Consorts of Ganesha

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The marital status of Ganesha varies widely in mythological stories and the issue has been the subject of considerable scholarly review.[1] Several patterns of associations with different consorts are identifiable. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried brahmacrin with no consorts. Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity); these qualities are sometimes personified as goddesses who are considered to be Ganesha's wives.[2] Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati, and the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi.[3] In the Bengal region he is linked with the banana tree, Kala Bo (or Kola Bou).[4] He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: dai).[5] Some of the differences between these patterns can be understood by looking at regional variations across India, the time periods in which the patterns are found, and the traditions in which the beliefs are held. Some differences pertain to the preferred meditation form used by the devotee, with many different traditional forms ranging from Ganesha as a young boy (Sanskrit: ; blagapati) to Ganesha as a Tantric deity.[6][7]

Unmarried
According to one tradition, Ganesha was a brahmacrin, that is, unmarried.[8] This pattern is primarily popular in southern India.[9] This tradition was linked to Hindu concepts of the relationship between celibacy and the development of spiritual power.[10] Bhaskaraya alludes to the tradition in which Ganesha was considered to be a lifelong bachelor in his commentary on the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama, which includes the name Abhru (verse 9a).[11] In his commentary on this verse Bhaskaraya says the name Abhru means "without a woman," but the term can also mean "not fearful."[12]

Buddhi, Siddhi, and Riddhi

The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana contain descriptions of Ganesha flanked by Siddhi and Buddhi.[14] In these two Puranas they appear as an intrinsic part of Ganapati[15] and according to Thapan[16] do not require any special rituals associated with shakti worship. In Chapter I.18.24-39 of the Ganesha Purana, Brahm performs worship in honor of Ganesha, and during it Ganesha himself causes Buddhi and Siddhi to appear so that Brahm can offer them back to Ganesha. Ganesha accepts them as offerings.[17] In Ganesha Purana I.65.10-12 there is a variant of this incident, in which various gods are giving presents to Ganesha, but in this case Siddhi and Buddhi are born from Brahm's mind and are given by Brahm to Ganesha.[17] The Ganesha Temple at Morgaon is the central shrine for the regional aavinyaka complex. The most sacred area within the Moragaon temple is the sanctum (garbhagha), a small enclosure containing an image of Ganesha. To the right and left sides of the image stand

Siddhi and Buddhi.[18] In northern India the two female figures are said to be Siddhi and Riddhi. There is no Puric evidence for the pair, but the pairing parallels those of Buddhi and Siddhi in Shiva Purana and Riddhi and Buddhi from Matsya Purana.[19]

Interpretation of relationships
The iva Pura has a story in which Ganesha and his brother Skanda compete for the right to marry the two desirable daughters of Prajpati, Siddhi and Buddhi, and Ganesha wins through a clever approach.[20] This story adds that after some time Ganesha begat two sons: Kshema (Kema) (Prosperity), born to Siddhi, and Lbha (Acquisition, Profit) born to Buddhi. In Northern Indian variants of this story the sons are often said to be ubha (Hindi Shubh) (auspiciousness) and Lbha.[21] In discussing the Shiva Purana version, Courtright comments that while Ganesha is sometimes depicted as sitting between these two feminine deities, "these women are more like feminine emanations of his androgynous nature, Shaktis rather than spouses having their own characters and spouses."[22] Ludo Rocher says that "descriptions of Gaea as siddhi-buddhi-samanvita 'accompanied by, followed by siddhi and buddhi.' often seem to mean no more than that, when Gaea is present, siddhi 'success' and buddhi 'wisdom' are not far behind. Such may well have been the original conception, of which the marriage was a later development."[23] In verse 49a of the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama, one of Ganesha's names is ddhisiddhipravardhana ("Enhancer of material and spiritual success"). The Matsya Purana identifies Gaesha as the "owner" of Riddhi (prosperity) and Buddhi (wisdom).[24] In discussing the northern Indian sources, Cohen remarks: "They are depersonalized figures, interchangeable, and given their frequent depiction fanning Gaea are often referred to as dass servants. Their names represent the benefits accrued by the worshipper of Gaea, and thus Gaea is said to be the owner of ddhi and Siddhi; he similarly functions as the father of ubha (auspiciousness) and Lbha (profit), a pair similar to the iva Pura's Kema (prosperity) and Lbha. Though in Varanasi the paired figures were usually called ddhi and Siddhi, Gaea's relationship to them was often vague. He was their mlik, their owner; they were more often dass than patns (wives)."[25] In the Ajitgama, a Tantric form of Ganesha called Haridra Ganapati is described as turmeric-colored and flanked by two unnamed wives. The word "wives" (Sanskrit: ; dr) is specifically used (Sanskrit: ; dryugalam).[26] These wives are distinct from shaktis.[27]

