OM - Aum and Ganesh

• Ganesha is identified with the Hindu mantra Aum or Om. The term -Om is in "his" form), when identified with Ganesha, refers to the notion that he personifies the primal sound. The
• Ganapathi Atharvashirsa attests to this association, which refers to as under (O Lord Ganapati!) You are (the Trinity) Brahma Vishnu and Maheswara. You are Indra andYou are Agni and You are the sun and the moon You are (the three worlds) Bhuloka [earth],Antariksha-loka [space], and Swargaloka [heaven]. You are Om. (That is to say, You are allthis).Some devotees see similarities between the shape of Ganesha's body in iconography and the shape of Aum in the Devanagari and Tamil scripts.

• It is said that Ganesha was born when the eternal couple contemplated on AUM. If you view Lord Ganesha sideways, then you will see the symbol AUM in sanskrit. That's why Ganesha is called Aumkara and worshipped first. AUM is Pranava. What is meant by Pranava?(Pra is short for prakriti and navam means excellent boat) That is, AUM is the way to cross the ocean of worldly existence.

 

• Look at the image on top. Lord Ganesha is both within form and beyond form. As "within form", He is most commonly depicted as a strange composite of elephant and man, generally mounted on a mouse with four arms. However as "beyond form" He represents the Pranava (AUM) which is the symbol of the Supreme Self. If you view Lord Ganesha sideways as shown above, you will see the symbol "AUM" in Sanskrit. That's why Ganesha is called "Aumkara" and worshiped first by all Hindus regardless of their belief in God with form or without form.

• Taitiriya Upanishad (1.8.1.) states: "AUM ITI BRAHMAN -AUM is God”. This further explains the practice of invoking Lord Ganesha before beginning any rite or undertaking any project.