On the third day of this month falls the exciting festival of Ganesh Chaturthi when people all over India and in many countries elsewhere celebrate the advent of the beautiful Lord Ganesha with great joy. We, in H2H, have always offered you special articles to mark this occasion and to help you dwell on this fascinating form of the Lord which is a favourite of many.

The below quiz is based on these articles to help you refresh your mind with the profound significance of this unique form and name of the Lord.

1. In ‘The Source of All Prosperity’ an enlightening article in praise of Lord Ganesha from the September 2005 issue, we find an inspiring excerpt from Swami’s 1997 Ganesh Chaturthi day’s discourse, where Baba recited the Ganapathi Gayatri:

Ekdantaya Vidmahe
Vakratundaya Dhimahi
Tanno Dantih Prachodayat
[‘I meditate on the single tusked Lord, the Lord with His curved trunk. May He grant knowledge and inspire me.’]

Swami then said: “If you want to lead a life of happiness, free from troubles and difficulties, you have to pray to Ganapathi, the remover of all __________”

A. Ignorance
B. Hatred
C. Illnesses
D. Obstacles

2. In ‘Primordial Deity - Powerful Inspiration’ from the August 2006 issue, we clarified: ‘There is a grand mythology surrounding Lord Ganesha. The very image of Lord Ganesha invokes awe and surprise. He has a huge body matched by a huge head. His vehicle is a small mouse, a large trunk and two tusks; one half broken. He holds in his hands a noose, a goad, a plate of sweets and in the fourth hand holds forth the promise of abhaya. All these have messages for us.’

What is the message of His holding a plate of sweets?

A. We must have a sweet personality
B. Life is meant to be enjoyed; it’s God’s gift to us.
C. We must control our intake of sweets.
D. He loves His devotees dearly.

3. Looking again at ‘The Source of All Prosperity’ article, we also described the significance of Lord Ganesha’s different names. ‘Fascinatingly, Lord Ganesha, the God of auspicious beginnings, has a number of appellations and each one chooses a name of their liking to invoke Him. He is described as –

Ganapathi - The Leader of all celestial beings,
Vighneshvara - The Lord of every form of Aiswarya i.e . wealth,
Vighanharta - The Annihilator of all obstacles,
Vinayaka - The Supreme Master with none above Him,
Gajanana - The God with an elephant face,
Lambodar - The God who is pot bellied,
Mooshika Vahana - The Lord with the rat as His vehicle,
Ekdanta - The God who is one tusked,
Gajadhipati - The Lord of elephants, etc.

According to Swami, in what form does Lord Ganesha live in every human being?

A. Courage and Valour.
B. Health and Wealth.
C. Intellect and Wisdom.
D. Humility and Compassion.

4. What unique activity do the students from Swami’s educational institutions carry out every Ganesh Chaturthi day, much to the joy of Bhagavan and assembled devotees?

A. An inter campus general knowledge quiz on Lord Ganesha.
B. A procession of caparisoned elephants with students riding on top.
C. Creation and subsequent immersion in water of decorative floats of Lord Ganesha.
D. A beautiful drama showcasing the life and ideals of Lord Ganesha.

5. Delving again into the article ‘Primordial Deity - Powerful Inspiration’, we also shared the mythological story relating to Lord Ganesha’s birth: ‘The advent of Ganesha is lost in the mists of time but He is mentioned even in Vedic literature. The mythological story relating to His birth is well known. Goddess Parvathi wanted a reliable person to ensure that her privacy is not intruded and so created a baby from her own body and breathed life into it. And the baby boy was very handsome and brave. She armed him and asked him to stand guard. Lord Shiva returned from His meditation and wanted to enter the house. The boy challenged Him and no amount of persuasion worked. Lord Shiva ordered His ganas to wage war. But the boy was too hot to handle even for the ganas and their leaders who beat a hasty retreat.… ”

According to the story, what did Lord Shiva have to do to enter the house?

A. He had to reduce Ganesha to the size of a mouse.
B. He had to disguise Himself into a woman.
C. He had to behead Ganesha.
D. Goddess Parvathi had to finally come out and reveal the truth.

Dear Reader, did you like this quiz? Is it too difficult? Is it interactive enough? How does it help you? Please tell us at h2h@radiosai.org.

-Heart2Heart Team