Ganesh chaturthi: Lord Ganesh 8 Incarnation Avatar

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hello friends...........!!!

In this post i 'll tell u about the 8 Incarnations or in Hindi the 8 Avatars of Lord Ganesh.

The Incarnations or Avatars in Sanskrit is “descent”; in Hindu mythology, a deity always descends from heaven to earth for a specific and special purpose.

Sacred puranas like the Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana state that Lord Ganesh has assumed 8 avatars or incarnations,and each incarnation in a different epoch and descriptive of a single attribute.

All the avatars or incarnations had one purpose –that is to slay a demon.The different avatars or incarnations are:-

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 1. Vakratunda (Lord of the Twisted Trunk)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 2. Ekadanta (Lord of the Single Tusk)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 3. Mahodara (Great-Bellied One)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 4. Gajanana (Elephant-faced One)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 5. Lambhodara (Long-Bellied)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 6. Vikata (Misshaped One)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 7. Vighnaraja (King of the World)

Lord Ganesh's Avatar 8. Dhoomravarna (Smoke-Colored)

Lord Ganesh does have an elephant trunk in every single Ganesh Avatar.
Most of the Lord Ganesh lives seem to involve in slaying the demons! But each incarnation or avatar was different in some way, and also Lord Ganesh's mode of carriage i.e., the animal he(Ganesh) rode changed in certain lifetimes -- in one avatar Lord Ganesh rode a peacock and in another Lord Ganesh traded his ever-reliable mouse, also for a noble lion!

In each avatar, Lord Ganesh fought against and subdued a different demon. Each demon relates to a flaw in human nature, something which needs to be overcome before one can become a higher Man.

The eight weaknesses which Lord Ganesh spent eight lifetimes to overcoming are:

" jealousy, drunkenness, illusion, greed, anger, desire, egotism, and self-infatuation (arrogance)."

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 1. VAKRATUNDA

Ganesha’s first avatar is of "Vakratunda" (twisted trunk) an embodiment of the Absolute Impersonal aspect of Godhood called Brahman in the form of Ganesha.

A demon named "Matsara" was born out of the Pramaada (Heedlessness) of Indra,the king of Gods.
This demon performed severe penance and invoked the grace of Lord Shiva and obtained the boon of fearlessness from Him.

By obtaining the boon he went about conquering all the three worlds, He was coronated as the king of Asuras by their preceptor Sukracharya.

The defeated gods went to Kailash and prayed to Lord Shiva for protection. On hearing the mission of gods, Matsara went to Kailash and vanquished Lord Shiva .

When the gods were at their wit's end to know what to do next,Lord Dattatreya came there. He advised the gods to invoke the grace of Lord Vakratunda and imparted to them the secret of the monosyllable mantra "Gam".

All the gods including Lord Shiva did penance accordingly and at last Lord Vakratunda (Lord Ganesh) appeared and assured them that he would subdue the demon. The demon was so terrified at the sight of Lord Ganesh in the avatar /incarnation of Vakratunda that he surrendered to Lord Ganesh and sought refuge at Ganesh feet.

And then Lord Ganesh forgave him, and restored the lost glory and kingdoms of all the kings and gods.

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 2. EKDANTA

The next incarnation or avatar was in the form of "Ekadanta" (single tusked) who defeated the demon Madasura. The famous sage Chyavana created Madasura.

The Asura sought his father's permission and went to Sukracharya,who was Chyavana's brother as well as the preceptor of the Asuras.

He prostrated to the Guru and expressed his desire to become the ruler of the whole universe. Sukracharya was pleased with his nephew's submission and initiated him into the Shakti Mantra "Hrim".

Madasura did penance on this mantra for thousands of years. At last the deity of Shakti, appeared before him and blessed him with the fulfillment of all his desires.

There after the demon went about raging battles against all the kings and the gods, and was victorious everywhere. He thus became the ruler of all the three worlds.

In his reign, all virtues and righteousness disappeared from the world.

He married Saalasa, the daughter of Pramada Asura and he got three children , with names, Vilasi, Lolupa and Dhanapriya.

The worried gods approached Sanat kumara and sought his advice to overcome their plight. Sanat kumara instructed them to propitiate Lord Ekadanta,an avatar of Lord Ganesh and seek his (Ganesh) protection.

He also described the glory of Ekadanta , where "Eka" stands for "Maya" the “embodied". and "Danta" for "Truth (Satta)". Thus Ekadanta represents the Supreme Truth which wields the Maya.

The Devas then meditated upon the Lord Ekadanta for hundreds of years. Pleased by their devotion Lord Ganesh appeared before them and assured them that he(Ganesh) would remove their miseries.

Narada, the celestial saint, promptly informed Madasura of the boon given to the gods by the Lord Ganesh and prompted him to wage war against the Ganesh avatar as Lord Ekadanta. The demon got ready for a battle with Lord Ganesh. But alas as soon as he reached the battlefield and beheld the terrible avatar of Ekadanta, all his courage drained away and he surrendered to the Lord Ganesh.

