Is Lord Ganesha Married?

Sep 14

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Is Lord Ganesha, the lord of the people, married or is he a bachelor? If you ask this question in different parts of India, you will get different answers. There are several culture specific stories related to the wife of Ganesha. A majority of people seem to believe that Lord Ganesha is married but there are many ambiguity too! There seems to be some confusion regarding who are the consorts of Ganesha.

Here are some of the prominent mythical explanations to answer the question about Lord Ganesha’s marital status.

The Story Of Kartikeya & Ganesha: Ganesha and Kartikeya (sons of Lord Shiv and Parvati) once had a wager. They decided that whoever goes around the Universe 7 times and comes back first will be the first to get married. Ganesha with all his bulk and only a mouse as his vehicle was sure to lose to the agile Kartikeya who flew on a peacock. But Ganesha was smart, he declared that his parents were the entire Universe for him and went around Shiva and Parvati 7 times. He was married by the time his younger brother came back.

Evidence From The Purana: Some tales from the ancient Puranas state, that Lord Ganesha was a bal bramhchari (sworn to be a bachelor and a monk). This version of the myth is popular down South in India. Ganesha in many of the temples is depicted as a bachelor.

Ridhi & Siddhi: When a Maharashtrian family brings home a Ganpati idol, it is never alone. Ridhi (fame) and Siddhi (prosperity) always comes along. It is believed in Northern India that Ridhi (fame), Sidhi (prosperity) and Buddhi (intellect) were turned into goddesses and given to Lord Ganesha as wives. When Ganesha is pleased He blesses you with name, fame and good judgement; so he is has the women with these three qualities as his consorts.

Kala Bou: In the eastern part of India, mainly Bengal and Assam, Ganesha has a ‘green’ consort. During Durga Puja, a freshly cut banana plant is draped in a saree and placed next to Ganesha as his wife. Actually, the Kala bou (bride of Banana plant) has no connection with Lord Ganapati according to our scriptures. This was a local and primitive practice to worship Mother Earth for a bountiful harvest. When Durga Puja became a part of popular culture, Kala Bou was assimilated into the rituals and placed by Ganesha’s side because Kartikeya is a bachelor, so there is no place for a woman by his side.

These are the different stories related to the wife of Lord Ganesha. Do you know of any other consort that Ganapati is seen with?

Source: http://www.boldsky.com/yoga-spirituality/faith-mysticism/2012/lord-ganesha-wife-030252.html

 

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About Vikram Kharvi

With over 16 years of experience in the communications field, Vikram Kharvi’s successful career is characterized by his passionate interest in technology, media, and emerging forms of communication. He is currently exploring the intersection of paid and earned media as the Head of Marketing Communications function at Tata Housing Development Company Limited, a TATA Group Company, headquartered in Mumbai. His role is to help the company integrate PR and digital media in it's global marketing, corporate and business efforts. Prior to joining Tata Housing, Vikram has held senior positions at Adfactors PR, Sampark PR, The Resort and Indian Express Group. He also had his share of entrepreneurial experience of publishing and editing a maritime weekly magazine – Shipping Today for over 7 years. Vikram enjoys wide industry recognition as an expert on the intersection of emerging media technologies and public relations. He has managed corporate, crisis and product PR and has actively interacted with almost every type of media. Vikram has worked for array of industries and business sectors such as Technology, Education, Real Estate & Infrastructure, Shipping & Logistics, Finance, Media & Marketing etc. He has counselled at the highest levels as well as sorted things out at street level for top brands including Aptech, 3i Infotech, Rolta India, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Bharati Shipyard, Mumbai SEZ, Ybrant Digital and many more. Vikram writes extensively on marketing, branding, marketing communications, social media and PR. He also explores these topics on his personal blog Vikypedia.in, his various online presence and by contributing to various other news portals & print media. Vikram has been blogging since 2004 and most notably has founded Indian PR Forum, India’s largest online forum of PR professionals. He is passionate about sharing his knowledge on PR and Social media through lectures at various communications institutes across India and by also speaking at various industry forums, events & seminars. Vikram holds a Master’s & Bachelor’s degrees in Journalism and Mass Communications. His interests include his family, photography, travelling, of course, blogging. Vikram can be reached via email at pr .vikram@gmail.com or on social hubs like About.me, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

Posted on September 14, 2012, in Articles on Ganesha, Ganesha Stories and tagged , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink. Leave a Comment.

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