Ashta Siddhi
Ganesha's relationship with the Ashtasiddhi the eight spiritual attaintments obtained by the practice of yoga is also of this depersonalized type. In later iconography, these eight marvellous powers are represented by a group of young women who surround Ganesha.[28] Raja Ravi Varma's painting (shown in this section) illustrates a recent example of this iconographic form. The painting includes fans and Fly-whisks, which establish the feminine figures as attendants. In cosmopolitan kta worship of Ganesha, the Aa Siddhi are addressed as eight goddesses. In Ganesha Purana, these personified Aa Siddhi are used by Ganesha to attack demon Devantaka. These eight consorts are fused in a single devi,

Ganeshas akti, according to Getty. She speculates as to whether the Aa Siddhi are a transformation of the saptamtikas with whom Ganesha is often sculpturally represented.[29]

Santoshi Ma
Ganesha was depicted as a householder married to Riddhi and Siddhi and the father of Santoshi Ma (Devanagari: ), a new goddess of satisfaction, in the 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa. The movie script is not based on scriptural sources. The fact that a cult has developed around the figure of Santoshi Ma has been cited by Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a popular deity.[30][31]

Buddhi (Wisdom)
Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of Intelligence.[32] In Sanskrit the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect.[33] The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha as of the Puranic period, where many stories develop that showcase his cleverness and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha's names in the Ganesha Purana and in the Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya.[34] The name Buddhipriya also appears in a special list of twenty-one names that Gaea says are of special importance at the end of the Ganesha Sahasranama.[35] The word priya can mean "fond of" or in a marital context it can mean "a lover, husband",[36] so Buddhipriya means "fond of intelligence" or "Buddhi's husband".[37] This association with wisdom also appears in the name Buddha, which appears as a name of Ganesha in the second verse of the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama.[38] The positioning of this name at the beginning of the Ganesha Sahasranama indicates that the name was of importance. Bhaskararaya's commentary on the Ganesha Sahasranama says that this name for Ganesha means that the Buddha was an avatar of Ganesha.[39] This interpretation is not widely known even among Ganapatya, and the Buddha is not mentioned in the lists of Ganesha's incarnations given in the main sections of the Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana. Bhaskararaya also provides a more general interpretation of this name as simply meaning that Ganesha's very form is "eternal elightenment" (nityabudda), so he is named Buddha.

Motif of shaktis
A distinct type of iconographic image of Ganesha shows him with a single human-looking shakti (Sanskrit: akti).[40] According to Ananda Coomaraswamy, the oldest known depiction of Ganesha with a shakti of this type dates from the sixth century.[41] The consort lacks a distinctive personality or iconographic repertoire. According to Cohen and Getty, the appearance of this shakti motif parallels the emergence of tantric branches of the Ganapatya cult. Getty mentions a specific cult of "Shakti Ganapati" that was set up by the Ganapatyas involving five distinct forms.[42] Of the thirty-two standard meditation forms for Ganesha that appear in the Sritattvanidhi (rtattvanidhi), six include a shakti.[43] A common form of this motif shows Ganesha seated with the shakti upon his left hip, holding a bowl of flat cakes or round sweets. Ganesha turns his trunk to his own left to touch the tasty food. In some of the tantric forms of this image the gesture is modified to take on erotic overtones.[44] Some tantric variants of this form are described in the radtilaka Tantram.[45]

