The trunk call FAQ: 5 myths surrounding Ganesh Chaturthi debunked

For over a century Ganesh Chaturthi has had a ubiquitous presence in Mumbai Lakhs of homes welcome the beloved elephantheaded god and over time while the festival has retained its ageold traditions it has spawned a few myths as well Ahead of this yearrsquos Ganesh Chaturthi which falls on September 5 midday debunks some popular beliefs and practicesTraditionally for households the idol should be Vedantik ie itrsquos trunk should be bending towards the left This corresponds to the Moon Channel PicBipin KokateThe trunk funkThe direction of the elephantheaded godrsquos trunk is a matter of conjecture for devotees Traditionally for households the idol should be Vedantik ie itrsquos trunk should be bending towards the left It is believed that Ganesha idols with their trunk to the left are generally calm as this is the direction of Moon Channel Ida Nadi mdash the channel that corresponds to a calming energy flowGaneshas with their trunk to the right are considered more powerful since the trunk turns towards the Sun Channel Pingal Nadi such as the Siddhivinayak idol PicShadab KhanGaneshas with their trunk to the right are considered more powerful since the trunk turns towards the Sun Channel Pingal Nadi that corresponds to a more lively flow of energy Such idols are commonly known as Siddhivinayak and are considered to be aggressive and demanding They are worshipped by tantriksldquoThe rituals while worshipping such an idol must be followed very rigorously because it involves tantramdasha difficult discipline in which one should not make even a single mistakerdquo said Dr Kala Acharya a Sanskrit scholar and director of the KJ Somaiya Bharatiya Sanskriti Peetham ldquoMost people refrain from keeping such idols at home because they cannot rigorously practice the rituals of purityrdquo she addsMeanwhile Narendra Rane 53 chairman Siddhivinayak Temple at Prabhadevi said Ganesha sculptors create the entire idol and give it to the devotee to take home and worship but make it without the trunk ldquoThis depends on the individual sculptorsrsquo belief but in most cases one will have to get the trunk made from somewhere elserdquo he said ldquoThe aarti bhog and other rituals carried out with Siddhivinayak are the same way as with any other idolrdquo added Rane Ajit Joshi 50 who has been at the temple for the last 29 years said ldquoThe common man shouldnrsquot pray to Siddhivinayak at home Only those people who are not praying for wealth and prosperity these prayers are offered to a lefttrunk bearing Ganesha idol but for a certain power from god ie Siddha Purushas should worship a Siddhivinayak in their homerdquoldquoWe make only one Siddhivinayak idol every year and send it to the same devoteerdquo said Shrikant Botle 56 an employee of the Om Morya Chitra Mandir ldquoLooking after such an idol is differentmdashyou need a quiet environment for it something that is rare in MumbairdquoRupesh Narvekar owner Om Morya Chitra Mandir said ldquoThe positive vibrations emitted by a right trunk bearing Ganesha idol are very strong These energies cut out negative energies but in some cases mdash if the pooja is not carried out properlymdashit might backfire and cause negative effectsrdquo Om Acharya Chitra Mandirrsquos sole devotee taking the Siddhvinayak idol home is 32yearold Pradeep Deshmukh An aspiring cricketer from Vidarbha Deshmukh arrived in Mumbai in 2001 to play cricket for a local club He visited the Siddhivinayak temple in 2004 for the first time and after that kept a Siddhivinayak idol at home till 2015 as he had asked for a mannat wishOdd not evenAccording to renowned author and mythologist Devdutt Pattnaik such local practices evolve over a period of time Pattnaik pointed out that even numbers typically represent stagnation whereas odd numbers represent fluidity or growth hence Ganesha is kept only for an odd number of daysThree dips forldquoThe three dips during visarjan represent the three causes of suffering Adhaytmika physical suffering Adhibhavtika suffering due to five elements and Adhidaivika suffering caused by naturedeitiesrdquo said Acharya ldquoBy submerging three times we symbolise that all three types of suffering are no more in our livesrdquo she addedEnding the cycleIf one wishes to discontinue bringing the idol home for the festival they have to perform a ritual ldquoIt is called Udyapan the ritualistic ending of the fastrdquo said Acharya adding ldquoIf one does not want to continue bring Ganesha home due to old age severe financial constraints or any other such reasons they conduct this ritualrdquo