GANESHA

He has four hands. In one hand he holds the noose to capture and retain obstacles or difficulties; in another, he has a goad to guide the worshipper in the right direction, by removing his obstacles; in the third, he keeps a modaka, a sweet dish, representing the fruit of devotion; With the fourth hand, he blesses his devotees.

His right tusk is broken and it denotes personal sacrifice to achieve greater things. He rides a mouse. It is the mouse that carries Ganesha’s grace to every nook and corner, moving silently, seldom visible in the darkness, which influences our lives. He is the creator of obstacles, if one is going in the wrong direction. He is also the remover of those obstacles. Accordingly, all Hindu functions and rituals always commence with an invocation and puja to Lord Ganesha. In this role he is called VIGNESHWARA.
 

Temple Events

NEW! View our real-time calendar of events and programs. Powered by Google Calendar, you can now view upcoming events from anywhere, sync to Microsoft Outlook and Apple iCal, and get reminders right on your mobile phone.

Sanskrit: More Information

Sanskrit is the sacred language of Hinduism, much as Latin is the sacred language of Roman Catholicism. Like Latin, Sanskrit is a very old language that is no longer widely spoken, except by some orthodox priestly families. In South India, Tamil ranks alongside Sanskrit in importance as the language of religion.

History and Hinduism

For most of the last 2,000 years, the Judeo-Christian-Islamic traditions have taught that our world started quite recently (around 4000 BCE) and will come to a complete end when God stopes the flow of time and establishes us in eternity. Hindus don't believe this. In 4000 BCE, their culture was already ancient.

Hindu History: Vyasa

Vyasa, who compiled the four Vedas into their current format, is also credited with writing the Mahabharata, a book four times the length of the Christian Bible, and the 18 Puranas, many of which are over four hundred pages long. Cooler heads believe that although there probably was an original Vyasa involved in collecting the Vedas, his name was later applied to other men and women who authored or edited voluminous sacred texts.

Donate

You can assist the Birmingham Hindu Temple with our numerous educational, cultural and service programs through easy, online donations. Your generous donation of any amount is greatly appreciated.