Prithvi Kumar Agrawala has traced at least six different lists of fifty or more aspects or forms of Ganesha each with their specific female consorts or shaktis. In these lists of paired shaktis are found such goddess names as Hr, r, Pu, etc. The names Buddhi, Siddhi, and Riddhi do not appear on any of these lists. The lists provide no details about the personalities or distinguishing iconographic forms for these shaktis. Agrawala concludes that all of the lists were derived from one original set of names. The earliest of the lists appears in the Nrada Pura (I.66.124-38), and appears to have been used with minor variations in the Ucchiagaapati Upsan. These lists are of two types. In the first type the names of various forms of Ganesha are given with a clear-cut pairing of a named shakti for that form. The second type, as found in the Brahma Pura (II.IV.44.63-76) and the commentary of Rghavabhaa on the radtilaka (I.115), gives fifty or more names of Ganesha collectively in one group, with the names of the shaktis provided collectively in a second group. The second type of list poses problems in separating and properly connecting the names into pairs due to ambiguities in the formation of Sanskrit compound words.[46][47]

Sarasvati and Lakshmi

Throughout India, on contemporary poster art, Ganesha is portrayed with Sarasvati (goddess of culture and art) or Lakshmi (goddess of luck and prosperity) or both.[48] Ganesha, Lakshmi and Sarswati are often grouped together as the divinities immediately responsible for material welfare. Ganesha and Saraswati share control over Buddhi (Wisdom), while Ganesha and Lakshmi are both deities of ddhi and Siddhi (material and spiritual success).[49] Particularly in Maharashtra, Ganesha is associated with arda or Sarasvati. Some identify the two goddesses as the same person and thus the single consort of Ganesha while others consider them distinct and one or both of them as married to Ganesha.[50] Lakshmi's association with Ganesha is rarely tied with the Tantric tradition of Lakshmi as Ganesha's akti. Other reasons are variously offered for their relationship: their functional equivance and their joint worship on Diwali and in general by the "business community."[49] Conversely, in Calcutta, Ganesha is said to be the brother of Sarasvati and Lakshmi.[51]

Kola Bou
In Bengal, Ganesha on Durga Puja is associated with a plantain (banana) tree, the "Kola Bou"[52] (also spelled Kalobou or Kolabau), ritually transformed into a goddess during the festival.[53][54] On the first day of Durga Puja the Kala Bo is draped with a red-bordered white sari and vermilion is smeared on its leaves. She is then placed on a decorated pedestal and worshipped with flowers, sandalwood paste, and incense sticks. The Kala Bo is set on Ganesha's right side, along with other deities. For most who view her, the new sari indicates her role as a new bride, and many Bengalis see it as symbolizing the wife of Ganesha. A different view is that the Kala Bo represents Durga herself, who in Bengal is considered the mother of Ganesha. Those who know of that tradition do not consider Ganesha's association with Kala Bo as a marital one. Haridas Mitra says that the Kala Bo is intended to serve as a symbolic summary for the nine types of leaves (nava patrika) that together form a sacred complex on Durga Puja.[55] The officiating priests who carry out the ceremony tie a bunch of eight plants on the trunk of the plantain tree and it is the grouping of all nine plants that constitute the Kala Bo.[56] The nine plants all have beneficial medicinal properties.

According to Martin-Dubost, the Kala Bo does not represent a bride or shakti of Ganesha, but rather is the plant form of Durga. He connects the plant symbol back to the festival enactment of Durga's return of the blood of the buffalo demon to the earth so that the order of the world may be re-established and luxuriant vegetation reappear. He links Ganesha to this vegetation myth and notes that Astadasausadhisristi (Adaauadhisi, "Creator of the eighteen medicinal plants") is a name of Ganesha.[57]

