with vast knowledge and experience. Also, he is from Andhra and has learnt the subject from the true gurus of this place; why should we then hunt for local alternatives? In fact, I know of many entrepreneurs in Hyderabad who have got stuck due to bad Vaastu advice and who would surely benefit from Dr Rao’s Vaastu expertise. The trouble with Vaastu consultants is that they have only superficial knowledge and have become consultants to cash in on the Vaastu craze. They may make their money but the price is paid by the unfortunate people who put faith in them.

Though I have full faith in Vaastu, I have never read any books on the subject because I never felt the need. In fact I would advise people not to carry the fantasy of mastering Vaastu by reading a couple of books on the subject. Vaastu is a science and grasping it is a long journey. They will be better served by putting faith in a consultant of stature like Dr Rao. They should listen to him and implement the changes as advised. I speak from experience.

continued from page 3

The logo of the Sunder group was designed by an Ahmedabad based design group under Dr. Rao's direct supervision. It was designed

keeping in mind the growth potential of the group and the fact that it was a multi product enterprise. After two months of intense experimentation and two switch overs of design agencies the logo

finalized was modeled on an abstraction of the the mighty Amazon River as it meanders across the South American continent.

Just as the Amazon river starts off as a tiny stream but is joined by

tributaries on the way till it swells to a mighty river and progresses confidently onto its goal of meeting the Atlantic Ocean, so too the

Sunder Group, though beginning modestly would gather strength

from its various group companies and move ahead confidently to achieving it’s goals.

In its final form the river became the never ending road on which the ambitious group would travel, just as the traveler of Robert Frost's famous poem who refuses to be satisfied with the present status and is determined to move ahead..

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep”.

The Meandering Amazon river

Sunder Group Logo

ARCHITECT’S VOICE

Hailing from the Eastern part of Ahmedabad

city, the Galaxy group has made a religion out

of up-scaling the Naroda landscape, bringing

to it a range of housing options, from basic

low-cost housing to ultra-modern, sprawling

townships comprising swank bungalows and

posh flats. Along the way, they have added

commercial complexes and now a high rise

continued on page 5

“The debate about Vaastu is unnecessary as it has now become a customer requirement which

architects and builders must respect.”

emotional thing and a result of the vision of

several personalities. It emerges from multiple

but concurrent factors and is a creative way

out of a whole bundle of constraints. But, we

always strive to create Elegance and

Simplicity.

We have now taken up the design and

execution of vast townships. To help us

enhance our offerings we have entered into

several tie-ups with leading entities in their

fields. Two of such tie-ups are Mr. Luvkumar

Khachar and the international design group

Enmarcon. Design is a matter of constant up

gradation and continuous dialogue with the

customer. That s what we do day in and day

out.

After reaching a

certain level, it is your grip on human

engineering that matters. You need to know

and understand human beings as much as

you need to understand architecture. Design

becomes part of the overall acumen of the

builder.

The customer is

central to any business and meeting his/her

requirements is the first and the last step.

Today, when buying a house many a

customer wants it to conform to Vaastu basics.

What the builder or architect believes is

irrelevant; the customer is king and it is he who

must be satisfied. The negative trend that I

Praful Joshi on Design:

Praful Joshi on Vaastu:

The fact is that Vaastu

compliant flats have a

ready market as

opposed to those that

are anti-Vaastu. In the

case of flats, I have

noticed that customers

are willing to make

small compromises but

in bungalows the case

is different.

4 Vaastuyogam u September 2010

complex in eastern Ahmedabad’s. The Galaxy

Group is one of the rare builders with

presence in all the verticals in the realty

sphere, be it premium bungalows, high-rise

apartments, row houses and 2 and 3 BHK flats

or even small economy houses. They are

present in the multiplex vertical too

and are coming up with a swank

top of the line mall.

