549. Happy and Respectful Farewell to My Paternal Aunt’s Son!!!!

http://www.speakingtree.in/public/spiritual-blogs/seekers/god-and-i/happy-and-respectful-farewell-to-my-paternal-aunt-s-son

Today is Ananta Chaturdashi and it is time to bid a happy and respectful farewell to Ganesha and request Him to come back next year. Why Ganesha is my paternal aunt’s son, when I am the son of Sri Hari and Maha Lakshmi then Parvathi is my Buaa/Attai/Phuppi in that regard Ganesha will be my paternal aunt’s son. I know He had a hectic time down here on this earth plane.

He was brought in trucks as well as hand carts and given a place to sit on the road side, in pandals and in the very devotee’s heart as well. He gracefully accepted the bunch of 21 stems of Durva grass as well as expensive and exotic Orchids. He patiently listened to the ear sizzling orchestra of film songs by talented artists and also gave an ear to the Vidwan in the classical concert. He got to know the latest bollywood, mollywood, kollywood, tollywood, and sandalwood songs. He was also introduced to most modern electrical and electronic appliances like LED Lightings imported from China. But though everything has been modernized and He might have felt the change but the offerings for his vast belly pot remained the same He was offered variety of modakas, ladoos, karjikais and kadubus.  

Every year He is invoked into the clay idol made for this occasion. Earlier in villages the purpose of making the idols of Ganesha in clay was to check the desilting in the lake every year. In the process of collecting the clay from the lake silt can be brought out for the water so that the spring outlet is open for more water from the ground to ooze out. And after the pooja the clay in the idol form was immersed near the lake bund so that the water in the lake do not breach. Clay which is Sodium Bentonite acts as the tough sealant on the lake bed protecting the water in the lake from slipping out. But unfortunately in cities and big towns with ego playing a major part it has boiled down to the size of the idol installed.

With the demand for very huge idols to be installed in pandals Ganesha idols are now made of Plaster of Paris (POP) instead of clay. And it does not end there the chemical paints are used on the massive idol to make it more glossy. The POP based idol with chemical paints all over it when immersed in the water body will suffocate the inhabitants of the lake. POP so deposited block the spring outlets of the lake and pond reducing the water levels for the year. POP does not stay on the tank bund as we see in clay but slide down to settle at the bottom of the lake and probably will close the spring outlet.

The whole idea of taking the clay from the lake and performing pooja to the idol made of it and then immersing back again symbolically shows that what comes from the source has to go back to the source.

Let us invoke my parental aunt son next year in a clay idol and worship Him with devotion instead of pomp and show…..What say?????  

 Ganpati Bappa Morya, Purchya Varshi Laukariya 

(Oh!Ganapati My Lord! Come early next year!)