Ganesh and his wives

Ganesh and his wives A lot of Indian people think that Ganesh has normally to remain a bachelor god. Besides, several specialists state that, according to the commun faith, Ganesh is really a bachelor, and nay even misogynous god. In support of this proposition, they explain that classical images showing Ganesh in association with feminine characters would be rather rare... In reality, when Ganesh is a bachelor, we may consider him as a brahmachrin , that is to say engaged in spiritual practices for the purification. In other cases, traditional as well as contemporary iconography show it many times, Ganesh is said to be married with two beautiful girls named Siddhi (Success) and Buddhi (Wisdom). Is it a symbol to emphasize the wisdom and success necessary action in the course to remove obstacles, and we know that Ganesh is the best specialist in that matter ? Or, do the two Ganesh wives personnify His wisdom and accomplishment ? The best known history of the Ganesh wedding is narrated in the Shiva Purna. Shiva and Prvat told their two sons : "You two are good sons, equal to our eyes. An auspicious marriage will be granted to the first of you coming back here after he has travelled three times all over the universe." Skanda started immediately to journey round the world, but Ganesh took time to think about the challenge. He got a purification bath, then installed two comfortable seats and invited his parents to sit down on these. Praising them, he turned around them seven times, then declared : "Please take the decision to celebrate my marriage. I am the winner". Indeed, his parents were surprised, but Ganesh replied : "Is it not written in the Veda and the Shastra that the man who ritually circumambulate (pradakshina) seven times around his parents can get as many merits as if he journeys round the world ? Please, let organize quickly my wedding now". Hearing this statement from their son, Shiva et Prvat were really surprised but they decided to congratulate him for his guile. So, Ganesh was mattied to the Prajpati's daughters : Siddhi (success) and Buddhi (wisdom, cleverness). After some times, Ganesh got two sons : Kshema (prosperity) born from Siddhi, and Lbha (acquisition) born from Buddhi. When Skanda came back and discovered that his brother had diddled him, he went to the Krauncha mountain where he dwelled unmarried, still now. Other references, in the texts, talking about the Ganesh marriage are the following : A well developed narration in the Vinyakpurnam (18 th century) The Matsyapurna which indicates Ganesh as the "Riddhi (success, prosperity) and Buddhi (intelligence) owner"; for this reason, some commentators consider that these goddesses are not Shaktis, but only symbols of the Ganesh qualities The Brahmavaivartapurna mentions the Ganesh marriage with Pushti (Prosperity) In the Ganeshapurna, the great Sage Nrada propose the Ganesh wedding with Siddhi and Buddhi, the two daughters of god Brahm In the Mudgalapurna, the two Ganesh wives, Siddhi and Buddhi are not daughters of god Brahm, but daughters of Marici, the Brahm's son... The wives names can be different. As indicated above, the Shivapurna names them as Siddhi and Buddhi, but they are called Riddhi and Buddhi in the Matsyapurna. And theBrahmavaivartapurna mentions only Pushti as the Ganesh wife... More. Sometimes, the Ganesh "wife" is indistinctly, according to the regions, the people, the sects, named Sarasvat, Sharda, Lakshmi, and even Prvat... The same heterogeneity is found to name popularly the Ganesh mother : generally, she is known as Prvat, but also as Gauri, Lakshmi, Durg.

Definitely, Ganesh often goes with a female image seated on his left lap, or with his two brides , rarely on his two laps, but more often seated ont on the right lap, the other on the left one; this can be observed on the painted walls in the Shekavati region in Rajasthan; sometimes stone frescoes are found The question remains weither the Ganesh wives are Shakti or only wives. Most probably, the two options are credible. To support the second option, we known that, according to the Shivapurna, two sons were born from the Ganesh marriage with his wives : Siddhi got Kshema (Welfare) and Buddhi gave birth to Lbha (lucre). On the other hand,it is undisputable that Ganesh Shkti are known. Except the elephant-headed Vinyak (see below), who is obviously a "typical" Shakti since she is quite similar to Ganesh (but she is a female representation), the Shakti Ganesh form a particular category connected with tantric cults. These Shakti Ganesh are escorted by a human-shape goddess, perched on his left lap. Such Tantric Ganesh are : Lakshmganapati Mahganapati Mooldhraganapati Panchabhootaganapati Pingalaganapati Shaktiganapati Uchchishtaganapati Uddandaganapati rdhvaganapati Varaganapati The big Mahganapati statue just located at the entrance of the one-thousand pilars hall of the Minkshsundareshvara temple in Madurai, is very famous. But we may also remember that Ganesh is not really a bachelor in many present handicraft works . Ganesh and Vinyak Vinyak is a feminine form of Ganesh; she has a elephant head and female breast. Only a few such representations are known in India, about thirty only, for instance : In Uttar Pradesh Rikhian, Banda district : stone lintel (10 th, century, Prathra period) In Madhya Pradesh : In Udayapur, north of Vidisha; in this place, Vinyak and Vinyaka (11 th century, Paramra period) are represented together, which is a quite unique feature In Bheraghat, near Jabalpur, a 11 th century Vinyak is locally named Shri Aingini In Suhania, Morena region (10 th century, Prathara period) Coming from Satna,but on display at the Indian Museum in Calcutta, a notable Vrishaba , cow-headed goddess (particular form of Durg, with eight arm, 10 th century, Chedi period); a very nice small seated Vinyak, with four arms, is located at the feet of this large Vrishaba In Orissa : In Hirapur, near Bhubaneshwar (10 th century, East Ganga period) In Ranipur Jhariyal (10 th century, East Ganga period) In Maharashtra, Aundha Ngantha (Parbani district), 13 th century In Tamil Nadu, where she got tiger feet (Vyghrapda Vinayak) in

