Re: Vinayaka Puja

From the Bhakti List Archives

• June 13, 2000


In a message dated 6/13/00 12:22:57 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
bhakti-list@egroups.com writes:

Sriman Mysore Srikanth wrote:

<< Due to continuous influence of kannadigas
 
 and their cultures, they celebrated vinayaka pooja as well as
 
 gaNapathi pooja, perhaps in their attempt to find oneness and hence
 
 stability in their state of domicile >>

Couple of points:

vinayaka and gaNapathi are same.
gaNapathi is worshipped in other States of India, including Tamil Nadu
(not by just Kannadigas).
We have been Mysore Iyengars for several generations. My  grand father's 
grand father (Sri Raghunatha Tatachar) moved to Mysore area (on Mysore 
Maharaja's
support). Sri Raghunatha Tatachar's (RT) great grand daughters son is Sri 
Ranga Guru of Hedatale, the founder of Ashtanga yoga vignana mandira, which 
Sri Ranga priya swami is currently heading. Sri RT's great grandson's son is 
my father.
We have never worshipped Vinayaka or gaNapathi. Growing up in Bangalore,
where the Ganesha festival is quite common and nearly everyone celebrated, we
never ever had Ganesha festival in our house. We are quite much assimilated
in Karnataka. We used to visit friends and strangers house to view Ganesha
but never celebrated the festival in any fashion in our house. So the two are 
not
mutually necessary. Kannadigas (of old Mysore, the area we are used to) are 
among the most hospitable  and accopmodating  people. Perhaps would be 
insulted, if someone did something just to please them. People have lived for 
generations, without having to speak or learn Kannada, if they did not want 
to.  However, as Mr Srikanth pointed out, we are more familiar with Kannada 
than Tamil. This is of our own choice and not forced on us. This is less 
likely in almosy any other part of India.

Daasan,

Koti Sreekrishna Tatachar



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