Ananta Chaturdashi marks the end of Ganesh Utsav and on this day Ganesh Visarjan is done. Read on to know the significance of Ananta Chaturdashi and Ganesh Visarjan.The original significance of Ananta Chaturdashi, which is the day when Ganesh Visarjan takes place, was a vow taken which was kept for fourteen years. However, idol of Lord Ganesh is immersed with a request to go back to his heavenly abode on that day every year.
After the ten or eleven days of
Puja and celebration the idol of Lord Ganesh is taken to be immersed in sea, river, pond or lake. A procession of the idol is carried out with great pomp and joy from the place of worship to the place of immersion. Nowadays, artificial ponds are created to encourage the celebration of
eco-friendly Ganesh Chaturthi. This is called Ganesh Visarjan. The procession is taken out and lakhs of devotees follow rejoicing and requesting Lord Ganesh to come back earlier next year.
Ganesh Chaturthi is observed as the birth of Lord Ganesh and has been celebrated since years. However, it turned out to be a social event only when Lokmanya Tilak brought
Ganesh Utsav out from the homes and gathered on streets in order to assemble and activate the freedom movement. Right from that time, Ganesh Utsav is being celebrated with all pomp and splendour and the excitement seems to get enhanced every passing year.
Why Idol of Lord Ganesh is Immersed in Water?
According to Hindu Dharma and scriptures, the clay model of Gods and Goddesses that are created to worship should be immersed after the Puja is conducted and after worshipping it for a certain period of time.
Old Rituals
To reserve fresh water, people used to dig clay or soil from lakes, ponds, tanks and other water reserves. To show the relationship of Hindu rituals and environment, Ganesh idols are created with the help of this clay and water. Then this clay idol is worshipped with turmeric and many other natural herbs during the ten or eleven days of worship of Lord Ganesh. When on the last day, the idol is immersed in water, these natural herbs also enter into the water which helps the water animals like fish, tortoise and others to grow well and get nourished.
God’s Farewell
On the first day when the idol is installed on Mandap, it is called prana pratishtha. This means that
Lord Ganesh would be present to hear our prayers and chants for the next ten days. And once this is completed, the idol is immersed in water with a request to come back early next year so that the celebrations begin early. Lord is then asked to forgive any mistake, knowingly or unknowingly done in life, before sending him to his divine abode.
Symbolism of Ganesh Visarjan
Let us understand the symbolism of
Ganesh Visarjan.
Following the Cosmic Law
Hindus worship the supreme soul present in animate and inanimate. However, for many people it is not possible to worship this formlessness. They need a form to pray, seek help and take blessings. Since Ganesh is ‘OM’, the primordial sound, it is given a shape with the help of clay and water. People bring this idol at home and worship for ten days assuming that the lord is with them. After the celebrations are over, everyone has to follow the cosmic law which means that one that has been formed has to become formless again.
The Supreme Truth
Each year celebration of Ganesh Utsav shows us that even though forms change, the supreme truth remains the same. Body becomes energy for another, but the source of energy remains the same. Thus we create Ganesh out of clay, worship him and then later immerse him in water.
Eco-Friendly Ganesh Chaturthi and Ganesh Visarjan
People, who are environmental friendly make idol of Lord Ganesh out of clay and water and after worshipping for ten days, immerse the idol in artificial ponds created by environmentalists and different social organizations or a bucket of water and use the water for watering the plants. However, the process of Visarjan teaches us detachment and helps us realize that our body, for which we do a lot of things, will get reduced to base elements one day.
Ganesh festival is not just a ritual of Hindus, but also reminds us of protecting our environment. Therefore, according to the scriptures and traditions we should insist on making only clay idols of Lord Ganesh to be worshiped and then immersed in water. This will bless millions of people better health and better environment as well.
What is the significance of Ganesh Utsav and Ganesh Visarjan? What is Ananta Chaturdashi? How to celebrate and eco-friendly Ganesh festival? Discuss here.
