II    Om Shri Ganeshaya Namah  II

Lord Ganesha

It is once again Ganesh Chaturthi

A very special time for Lord Ganapathy

Devotees bring Him home with great fanfare

He is Vignaharata- the Lord who takes care

Of your troubles and obstacles –It is good to have His Grace

He is Gajanana - the Lord with the elephant face

He is short, fat and huge bellied

He is very wise and looks very jolly

Based on Sage Vyasa ‘s dictation  He wrote the Mahabharata

The son of Parvati – He is known as Gaurisuta or Umaputra

He is Lambakarna- the Lord with large ears

He is there with you; therefore cast away all your fears

His name is also Bhalchandra-the Lord with the crest of the moon

If you pray to Him sincerely, your troubles will end soon

He has a curved trunk and a single tusk

His vahana (vehicle) is the mouse from dawn to dusk

He loves laddoos  and can’t resist the Modak

He crushed Kubera’s pride and ego to mere dust

He is the Lord with a thousand names

Reciting them daily will give you wealth, name and fame

We bow down to Lord Ganesha before we begin anything auspicious

In Maharashtra, Vinayak Chaturthi is the main festival which is very religious

After Ganesh Chaturthi devotees bid him a great farewell

While some immerse him in the sea, the others in ponds and wells

The enthusiastic crowds dance and sing till they are hoarse

Come again soon next year dear Ganesha to my house

 -Deepa S Aiyar