My Actifit Report Card: September 09 2022

Today my activity report was +10.3k steps. It's included daily activity and walking.

Ganesh Chaturthi

Image Source : my Samsung M31s

Let’s get started.

Legend After Legend – The Birth

Image Source : my Samsung M31s

Ganesha’s birthday is steeped in legend after legend. Each story touches upon a different aspect of his godly personality. In popular mythology, Ganesha is considered to be the son of Shiva and Parvati, and brother of Skanda. However, the Puranic myths tell a different tale. Some say he was created by Shiva, others by Parvati.

One of the most popular iterations of his birth is from Parvati. The goddess wanted to bathe and did not want to be disturbed. Since, Nandi was not there to stand guard, Parvati took the turmeric paste she used for bathing and fashioned a young boy from it. She breathed life into it, and thus Ganesha was born. However, when Shiva wanted to see his wife, Ganesha would not let him pass until Parvati was done. Sensing that this was no ordinary guard, Shiva decapitated the boy’s head. When Parvati heard of this, she was enraged. She would only be pacified if the boy was brought back to life and if he was worshipped as a God. Shiva agreed to her conditions and sent his Shiva-dutas out to bring the head of the closest deceased creature, with its head pointing north. They returned with the head of the powerful elephant Gajasura, which was placed on the boy’s body. Brahma breathed new life into him and declared him a God before all
There are many versions of this birth story. Some only refer to Shiva, while others speak of Parvati’s yearning for a son. Each is diverse and fascinating, adding to the legend of Ganesha and his powers.

Devotion, Celebration And Immersion – The Rituals

Ganesh Chaturthi includes 4 distinct rituals –
Pranapratishhtha,
Shhodashopachara,
Uttarpuja,
Ganpati Visarjan.

Image Source : my Samsung M31s

Pranaprathishhtha,

the idol of Ganesha is created. The devotees then place the idol on a pandal or in their home. Devotees pray, perform musical concerts and sing devotional songs to the idol.

During Shhodashopachara,

16 types of prayers are performed, including decorating the idol with flowers and offering sweets.

Image Source : my Samsung M31s

The third phase – Uttarpuja

takes place right before the immersion. The deity is taken from the home or pandal and is prepared for the water.

Image Source : my Samsung M31s

The final ritual is Visarjan,

where the idol is immersed in the sea. It is said that Ganesha wrote the Mahabharat (one of India’s great epics) as Sage Vyasa narrated it to him. When he ran out of writing materials, he broke his tusk and continued to write with it. The writing process went on for 10 days (the length of the festival). Once that was done, clay was applied all over Ganesha’s body, and he was taken for a bath in the river. On the 11th day, Ganesha is thus immersed in water. This ritual is a reminder of Ganesha’s incredible intelligence – one that is boundless and formless just like the water. It also signifies that nothing is permanent.

With each legend attached to Ganesha, there are multiple interpretations, different layers and meanings to unpack. Each has a significance, which you’ll see in the different ways in which people celebrate the festival.

This report was published via Actifit app (Android | iOS). Check out the original version here on actifit.io

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Height 160 cm		Weight 68 kg		Body Fat %
Waist 36 cm		Thighs cm		Chest cm