Here are some beliefs linked to Ganesh puja
Once you come to know there's a Ganpati puja at someone's place, you are supposed to visit it without anyone inviting you
The sounds of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' have filled the ambience and with every passing day, the feeling of celebrating the biggest festival in city can be experienced. With any festival, come the beliefs associated with it, they are thoughts that have been garnered and then followed year after year, generation after generation. Here are a few Navi Mumbaikars who tell us some known and some unknown beliefs associated to Ganpati festival.
"Any new venture starts with the shloka, 'Om Ganeshay Namaha'; and believe me it's not just a belief but a truth," affirms Anushree Nair, a resident of Nerul who is a social entrepreneur. This is the first and the most important belief that associated to Lord Ganesha, and he is in fact the first worshiped lord anywhere and everywhere. Nair further adds, "Irrespective of community, everyone makes sure to start a new venture with the lord's name, and it is extremely auspicious to do so. Be it a housewarming, a business, a school, a dance class, etc. it is a ritual to worship Lord Ganesha before the other gods and goddesses."
Vashi resident Ravindra Vaidya, a retired government servant who has been bringing Lord Ganesha since the past 23 years now, says that one should never be invited home for the festival. "It is said that once you hear that there's a Ganpati puja at someone's place, you are supposed to visit it without anyone inviting you."
Pradnya Waghmare, a resident of Koparkhairane agrees stating, "Even we do not invite anyone home for Ganapti, and people know it and they come by themselves. But this belief is associated with only some sects/sub-sects of the Maharashtrian community; the same belief is associated with a Satyanarayan puja."
While people who bring home Lord ganesh for seven days also accompany him with his mother Goddess Gauri. Renuka Rane Prajapati, a software engineer residing in Vashi mentioned, "Ganpati and Gauri are never seated at the same podium, in fact not even at the same level. They are seated at separate bases, and mother Gauri is always seated some inches above Lord Ganesha.
"In fact, her puja is also separately done with separate rituals attached to her. We have a Gauri-ganpati at my parent's place and my mom knows every ritual connected to the puja." Gauri being the mother hold a little more priority and is being given the respect of being the creator of a powerful lord like Ganesha.
Although, we think even numbers are auspicious, when it comes to Lord Ganesha his modaks are supposed to be only in odd numbers, states Savita Govind Pawar. Savita's in-laws have been bringing lord Ganesha home since 12 years now.
She says, "We either offer 11 or 21 modaks to Ganpati, for him an odd number of modaks is what is important. In fact, modak packets too have odd number of modaks packed in them, you will never find a packet with eight, ten or twelve or twenty modaks for that matter. They are always odd in number and it's according to a legend that that this ritual is followed."
Once you come to know there's a Ganpati puja at someone's place, you are supposed to visit it without anyone inviting you
The sounds of 'Ganpati Bappa Morya' have filled the ambience and with every passing day, the feeling of celebrating the biggest festival in city can be experienced. With any festival, come the beliefs associated with it, they are thoughts that have been garnered and then followed year after year, generation after generation. Here are a few Navi Mumbaikars who tell us some known and some unknown beliefs associated to Ganpati festival.
"Any new venture starts with the shloka, 'Om Ganeshay Namaha'; and believe me it's not just a belief but a truth," affirms Anushree Nair, a resident of Nerul who is a social entrepreneur. This is the first and the most important belief that associated to Lord Ganesha, and he is in fact the first worshiped lord anywhere and everywhere. Nair further adds, "Irrespective of community, everyone makes sure to start a new venture with the lord's name, and it is extremely auspicious to do so. Be it a housewarming, a business, a school, a dance class, etc. it is a ritual to worship Lord Ganesha before the other gods and goddesses."
Vashi resident Ravindra Vaidya, a retired government servant who has been bringing Lord Ganesha since the past 23 years now, says that one should never be invited home for the festival. "It is said that once you hear that there's a Ganpati puja at someone's place, you are supposed to visit it without anyone inviting you."
Pradnya Waghmare, a resident of Koparkhairane agrees stating, "Even we do not invite anyone home for Ganapti, and people know it and they come by themselves. But this belief is associated with only some sects/sub-sects of the Maharashtrian community; the same belief is associated with a Satyanarayan puja."
While people who bring home Lord ganesh for seven days also accompany him with his mother Goddess Gauri. Renuka Rane Prajapati, a software engineer residing in Vashi mentioned, "Ganpati and Gauri are never seated at the same podium, in fact not even at the same level. They are seated at separate bases, and mother Gauri is always seated some inches above Lord Ganesha.
"In fact, her puja is also separately done with separate rituals attached to her. We have a Gauri-ganpati at my parent's place and my mom knows every ritual connected to the puja." Gauri being the mother hold a little more priority and is being given the respect of being the creator of a powerful lord like Ganesha.
Although, we think even numbers are auspicious, when it comes to Lord Ganesha his modaks are supposed to be only in odd numbers, states Savita Govind Pawar. Savita's in-laws have been bringing lord Ganesha home since 12 years now.
She says, "We either offer 11 or 21 modaks to Ganpati, for him an odd number of modaks is what is important. In fact, modak packets too have odd number of modaks packed in them, you will never find a packet with eight, ten or twelve or twenty modaks for that matter. They are always odd in number and it's according to a legend that that this ritual is followed."
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