GANESHA, PERHAPS, is the most adorable God in the Hindu pantheon. Ganesha is the Lord who dispels all obstacles, he is worshipped by everyone .
The sages of Hindu lorewere inspired by the symbolic ideals of this elephant-faced god.
The Mandukya Upanishad describes four planes of psychophysical existence - the waking (jagrats), dream (swapna), deep sleep (sushupti), and liberation (moksha) in detail. The third mantra describes the form of `Brahman', which presides over the waking state of the soul as residing in the right eye. Ganesha is also described as the one who makes the outside world known to the soul. This form is called Vaishvanara and Ganesha has seven limbs, four hands, two legs, and 19 faces (the middle one being that of an elephant).
A text called Mahayoga, says that Ganesha, attained his elephant form by meditating in Vaishvanara form. The description of Ganesha in another religious text is particularly interesting. Ganesha, in the form of a child, is depicted as resting on a lotus with a thousand petals, in an ocean of sugarcane juice. Decked in various ornaments, he has a third eye radiating brilliance in all directions. Sama Veda and other sacred texts, sing the glory of Ganesha, symbolising his mastery over all forms of knowledgeThe reference to Ashta Siddhis and the lotus hints in the Tantric texts such as Sharada Tilaka Tanta and Prapancha Sarasangraha. The Ashta Siddhis in female forms are said to be consorts of Ganesha according to the Tantric texts. Though the Tantric texts designate Ganesha to Mooladhara Chakra, sage Mudgala makes him the lord of the highest stage of Kundalini. Sage Valmiki has described Ganesha as "the lord of the intellect and poet of poets".
The belief is that sage Veda Vyasa dictated to Ganesha, the epic- Mahabharata, who used his tusk as a pen. This symbolises a sacrifice of the greatest order.
The 15th Century Jain scholar, Vardhamanasoori, has prescribed a mode to install Ganesha's image in Jain temples. His work, Pratisthavidhi, describes Ganesha as having two, four, six, nine, 18 or 108 arms, with mudras and modakas. Sadhana Mala, a Buddhist work, depicts Ganesha with 12 arms with axe, arrows, sword, and other weapons. Ganesha has always been popular in Southeast Asian countries where Buddhism has held sway. Mahayana Buddhism, popular in Tibet, does not consider Ganesha a deity, but is considered to be a powerful guardian against evil