Vaastuyogam met Mr. Uday Bhatt,

Chairman of Galaxy group and

Mr.Praful Joshi, CEO of the group

a t the i r Naroda o f f i ce in

Ahmedabad.

Excerpts from the interview:-

We are

constantly working towards

creating products that enhance

consumer delight. It takes all kinds

to make the world. Different classes of people

have differing requirements but we have

realized that the common thread of

satisfaction is good and efficient design of

buildings. That, and reasonable pricing with

punctual delivery. For us, design is a very

Uday Bhatt on Design:

Galaxy Group Chairman, Mr. Uday Bhatt

Galaxy Group CEO, Mr. Praful Joshi

Vaastu is a job well-done because making a

100% percent Vaastu house is chasing an

impossible dream but that should not prevent

him from doing the best he can. Some aspects

of Vaastu have impact on religious belief,

especially Vaastu provisions regarding where

the pooja room should be where the kitchen

should be and the direction in which one

should sleep. Since these beliefs are

interwoven with religion the general public

absolutely insists on compliance with these

Vaastu provisions.

This talk that architects don’t know about

Vaastu is a myth that has been circulated by

For us, design is very emotional thing and a result of the vision of several personalities. It is a result of multiple but concurrent factors and a creative way out of a whole bundle of constraints. But we always strive towards Elegance and Simplicity.

5Vaastuyogam

ARCHITECT’S VOICE

continued from page 4

u September 2010

The fact is that Vaastu compliant flats have a

ready market as opposed to those that are

anti-Vaastu. In case of flats, I have noticed that

customers are willing to make small

compromises but in bungalows the case is

different.

Making houses as per Vaastu is a win win

situation for both the builder and the buyer. By

taking extra care at the design level, one can

meet many of the Vaastu requirements

without incurring serious addit ional

expenditure.

The fact that the house is not 100% as per

Vaastu should not burden the builder with

guilt. Making a house 60% to 80% as per

see in Vaastu is the fear psychosis that some

Vaastu consultants pump into the minds of the

general public. These consultants are

exploiting the blind faith people put in them.

The public should be wary of this exploitation

and combat it by broadening their

understanding of Vaastu. As always,

ignorance is the biggest enemy. Many books

are available on the subject. Reading them

won’t make you an expert, but will surely help

you be on your guard.

continued on page 9

NandanBaug Bilasiya

Grandeur and Luxury Redefined, Galaxy Heights

9u September 2010 Vaastuyogam

ARCHITECT’S VOICE

continued from page 5

architects themselves. They know

sufficient Vaastu to prevent

elementary blunders. Accepting

Vaastu as part of the design brief

involves additional efforts that

architects want to avoid. They are

accustomed to re-issuing (as new)

their few favorite designs. It is both

a cost effective and time-saving

strategy for them. It allows them

easy escape from doing a piece of

the homework. To protect their

comfort zone they convince clients

that Vaastu implementation is

cost ly and in ter feres wi th

aesthetics.

At Galaxy, we believe in customer satisfaction

and as part of our broader brief of enhancing

customer delight, we do not deliberately

construct an anti Vaastu house. We are

committed to quality construction and

commonsense in design and because of

these two factors I think we should not fare

badly on the Vaastu compliance record. The

debate about Vaastu is unnecessary as it has

now become a customer requirement which

architects and builders must respect. At a

personal level, both Udaybhai and I have faith

in the goodness of Vaastu and have kept

Vaastu provisions in mind during the design

and construction of our homes.

The group, has

forged ahead, retaining the Galaxy identity

whilst building upon it project upon project,

Uday Bhat on the Future:

brick by brick. Growth is a way of life at Galaxy.

Forging new partnerships even as it renews

old ones Galaxy Group has now set its sights

on Patan, Nagpur and Vadodara.

As we move ahead, I see managing change

as a central piece of our strategy. Change is

inevitable. Change is the process by which the

future invades our lives. Rather than running

away from it, it makes more sense to meet it

head on, manage it and benefit from it. Our

model for change is non-aggressive inclusion,

like concentric circles that grow by building

upon the strengths of its predecessors rather

than engulfing them.

