According to Indian Hindu mythology the world is believed to be protected and maintained by Lord Vishnu who is seen as the preserver of life and order in the universe and it is said that every year Lord Vishnu goes into a long meditation in the deep ocean to rest and recharge his energy and during this sacred time when he is in deep meditation different gods and goddesses take his responsibilities and look after the world so that balance is not disturbed and life goes on smoothly and we humans continue to be blessed with divine protection and guidance and this is the reason why we celebrate different festivals during this period as a way to honor these deities and show our devotion and gratitude and when Navratri comes for nine days Goddess Durga is worshipped and she is believed to take care of the world with her power and motherly strength and we see those nine days as a time when she destroys negativity and fills our lives with strength courage and prosperity and soon after Navratri we remember our ancestors in the days of Shrad or Pitra Paksh because according to the belief our ancestral spirits also play an important role in guiding and protecting us and it is said that during this time they come close to us and shower their blessings if we honor them with prayers food and respect and after that we celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna during Janmashtami and people believe that in those days Lord Krishna himself watches over the world with his playful love and wisdom and then arrives the beautiful festival of Ganesh Chaturthi which is one of the most loved festivals in India because during these eleven days it is Lord Ganesha who is said to take the responsibility of the world on his shoulders and he blesses his devotees with wisdom prosperity and the removal of obstacles from their lives and that is why people bring the idol of Lord Ganesha into their homes and treat him like a most respected guest and a beloved family member and in those eleven days families and communities gather together they decorate the place where the idol is placed they sing bhajans and they perform aarti every morning and evening with deep devotion they prepare bhog and offer sweets to Ganesha especially his favorite modak which is believed to please him the most and this period becomes full of joy happiness music dance prayers and social bonding as everyone forgets their worries and comes together in devotion and celebration and as days pass the bond with the idol becomes very strong because Ganesha is seen as living with the family blessing them and protecting them and on the eleventh day comes the time of visarjan or pravah when the idol is taken in a procession to a river sea or pond and immersed in water and this is done with a very heavy heart because people feel that they are saying goodbye to a beloved guest who has stayed with them and blessed their home for eleven days but at the same time there is hope and faith that Ganesha will come again next year to bless them and that his energy and blessings will stay with them forever so the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi is not just about rituals it is about faith love and the belief that divine powers always take care of the world even when Lord Vishnu is in meditation and that we as human beings are never alone because gods ancestors and deities keep guiding and protecting us at different times through different festivals.

How close are we to Ganesha?

According to Hindu mythology the story of Lord Ganesha is very unique and full of meaning because it shows not only how he was created but also why he is worshipped as the remover of obstacles and the god of wisdom and knowledge and it is said that Goddess Parvati once wanted someone who could guard her while she bathed and for this purpose she created a young boy out of the sandalwood paste or from the dirt and skin of her body depending on the version of the story and this boy was none other than Ganesha in his human form and Parvati gave him life with her powers and told him that he should stand at the entrance and not let anyone in and while he stood guard Lord Shiva arrived who was returning home but Ganesha did not know who Shiva was and as he was following his mothers command he stopped Shiva from entering which made Shiva very angry because no one had ever stopped him before and after a heated fight Shiva in his rage cut off the head of little Ganesha and Parvati was deeply hurt and furious on seeing her son lifeless and she demanded that he be brought back to life and to calm her down Lord Shiva promised that Ganesha would be revived and the gods searched for a head to place on his body and finally they found the head of a baby elephant and fixed it on the lifeless body of Ganesha and thus he was reborn with an elephant head under rather unusual and somewhat amusing circumstances and after this Lord Brahma and other gods came forward and blessed the child with many divine boons and ashirwad and it was declared that Ganesha would be known as the god of wisdom knowledge and intellect and he would be worshipped first before the start of any puja or divine activity because without his blessings no task would succeed and from that time onwards it became a tradition that every important ritual ceremony or festival begins with prayers to Lord Ganesha first and then to other deities and this is why he is called Vighnaharta the remover of all obstacles and people lovingly pray to him before beginning something new in their lives whether it is a journey a marriage a business or any important step and in honor of his greatness Hindus celebrate the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi which is both holy and joyous because during this time devotees bring idols of Lord Ganesha into their homes or community pandals and worship him for several days offering prayers sweets flowers and singing bhajans and every morning and evening aarti is performed to honor him and his favorite sweet modak is offered as bhog and the entire atmosphere becomes filled with joy devotion and unity as families neighbors and friends gather together to celebrate and it is not only a festival but also a time of deep emotions and sentiments because people feel very close to Ganesha as if he is a part of their family and they share their happiness and sorrows with him during his stay and when the final day of immersion or visarjan comes the hearts of devotees become heavy because they have to bid farewell to the beloved god who lived with them for those days blessing and protecting them but they let go with the faith that he will return again the next year with more blessings and joy and this mixture of devotion faith celebration and farewell makes Ganesh Chaturthi one of the most emotional and meaningful festivals in Hindu tradition and it reminds us that wisdom humility and faith are the greatest strengths in life.

How to celebrate safely?

Festivals are meant to bring people closer to faith and goodness but in today’s time many of us forget the true value of festivals and get lost only in the grand celebrations without thinking about the meaning behind them and this is happening with Ganesh Chaturthi also because instead of remembering Lord Ganesha with purity respect and devotion people often make it only about show off loud music big decorations and large gatherings and the sad truth is that sometimes the way idols are immersed becomes a big insult to the god because many people throw the idols into dirty rivers or lakes without care or respect and leave them broken or floating in polluted water which not only harms nature but also disrespects the very deity they came to honor and what started as a festival of faith knowledge and wisdom is turning into a competition of who has the biggest pandal who has the loudest music and who can spend the most money on decorations while the core values of simplicity humility and devotion are forgotten and if we think about it Lord Ganesha is the god of wisdom and remover of obstacles and he surely does not want us to create new problems for the environment or disturb others with unnecessary noise instead he would want us to pray with honesty to live with kindness and to celebrate with care so that everyone feels peace and joy during this time and this means that the right way to celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi is to bring the idol home or into a community in a simple yet clean way to perform daily aarti bhajans and offer his favorite sweets with love and then to immerse the idol with full respect in clean water or even choose eco friendly idols which dissolve without harming nature and we should understand that festivals are not meant for proving our wealth or power but for reminding us of values like faith unity humility and gratitude and if each of us celebrates with true respect by controlling the noise by keeping the environment clean by avoiding waste and by spreading love then Ganesh Chaturthi will once again become what it was meant to be a holy and joyous period full of real devotion rather than blind celebration and in this way we will not only honor Lord Ganesha properly but also pass down to future generations the right spirit of how festivals should be lived with meaning respect and purity of heart.

"True devotion is not just in loud celebrations, but in respect for nature, community, and tradition."

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