Chidambaram Madurai Suchindram Specialized books give the description of other Vinyak images in the following locations : A 16 th century bronze, Shirali museum (Karnataka) A 17 th century Maharashtra bronze, Lucknow museum A 17 th century Kerala bronze, Staat Museum fur Vlkerkunde de Munich (Germany) This goddess is again marked out in Gujarat, in Bihar, in Assam. This feminine Ganesh forms have been discovered in circular enclosure called 64 Yogin (Chaushasthi Yogin) enclosures or temples. Eighteen such Yogin temples have been indexed in Inde and Sri Lanka. Several names are known for these Ganesh feminine forms : Vinyak of course, but also Ganeshn, Gajnan, etc. Who is Vinyak ? Ancient texts consider her as one of the 64 Yogin, or even one of the Saptamtrik. We need to read the Purna to get a rough idea about the role of this goddess. According to the Silpasra, document in which the Yogin are presented as terrifying Durg consorts, the description explain thjat some Yogin feed with dead bodies, other stare on you at night like devils; moreover, other look like demons with awful eyes and the hair drawn up on the head. To summarize, Vinyak is obviously the Shakti of Ganesh/Vinyaka, that is to say the creativeness of the god. On the contrary, the other consort goddesses like Buddhi, Siddhi, Riddhi, Pushti, Nla Sarasvat), may be considered as his wives. They have a human body and a seducing face. The Vinyak iconography is similar to the Ganesh one; for instance, she is represented with two or four arms, standing or seated, sometimes she is dancing. More complicated forms are unknown. Emblems are the same as Ganesh emblems; however Vinyak can bear a vn. Her hands can show the abhaya or the varada mudra . For J. Herbert, the Ganesh Shakti is diversely represented. Sometimes, she is a twin figure, one is Buddhi (supra mental power of unerstanding), the other is Siddhi (higher cleverness and superhuman power both) or Riddhi (perfection); these goddesses are represented with normal human bodies. In esoteric situations, the Shakti is named Ganeshn, represented with an elephant head and a woman body. Ganesh embraces her tenderly close by him. Most probably, Herbert speaks abput the twin japanese Ganesh. Ganesh and the Saptamtrik In the Hinduism, the seven (sapta) Mtrik (Mothers) are divine images. In a few places, like Elephanta, near Mumbai (Bombay), they are eight in number (ashta). The Mtrik's seems to be complex. Their nature is ambivalent : in the Varha-Purna, it is said that they have been created by Shiva and other gods in order to fight an unconquerable devil, Andhaksura. Every blood drop oozing from his wounds and falling on the ground was immediately transformed in a new Asura adverse to gods. Then, the Shakti bustled themselves to collect the demon's blood before it could reach the ground. Then Andhaksura died. But, the legend reports that each of these Shakti was the symbol of one of the eight "bad mental feelings". In course of time, the symbolic meaning of the Mtrik has progressively changed; being initially malevolent deities, they became benevolent and protector. Indeed, a very long time ago, the Mothers were connected, in the popular believes, with the event of usual diseases, like smallpox, typhoid, cholera. To avoid these deseases, the only solution was to obtain the Mothers goodwill, giving offerings and sacrifices to them.

The present popular conviction, among lowest castes and out-casts, still assigns a considerable importance to the Mothers who shield them from such ilnesses. For instance, Maryamma for the smallpox, is prayed in a small temple near the Swayambunath temple (Kathmandu, Nepal). Incorporated in the divine idols venerated by brahmanism, the Mtrik were progressively considered as female counterparts and personnified Shakti (Creation Power) of the Vedic gods. According to some authors, they are also forms derived from the Chand goddess. These forces, Shakti of main gods, share their iconography and equally own particuler mounts and emblems. The following frame give the symbols attached to the Mtrik.