The demon then gave up the world that he had held under his reign, and sought the Lord Ganesh protection. The Lord Ganesh then told Madasura: "Don't stay in a place where I am (Ganesh) worshipped in a Satwic manner. You are free to enjoy the fruits of all actions done with Asuric Bhava".

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 3. MAHODARA

The third incarnation or avatar was of Mahodara (Great-Bellied One) who vanquished Mohasura, the demon of Delusion and Confusion.

Once again the mouse was the mount of Ganesha.

The confused nature of this story makes it difficult to understand exactly what was going on.

Once Lord Shiva was sunk in meditation for ages and showing no signs of coming out of it.
Meanwhile, the gods were in need of help. Goddess Parvati therefore assumed an alluring avatar and wandered round his meditating spot. Lord Shiva was brought back to normal wakeful consciousness by this act and she abandoned the alluring ‘cover’ to speak. This abandoned energy avatar became a demon in its own right over the ages and Ganesh subdued it.

Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati are the parents of Ganesh, so the psychological implications of this tale make the head spin. Mohasur worshipped the Sun God and attained the name of Daitya Raja, meaning King of the Demons.

He also conquered all the three worlds… “All the gods, sages hid in caves and jungles in fear of him. There was anarchy all over.

At this time Surya,the Sun God advised all the gods to worship Lord Mahodara i.e, Lord Ganesh. “All the Gods and the Sages started praying Lord Mahodara (Ganesh).

Ganesh was pleased and granted them with a boon, saying that he(Lord Ganesh) would slay Mohasur himself. When Shukracharya heard about it, he told to Mohasur to surrender in front of Lord Ganesh (Lord Mahodara).

Lord Vishnu also explained to Mohasur that if he surrendered he will not be killed or destroyed.

And he should accept the friendship of Lord Mahodara.

By saying this he started praising and singing the glories of

Lord Ganesh (Lord Lambodara) . Listening to this Mohasur became frightened and he requested Lord Vishnu to bring Lord Mahodara giving him due honour and respect. When Lord Mahodara arrived, Mohasur greeted and welcomed

him with pomp and gaiety. He sang his praises and asked for forgiveness for his evil sins. Mohasur promised the gods that he would return them their Swargalok and assured that he would be always on the path of righteousness.

He also assured them that henceforth, he would not a dare to harass the Gods and Sages. Listening to this Lord Mahodara (Lord Ganesh) was pleased and commanded him to go back to Pataal lok and never return again.

All the Gods and the Sages were relaxed and happy,they all started singing the praise of Lord Mahodara (Lord Ganesh).

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 4. GAJANANA

In the tangled web of inter generational sexuality Lord Ganesh took the incarnation or an avatar of Gajanana or Gajavaktra (Elephant-faced One)who defeated the demon Lobhasura (Greed or Covetousness).
Gajanana means "the Lord with an elephant face" i.e.
Lord Ganesh, and Lobha was the demon of greed.

The treasurer of the heavens,Kubera. He once visited Kailash,the abode of Lord Shiva.There he was blessed with the vision of the Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati.

The Goddess (mother of Lord Ganesh) was so beautiful that Kubera looked at her with lustful eyes. The Mother(mother of Lord Ganesh) became very angry at this, and Kubera started shivering with fear.

And from the fear of Kubera, there manifested a demon named Lobhasura. He descended to the world of Asuras, where he received his education from Sukracharya, the guru of Asuras.
He was initiated into the mantra "0m Namah Shivaya".
The demon performed penance and in the due course the Lord (shiva) appeared and blessed him with the boon of fearlessness. The demon then now went about conquering
the three worlds and became the sovereign ruler. He then sent a message to Lord Shiva that he would like to rule over Kailash, and that it would be better if he leave his abode.

The Lord(Shiva) thought for a while and decided to leave his abode. The gods, tyrannised by the demonic rule, approached sage Raibhya who instructed them to pray to Lord Gajaanana, an avatar or incarnation of Lord Ganesh. The Devas started praying in the grace of the Lord Ganesh and sought the Ganesh protection.Lord Ganesh blessed them, and sent Lord Vishnu as His (Ganesh)messenger to the demon to apprise him of the strength of Lord Gajaanana (Ganesh). And Lobhasura was convinced of the Lord Ganesh's strength in the avatar or incarnation of Lord Gajaanana and surrendered without putting up a fight.
Thus another incarnation i.e. the 3rd avatar of Lord Ganesh was incarnated.

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 5 .LAMBHODARA

The 5th incarnation or avatar of Lord Ganesh is the Lambhodara Avatar (Long-Bellied).
Once upon a time Lord Vishnu had taken the incarnation/avatar of Mohini, the enchantress, to delude the demons.

When Lord Shiva beheld this seductive incarnation/avatar and he was struck with passion.Then Lord Vishnu had to immediately give up the Mohini incarnation/avatar and assumed his usual incarnation/avatar.

