I have always felt a connection to Ganesha. Remover of obstacles.
Ganesha is a Hindu deity, a large elephant with a pot-bellied human body. And, one of my favorite things about Ganesha & his story is that he is often pictured with a mouse.
The mouse is interpreted in several ways…”Many, if not most of those who interpret Gaṇapati’s mouse, do so negatively; it symbolizes tamoguṇa as well as desire”. The Sanskrit word mūṣaka (mouse) is derived from the root mūṣ (stealing, robbing). It was essential to subdue the rat as a destructive pest, a type of vighna (impediment) that needed to be overcome.
According to this theory, showing Ganesha as master of the rat demonstrates his function as Vigneshvara (Lord of Obstacles) and gives evidence of his possible role as a folk grāma-devatā (village deity) who later rose to greater prominence. (via Wikipedia)
Also, apparently, I am not the only one who loved Ganesha. He’s quite popular. According to Sivana East—
[it’s not] “because of good marketing! Ganesh was actually the recipient of a boon (a wish) from another god…that granted him to be more revered and worshiped than even his father, and he would be the first god to be acknowledged when entering a temple. Modern day translation: most shared and posted god on all of Facebook!” 😂
At The Yoga Shala in College Park, Orlando, Florida we have this beautiful Ganesha painting that I get do my Ashtanga practice in front of. I love it so much, and hope you do too.