God Brahm Shiva Vishnu

Mtrik Brahmn Mheshvar (or Yogeshvar) Vaishnav

Typical emblem Mount Kamandalu, Shruk Goose or swan Nandi Bull Garuda eagle Peacock Buffalo Vajra Crnes Airvata elephant Jackal or buffalo

Skanda (Kumra) Kaumr Vishnu-Varha Indra Yama Vrh Indrn Chmund

In the Harivamsha, one can find prayers adressed to the Mtrik, imploring them to protect the children, as if they are their true mothers. For this reason, the Mother icons are sometimes depicted with a child seated on their laps (see in Ellora, for instance) or standing nearby. According to a 11 th century text, the Ishna-Shiva-gurudeva-paddhati, Ganesh invoked as Vinyaka is able to preserve children from malevolent evils; then, he removes all the obstacles which could prevent the cult rendered to the Mothers. Because of that, the god is viewed as patron of the Mtrik. Accordingly, Ganesh is often represented whis them in the Shiva temples. We must also remember (described in the Vmanapurna) that, after the Ganesh birth, Shiva requests the Mtrik and the awfull dead spirits to serve the son of Prvat at all times. The Suprabhedgama explains that Ganesh must be standing up when he escorts the Saptamtrik. However, most often, we find him seated and even dancing. He is generally at the very left side of the group, nearby Chamund. This arrangement is also found in Ellora in the caves nb. 14, 16, 21 et 22 (end 6 th to 8 th century). Alike the Mothers, Ganesh can provoke a lot of hindrances to anybody. Therefore, it is compulsory to propitiate the god and to supplicate him to remove the obstacles. Actually, and this point is many times emphasized in the texts, Ganesh must be auspicious before the cult to other gods is started. This is why the Gobhilasmriti demands to begin every ritual by a preliminary invocation to Ganesh and the Mothers. Ganesh near the Saptamtrik is found rather frequently in the Deccan peninsula, in Orissa, in Bengal, but mainly in Tamil Nadu. A few locations only are reported here : Aihole (Ravana Phadi ceve), 6 th century, Chalukya period (Karnataka) Pattadakal (Galaganath temple), Chalukya period (Karnataka) Tiruttani (Virattanesvara temple), Pallava period (Andhra Pradesh) Kanchipuram (Kailashanath temple, Pallava period)

Bhubaneshvar (Parashurmeshvara temple), East Ganga period (Orissa) Khajuraho (Vishvanatha temple), Chandella period (Madhya Pradesh) Osian, Gurjara-Pratih,ra period (Rajasthan) Ellora, Rmeshvara cave, calle cave 21 (other carvings representing the Mothers are situated in the cave 14 - Ravana cave -, and in the Kailasha temple - cave 16), Rashtrakuta period (Maharashtra) Kanchipuram (Kailsantha temple), 7 th century, Pallava period Vadodara (Museum) : Ganesh and Chmund from Tintoi

Why Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi both are worshiped on Diwali?