Most importantly, they are driven by a vision

centered on customer satisfaction and

professional integrity.

This talk that architects

don’t know about Vaastu

is a myth that has been

circulated by architects

themselves. They know

sufficient Vaastu to

prevent elementary

blunders. Accepting

Vaastu as part of the

design brief involves

additional efforts that

architects want to avoid.

They are accustomed to

re-issuing (as new) their

few favorite designs. It

is both a cost effective

and time-saving strategy

for them. It allows them

easy escape from doing

a piece of homework. To

protect their comfort

zone they convince

clients that Vaastu

implementation is costly

and interferes with

aesthetics.

Vatrika - Plotted development on the river Vatrak, Ahmedabad - Dehgam Road

Govind Galaxy Township

Vaastu Alerts:

Doors & Windows

VAASTU ALERTS

This essay delves into the placement of doors,

windows for flats.

Vaastu is a science of common understanding

based on experiment and experience. Both

theoretical and practical knowledge are

blended together with a strong personal

stamp of the consultant.

Rather than resorting to individual and

insulated practice, in the Vaastu Alert series I

work out the theory behind the practice to

support design efficient systems for flats and

urban housing. I do this because I see phony

scientific rational wiping out the validly of our

traditional ethos.

On the subject of doors and windows, I am

sorry to admit that there are numerous

confusions. The cause of the confusions is

that, just because they want to sound smart

various consultants have pronounced

personal viewpoints that are at loggerheads

with established injunctions. So, in their

personal propaganda campaign many people

have got mislead.

A room is a structure that has a roof and

partition walls. Wherever there is a partition a

door will come in the picture. Openings in the

walls through which one can see but cannot

Definitions

Ascertaining the position

of the door has a special

impact as it contributes

significantly towards

deciding the frontage of

the house. Even if the

site does not facilitate a

favorable direction of the

house, the door location

chosen for the main

entrance to the house

could, as it would

reorient the housed.

7Vaastuyogamu September 2010

walk in or walk out are windows. Windows are

for allowing in light and facilitating air

circulation. Where you cannot see but only

light and air can pass through are called

Ventilators. The ventilators are at a height to

provide for the exit of hot air that rises and can

exit from here. In hot, dusty and desert areas

there are only ventilators and no windows

because of strong and hot winds but in tropical

areas there will be huge windows and less of

ventilators.

It is emphasized in Vaastu Shatra that the

location of the main door should be where the

eye (drishti) of the Vaastupurusha is oriented

and the Grihapravesh should be performed

from that door where the Vaastupurusha‘s eye

is exactly in the opposite direction.

There should be an even number of doors and

windows in the house. In the case of

bungalows, many people ask me whether this

provision is applicable on floor wise basis or

continued on page 8

It is emphasized in Vaastu Shatrs that the location of the main door should be where the

eye (drishti) of the Vaastupurusha is oriented and the Grihapravesh should be performed

from that door where the Vaastupurusha‘s eye is exactly in the opposite direction.

Vaastu And The Five Elements

EW

S

N

++

+

+

_

_

_

_

Entrance Of Building

Positive location forinstalling main door

Negative installing main door

location for

+

Positive and Negative locations

for installing the main door of a flat.

continued from page 7

for the whole of the house. A house is a house,

the talk of floor wise count in a house is

irrelevant.

The Main door is ways called Simha (Lion)

Dwara. This door has to be always bigger than

all the other doors. This applies to all its

aspects like length, breadth, thickness etc. In

all of its aspects the main door should be

bigger than the rest of the doors. All the doors

inside the Simha dwara have to be counted

irrespective of the number of floors, annexure

etc. Doors should be in multiples of 2 like 2 or 4

or 6 or 8 or 10 or 12 or 14 so on and so forth.

