Vinayagar Chaturthi dates vary from year to year, but it usually falls in August or September according to the Gregorian calendar. And this year, Vinayagar Chaturthi falls on Friday, September 10, 2021, and is regarded as one of Hinduism’s many prosperous days.
This is the birth anniversary of Lord Vinayagar, the god of wisdom, prosperity, and good fortune. Aside from that, do you know anything about the birth of the elephant-headed lord? Let’s learn more about it then!
The first legend opens something like this; if you’re a fan of Hindu Purana cartoons, you’ll recognise it.
Goddess Parvati created Lord Vinayagar out of turmeric paste from her body to protect her in the absence of Lord Shiva. She tasked him with keeping an eye on her bathroom door while she took a bath. Meanwhile, Lord Shiva, Parvati’s husband, returned home, and Vinayagar, who had no idea who Shiva was, stopped him.
This enraged Shiva, and after a dispute between the two, he stripped Vinayagar’s head off. When Parvati learned of this, she became furious. Lord Shiva, for his part, promised to bring Vinayagar back to life. The devas were sent to find a child’s head facing north, but all they found was an elephant’s head.
As a result, Shiva attached the elephant’s head to the child’s body, and Vinayagar was born. Lord Vinayagar not only received the head of an elephant, but he also received boons from the devas who were present there.
The other popular story is that the Devas requested Shiva and Parvati to create Vinayagar, in order for him to be a Vighnakarta (creator of obstacles) for rakshasas (demons), thus being a Vighnaharta (averter of obstacles) and helping Devas.
As previously stated, Lord Vinayagar is known as the God of wealth, sciences, knowledge, wisdom, and prosperity, and it is for this reason that most Hindus remember him and seek his blessings before beginning any important work. Hindus all over the world celebrate this festival with great devotion and joy for one or ten days, depending on their respective tradition and country.
On that note, we’d like to wish all Hindu readers a Blessed Vinayagar Chaturthi! May this Vinayagar Chaturthi bless you with a prosperous future and abundant success!
