Ganesha is also described as Omkara or Aumkara, that is having the form of Om. The shape of his body is a copy of the outline of the Devanagari letter which indicates the celebrated Bija Mantra. For this reason, Ganesha is considered the bodily incarnation of the entire Cosmos, He who is at the base of all of the phenomenal world ( Vishvadhara, Jagadoddhara). Moreover, in the Tamil language, the sacred syllable is indicated precisely by a character which recalls the shape of the elephant's head of Ganesha.
Every element of the body of Ganesha has its own value and its own significance. His four arms represent the four inner attributes of the subtle body, that is: mind ( Manas), intellect ( Buddhi), ego ( Ahamkara), and conditioned conscience ( Chitta). Lord Ganesha represents the pure consciousness - the Atman - which enables these four attributes to function in us;
The hand waving an axe, is a symbol of the retrenchment of all desires, bearers of pain and suffering. With this axe Ganesha can both strike and repel obstacles. The axe is also to prod man to the path of righteousness and truth;
The second hand holds a whip, symbol of the force that ties the devout person to the eternal beatitude of God. The whip conveys that worldly attachments and desires should be rid of;
The third hand, turned towards the devotee, is in a pose of blessing, refuge and protection ( abhaya);
The fourth hand holds a lotus flower ( padma), and it symbolizes the highest goal of human evolution, the sweetness of the realised inner self.
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