The number of doors is immaterial. The rule is

that the total should be a multiple of 2 but

should not end at 0. For example, 10 or 20 or

30 so on, so forth.

Supposing there is a two room house and it

has one main door and two doors, there being

one door for each room. This house is an anti-

Vaastu house because it has a total of 3 doors.

To make it a correct house on this count, one

more door needs to be added.

Often, especially in the case of a kitchen there

may not be wooden shutters but a mere

opening through which one may pass. Should

such an opening be counted as a door? The

answer is yes; it has to be counted as a door

because as mentioned in the beginning a door

is defined as an opening in a partition wall

through which one can pass through. In early

times there were no shutters, only openings in

walls and theses openings were doors. In

most cases there would be a wooden frame.

Irrespective of the fact that there are shutters

or frames, an opening in a partition wall

through which one can walk through is a door.

By way of clarification let me add that if there

are two or three or four shutters within one

door frame to a single opening then the whole

of it shall be counted as one door. This is a

very common question, especially in the case

of the main door where there are two doors for

a single opening. The answer here, too, is that

this is a single door.

The best material for making doors, as

prescribed by the shastras is natural wood.

The provisions for windows are the same as

for the doors. The windows should be in

multiples of two. Further the total of the doors

and windows combined should be an even

number but should not end at 0. For example,

10 or 20 or 30 so on, so forth.

In conclusion, ascertaining the position of the

door has a special impact as it contributes

significantly towards deciding the frontage of

the house. Even if the site does not facilitate a

favorable direction of the house, the door

location chosen for the main entrance to the

house could, as it would reorient the house.

Rather than resorting to

individual and insulated

practice, in the Vaastu

Alert series I work out

the theory behind the

practice to support

design efficient systems

for flats and urban

housing. I do this

because I see phony

scientific rational wiping

out the validly of our

traditional ethos.

8 Vaastuyogam u September 2010

A B

A is an example of 2 doors as there are two different openings in two different partition walls.

A

B

B is an example of one door even though it has two shutters.

Difference between .single and double door

Lord Ganesh is one of the five prime Hindu

deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga

being the other four) whose worship is

g l o r i f i e d a s t h e

panchayatana puja. The

p r inc ipa l sc r ip tu res

dedicated to Ganesh are

the Ganesh Purana, the

Mudgala Purana, and the

Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

The devotees of Ganesh

a r e k n o w n a s

'Ganapatyas', and the

festival to celebrate and

glorify him is called

Ganesh Chaturthi.

Ganesh is the elder son of

Lord Shiva and Parvati.

The family includes his

brother Skanda, who is

also called Karttikeya,

and Murugan.

Ganesh is the Lord of

success and destroyer of

evils and obstacles. He is

also worshiped as the

g o d o f e d u c a t i o n ,

knowledge, wisdom and wealth. He is

revered as the Remover of Obstacles and

more often as the Lord of Good Beginning, a

patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of

intellect and wisdom. He is honored at the

beginning of rituals and ceremonies and

invoked as the “Patron of Letters” during

writing sessions.

He is also called Vinayak (knowledgeable)

or Vighneshwar (god who removes

obstacles). Ganesh has four hands, an

elephant's head and a big belly. His vehicle

is a tiny mouse. In his hands he carries a

rope (to carry devotees to the truth), an axe

(to cut devotees' attachments), and a sweet

ladoo- (to reward devotees for spiritual

activity). His fourth hand's palm is always

extended to bless people. A unique

combination of his elephant head and a

quick moving tiny mouse vehicle represents

tremendous wisdom, intelligence, and

presence of mind.

Ganesh, being the most popular deity in

India, is worshipped by almost all castes and

in all parts of the country. Devotees believe

that if Ganesh is propitiated, he grants

success, prosperity and protection against

adversity. Ganesh is worshipped on many

religious and secular

occasions; especially at

t h e b e g i n n i n g o f

ventures such as buying

a vehicle or starting a

business. Dancers and

musicians, particularly in

southern India, begin

performances of arts

s u c h a s t h e

Bharatnatyam with a

prayer to Ganesh.