On the day of Diwali Lord Ganesh is worshiped with Goddess Lakshmi instead of Lord Vishnu. Now the question arises, why Lord Vishnu is not worshiped with Goddess Lakshmi on Diwali and what is the relation between Lakshmi and Ganesh? Read this interesting mythological story and you will come to know Why Lord Ganesh and Goddess Lakshmi both are worshiped on Diwali? Once upon a time, Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakhmi were having conversation in their place and Goddess Lakshmi was praising herself and telling Lord Vishnu that she (Goddess Lakshmi) is the most worship worthy in the whole world and by her grace, a person can get all the pleasures of this world and becomes the happiest person. By hearing this self praising of Goddess Laksmi , Lord Vishnu said to Goddess Laksmi for reducing her ego, and said If you are having all the qualities and you are so worthy, then why you did not get or feel the joy of motherhood till now and for a lady, the motherhood joy is the most important thing in this universe. The comment from his husband, Lord Vishnu made Goddess Lakhmi become disheartened and with this pain Goddess Laksmi went to her friend Goddess Parvati. After listing the problem of Goddess Lakhmi, Parvati asked her, How can I help you? Then Goddess Lakshmi said, Dear Parvati,you are having two sons,Kartikeya and Ganesh and if you could give me your one son you will still have one son and I also could get the grace of a motherhood. So, you can help me out from situation. By listing her Goddess Parvati said to Goddess Lakshmi, I'm having two sons Kartikeya and Ganesh. Kartikeya is having six mouths (Faces) and for this he needs to eat all the time. My second son Ganesh is very naughty, if I missed to keep eye on him for a bit, Ganesh will ruin everything. And you cannot stay at one place for a long time, now tell me how can you take care of my sons? By hearing this Goddess Lakshmi said to Goddess Parvati, I'll keep your sons close to my heart and will shower all my love on them either Kartikeya or Ganesh. I can take care both of them. All my servants in heaven will serve them day and night. So please give me one of them as my adopted child. Goddess Parvati knew her sons very well, so she gave Lord Ganesh to Goddess Lakhmi as her adopted son. Goddess Lakshmi became very happy and said to Goddess Parvati,----From today onwards I'm giving all my luxury, prosperity and accomplishments to my son Ganesh. Riddhi and Siddhi, Lord Brahmas daughters are like my daughters and both they will be married soon to Lord Ganesh for which I give my word to you. I will fulfill all the desires of Ganesh.

In all the three loks the personwho shall not worship Lord Ganesh , I will be miles away from him. Whenever my (Goddess Lakshmi ) worship will be performed, Lord Ganesh's worship will be a must. Who will not worship Shri Ganesh along with Goddess Lakshmi ,he cannot get Shree or myself. " By listening this Goddess Parvati become so much happy and handed over Lord Ganesh to Goddess Lakshmi. So in Deepawali/Diwali Poojan or Goddess Lakshmi Poojan, Lord Ganesh's Puja is must.

"Lord Ganeshas Marriage"

According to one tradition, Ganesha was a brahmacarin, that is, unmarried. This pattern is primarily popular in southern India . This tradition was linked to Hindu concepts of the relationship between celibacy and the development of spiritual power.

In the north of India , on the other hand, Ganesha is often portrayed as married to the two daughters of Brahma: Buddhi ((also called Riddhi) intellect) and Siddhi (spiritual power).

As a child Lord Ganesh was once playing with a cat. He pulled its tail and rolled it on the ground. Later, tired of this game, He decided to spend time with His mother, Parvati. He found her covered in dirt and with bruises. Surprised, He asked, What happened, Mother? Remember the cat you were playing with that was me. I am the Divine power that is exists in all beings. Lord Ganesh realised that all women are extensions of His mother and decided never to marry.

Another interpretation is that His devotion towards His mother is the reason why He is considered as a celibate bachelor. To Him, she was the most beautiful and a perfect woman. He vowed that He could marry the girl who would match up to His mothers beauty and divine qualities.It is said that Lord Ganesh was unable to find a suitable mate because of His unique appearance. This bothered Him and He summoned the rats to burrow deep holes in the path of any God who were on their way to get married. The potholes made the journey of the grooms and their marriage processions extremely difficult. Frustrated, they went to Lord Brahma to complain.

Lord Brahma created two beautiful girls Riddhi (Abundance. Opulence, Wealth) and Siddhi / Buddhi (Intellectual and Spiritual Prowess) and they were married to Him. With His two consorts, He had sons Shubha (Auspiciousness) and Labha (Profit) and a daughter named Santoshi (Goddess of Satisfaction / Contentment).The Shiva Purana states that King Prajapati had two daughters - Riddhi and Siddhi. He approached Shiva and Parvati for the marriage of his girls to Lord Ganesh and Lord Kartikeyan / Karthikeyan (Lord Ganeshs younger brother). But both these girls wished that Lord Ganesh should be their husband and so they were married. It is said that if one has Riddhi but doesnt have Siddhi / Buddhi then it is worthless.

Possessing only Siddhi without Riddhi is also futile. Lord Ganesh bestows both these blessings to His ardent devotees. If we delve into ourselves we will realize that we are all Ganapatis (Gana is our body made of the Pancha-Mahabhuta (Five elements), Pati stands for master or owner). Thus He shows us the way to achieve both intellect and wealth to enjoy a rewarding life.