Lord Shiva became sad and angry. Out of the seeds of His disappointment and anger a terrible demon was born,named, Krodhasura.

This demon invoked the grace of the Lord Sun and became a powerful king.

He married "Preeti" the beautiful daughter of Sambarasur and begot two sons in her—- Harsha and Soka.

The gods undertook penance to invoke the grace of Lord Ganesh in the form of Lord Lambodara(Ganesh).

The Lord(Ganesh) appeared before the other gods ans saints and for the sake of the world, Lord Ganesh subdued Krodhasura and hence destroyed his reign from the world. And thus this incarnation/avatar was also completed.

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 6 .VIKATA

Lord Ganesh next incarnation or avatar was of Vikata(”The mis happen”), who subdued the demon of desire Kama.

This demon named Kamasura, i.e. the embodiment of lust, was born out of the seeds of Lord Vishnu. Like all other demons Kamasur was also accepted by the preceptor Sukracharya as his disciple.

Kamasura also performed a penance on Lord Shiva and after long long years,when the Lord was pleased, he was blessed by the Lord.

He became the supreme ruler of the three worlds. He was ceremoniously married to Trishna, the daughter of Mahishasura, and begot two sons in her, viz. Soshana and Dushpoora.

The Devas, were very unhappy and wanted to get rid from his rule,so they approached Rishi Mudgala for showing

them a way to get rid . The teacher advised them to meditate on the mantra OM at a place called Mayuresa Kshetra try to please Lord Vikata i.e., to Lord Ganesh, Lord Vikata is the 6th incarnation or avatar of Ganesh. Pleased by their devotion, Lord Ganesh appeared to them in the avatar of Lord Vikata, heard the difficulties and complaints and their reasons of sadness and worries.Thus, Lord Ganesh i.e.,Lord Vikata fought with the demon and brought

about their salvation.

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 7.VIGHNARAJA

The 7th incarnation/avatar of Lord Ganesh is the incarnation/avatar Lord Vighnaraja, who had a very unusual mode of conveyance - a Sheshnaag or Shasha.
In this incarnation/avatar, Ganesh managed to subdue the demon Mamasur (also known as Mamtasur or Mama),the demon of the ego.
This is His (Ganesh’s) most popular incarnation/avatar, known as "The Remover of Obstacles". Riding his(Lord Ganesh) vehicle called Sheshnag, a serpent, he(Ganesh) strode into the battle to fight with Mamtasur, and overcame him.”

Devi Parvati , the daughter of Himavan, had married to Lord Shiva (the parents of Lord Ganesh). After their marriage, one day when She(Devi Parvati) was relaxing with her friends,she burst out in laughter in a playful mood, and out of her laughter was born a handsome male incarnation/avatar (Mama) . He prostrated to the Mother, she was surprised at this manifestation of the incarnation/avatar and asked him who he was and what he wanted. He said that he was born from her laughter and asked Devi Parvati as to how he could serve her i.e., her mother. She named him Mama, as he was out of her outburst, when she was swayed by "Maan", the sense of Ego. She(Devi Parvati) then instructed him to remember Lord Ganesh always, who would fulfill all his desires.
Mama went to the forests to meditate on Lord Ganesh. On the way, he met Sambara Asura, who managed to allure him into the Asuric cult and initiated him into the demonic methods of worship. Thus, Mama of angelic nature became Mamasura, the demon. He then married Mohini, the daughter of an Asura chief, in due course he became the ruler of all the three worlds.

The Devas who were exiled from their worlds propitiated Lord Ganesh, who incarnated/avatar as Lord Vighnaraja, to kill the asura. And thus after a great war,Lord Ganesh subdued Mamasura and established righteousness and peace in all the three worlds.

LORD GANESH's AVATAR 8. DHOOMRAVARNA

Ganesh has a mouse as his mount in this incarnation or avatar.
His (Lord Ganesh) life mission in this incarnation or avatar was to defeat the demon Ahamkarasur, the demon of self-infatuation.

Once, Lord Brahma, the grand sire, bestowed on the Sun deity, the lordship over the 'world of activities' by Karma activities; and by virtue of my being the Lord of Karma Rajya, I can consider myself to be the supreme governor of all the worlds.

As this thought passed his mind, he happened to sneeze and out of the sneeze there arose a demon. He went to the world of Asuras or demons and Sukracharya gave him the name “Aham" because of his birth from the ego of Sun.

He meditated on Lord Ganesh, who appeared before him in the incarnation or avatar of Lord Dhumravarna(Smoke-Colored) and blessed him to be the sovereign ruler of all the three worlds.
Aham married "Mamata", daughter of Pramadasura, and begot two sons in her named Garva and Sreshta.

The Devas started meditating upon Lord Ganesh for salvation as they were tired of the demonic rule of Aham and wanted to get out of it.
The Lord(Ganesh) descended to their rescue-ere long, Lord Ganesh in the incarnation or avatar of Lord Dhoomravarna, subdued the demon Aham and thus released the three worlds from his rule.