Once, goddess Parvati,

while bathing, created a

boy out of the dirt of her

body and assigned him

the task of guarding the

e n t r a n c e t o h e r

bathroom. When Shiva,

her husband returned,

he was surprised to find

a stranger denying him access, and struck

off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke

down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva

sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head

of any sleeping being who was sleeping with

his head position in the north. The company

The story of the birth, as

depicted in the Shiva

Purana, is as under:

This article is a researched article and

borrows heavily from printed and electronic

encyclopedias as well as material provided

by our panel of research scholars,

astrologers, academics and pundits.

u September 2010

Shree Ganesh (Part One)

Lord Shree Ganesh

found a sleeping elephant and brought back

its severed head, which was then attached

to the boy’s body. Shiva restored his life and

made him the leader (pati) of his troops.

Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also

bestowed a boon that people would worship

him and invoke his name before undertaking

any venture.

Some rare and interesting aspects of

Ganesh are found in some temples of India

such as the image of Bala Ganapathi

crawling on his hands like a baby at Vellore

in Tamil Nadu, the image of Ganesh holding

a flute just like Krishna at Madurai, a female

aspect of Ganesh called Ganeshini at

Suchindra and Madurai and a five headed

Heramaba Ganapathi riding a lion at

Nagapattinam. The female aspect of

Ganesh is also called Vinayaki, Surpakarni

and Lambamekhala.

Lord Ganesh is worshiped in various forms.

Of late, it has become a fashion to keep his

images in drawing rooms and offices, as

decorative pieces without offering true

worship. This is not at all in line with our

traditions which have strict instruction not to

keep images of Ganesh in one’s house

unless one is willing to offer him daily

worship. Disrespect to Ganesh may not

disturb him, but will surely disrupt our

spiritual progress.

u September 2010

The Eight Incarnations Of Ganesh

The Twelve Main Names of Ganesh

thThe Mudgala Purâna, is an eminent scripture dating to the 16 century. It tells the story of the eight incarnations of Ganesh. We describe them in brief :

, "the Lord with the curved trunk". He is seated on a lion. He came to struggle against the devil Matsara, who is the symbol of jealousy.

"the Lord who has only one tusk"; exterminated Mada, the demon of drunkenness.

"the Lord who has a big belly"; battles with Moha, the demon of illusion.

"the Lord with an elephant face": puts Lobha, the demon of greed, to death .

"the Lord with a protuberant belly": masters Krodha, the demon of anger.

"the misshapen":subdued Kâma, the demon of desire.

and are represented mounted on a rat.

"the Lord King of obstacles": lying on Shasha, the Snake of Eternity, Ganesh destroyed Mama, the demon of ego.

The last Ganesh incarnation is "the Lord with a tawny color"; riding a mouse, who attained victory over Ahamkâra, the demon of self-infatuation.

These mythic forms demonstrate that Ganesh has the capacity to reduce all the human weaknesses, such as jealousy, drunkenness, illusion, greed, anger, desire, egotism, self-infatuation (arrogance), which take the devotee away from his path

towards God. But, for all that, the demons are not definitely destroyed. They are only under control.

The Ganesha Purâna, important text of the Gânapatya, gives a list of the twelve main names of the elephant-headed-god. These names must be used before any ritual.

They are the following :

"The very graceful Lord"

"The Lord who has only one tusk"

"The Lord of a tawny color"

"The Lord with elephant ears"

"The Lord with a prominent belly"

"The Misshapen"

"The Destroyer of obstacles"

"The Protector of the Gana"

"The Lord of a smoky color" with two arms riding on a blue horse, Ruler of the Kali Yuga

"The Minister of the Gana"

"The Lord who wears the moon crescent on his head"

"The Lord with an elephant face”

There are upto 108 names while the Shri Ganesha Sahasra Nâma enumerates one-thousand-and-eight-names.

