Shiva Consciousness – 5

Hu Shih (1891-1962) was China’s Ambassador in America in a period prior to the Communist Regime in China. In one of his quotes he has paid handsome tributes to India. “India dominated China culturally for 2000 years successively, without sending a single soldier across the border....it was India from whom the Chinese learnt about religion (धर्म) that led to bold theory of the origin of the universe.”

The mention of the theory of the origin of the universe immediately puts forth the year 3000 B.C. – the birth year of Acharya Kapil who invented the theory. Obviously then, the two thousand years suggested in Hu Shih’s statement are from 3000 B.C. to 1000 B.C. – the period of India’s cultural dominance over China. These very years were the years of India’s ancient Ganatantra System, which had a Dharma that promoted innovation and wealth creation. That Dharma was in fact the result of the two topmost human values – Propriety (a product of left side of the human brain); and Beauty (a product of the right side of the brain). Their joint balanced control over human mind was Dharma.

What Hu Shih quoted was in fact a concise summing up of India’s Creative Heritage-Tradition and Accomplishments in terms of symbols like Ghata-Shiva-Parvati and Ganapati. But Shiva Consciousness didn’t end up at Ganapati. It continued to produce other symbols that perfected the Ganatantra of 3000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.

It is necessary to remember that the Shiva Consciousness wasn’t one of those philosophies that the world saw emerging and collapsing like the forts built from sand. It was one of the phenomena fundamental to human life; which, if ignored, would lead to lot of miseries. And that is why, other symbols in the Ghata-Shiva-Parvati groove were developed after Ganapati. They all were new icons of Adishakti – India’s basic ability to transform vacuum into space. India’s basic power to transform secular happiness into spiritual satisfaction that could be measured only from man’s inner mental space to the highest level in the outer space above (ब्रह्मावकाश).

Shiva Consciousness – 4

In the post-Independence era, Indian policy makers and thinkers relied rather heavily on intellectual and scientific rationalism; and so to say, totally ignored creative innovation. Thus India spent too many years without achievements of creative breakthroughs. Naturally, ‘progress through imitation’ as it were became India’s motto. This sad state of affairs was the result of India’s failure in reviving Shiva Consciousness in general; and in particular the symbolism behind the Ganapati’s image. Thus, in the previous blog post I discussed about the symbolism behind the elephant head of Ganapati. Today, I would like to write about the symbolism represented by the Ganapati’s four arms.

Ganapati’s right arm – particularly the palm, indicates blessings with an appeal to the viewers to understand the benefits of design worship. The image’s raised right hand holds a weapon – a combination of an axe (परशु) and a trident (त्रिशूल). This weapon represents the chief Ganapati’s responsibility to acquire and maintain creative defence preparedness. While the lotus in Ganapati’s left raised hand symbolises freshness of the Ganatantra’s image that is free from the chaotic conditions of lotus roots under the water. The lotus also stands for purity and morality. Ganapati’s left palm holds a sweet called a ‘modak.’ This symbolizes sweetness of Ganatantra as a system. Ganapati’s image has a golden crown and is adorned with many ornaments studded with precious stones, which vouches for the strong economy of the Ganatantra. We also find a sacred thread around the neck and torso of the image. This thread suggests that creation and innovation must not exceed the limits of the welfare of the people.

Then we invariably see a rat (मूषक) as a vehicle of the Ganapati. It suggests an ability to achieve a breakthrough – a matter so much important for any creative person. A rat is considered an expert in finding its way out of an impasse.

A Ganapati image cannot be completed without the two accompanying images of Riddhi and Siddhi (रिध्दी-सिध्दी). Together they suggest that the economic plenty cannot be achieved without wealth-creating achievements.

A perfect symbol for the wellbeing of a Ganatantra, Ganapati’s image kept guiding Indians continually for 2000 years of Ganatantra’s existence between 3000 B.C. to 1000 B.C.

More about this period in my next blog.