?Vakratunda

?Ekadanta,

?Mahodara,

?Gajânana,

?Lambodara,

?Vikata,

?Ekadanta, Mahodara, Gajânana, Lambodara Vikata

?Vighnarâja,

? Dhûmravarna,

?Sumukha :

?Ekadanta :

?Kapila :

?Gajakarna :

?Lambodara :

?Vikata :

?Vighnanâsaka :

?Ganâdhipa :

?Dhûmraketu :

?Ganâdhyaksha :

?Bâlachandra :

?Gajânana :

Lord Shree Ganesh

u September 2010

continued from page 11

Ganesha Chaturthi

Ganesh ChaturthiGanesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord

Ganesha. It is observed during the Hindu

calendar month of Bhaadrapada, starting on

the shukla chaturthi (fourth day of the waxing

moon period). The date usually falls between

20 August and 15 September. The festival

lasts for 10 days, ending on Anant

Chaturdashi (fourteenth day of the waxing

moon period). While celebrated all over India,

it is most elaborate in Maharashtra, Goa,

Gujarat,Orissa , Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and

Andhra Pradesh. Outside India, it is

celebrated widely in Nepal and among the

Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka.

Two to three months prior to Ganesh

Chaturthi, artistic clay models of Lord

Ganesha are made and put up for sale by

specially skilled artisans. They are beautifully

decorated and depict Lord Ganesh in various

poses. The size of these statues may go to over 25 feet. Ganesh the festival are hugely popular, Chaturthi starts with the installation of Ganesh statues in homes w i th l oca l commun i t i es and specially erected temporary mandapas in every locality. (mandalas) vying with each

other to put up the biggest For 10 days, from Bhadrapad Shudh Chaturthi to the Ananta th statue and the best pandal. The

Chaturdashi, Ganesh is worshipped. On the 11 day, the statue festival is also the time for

is taken through the streets in a procession accompanied by cultural activities like singing

dancing, singing, and fanfare, to be immersed in a river or the and theater performances,

sea symbolizing a ritual see-off to the Lord in his journey orchestra and community

towards his abode in Kailash while taking with him the activities like free medical

misfortunes of his devotees. This is the ritual known as Ganesh checkup, blood donation

Visarjan.camps, charity for the poor, etc.

rd th thFrom individual homes the Visarjan is also done on 3 , 5 or 7 The p rac t i ce o f pub l i c

day as per family tradition. All join in this final procession celebration was started by the

shouting "Ganapathi Bappa Morya, Pudhachya Varshi Laukar freedom fighter and social

ya" (O lord Ganesha, reformer Lokmanya Tilak who

come again speedily transformed the annual festival

n e x t y e a r ) I t i s into a large, well-organized

forbidden to look at public event. He recognized the

the moon on the day wide appeal of the deity Ganesh as "the god for everybody", and

as the moon had popularized Ganesh Chaturthi in order "to bridge the gap between

laughed at Ganesha Brahmins and 'non-Brahmins' Tilak encouraged installation of large

when he fell off his public images of Ganesh in pavilions, and also established the

veh ic le , t he ra t . practice of submerging it in rivers, sea, or other pools of water on the

Ganesh cursed moon tenth day after Ganesh Chaturthi.

stating that anyone

who sees the moon on Today, the Ganesh Festival is not only a popular festival; it has that day would face a become a very critical and important economic activity for false accusation. Maharashtra. Many artists, industries, and businesses survive due

to this mega-event. Ganesh Festival also provides a stage for Public celebrations of

budding artists to present their art to the public.

Freedom Fighter Lokmanya Tilak

Bollywood star Nana Patekar is a stout devotee of Lord Ganesh

Ganesh Visarjan

(To be concluded in October 2010)