Epithets of Ganesha

[gira...@juno.com]

Sept 4, 2011

 

Respected Scholars, Namaskar!

 

Epithets of Ganesha

 

 

This is the time of festival of Ganesha. Genesha is called Heramba. Is there any reason for that? Heramba means a buffalo, a boastful hero. I do not see any connection to Ganesha?

Am I missing something here?

 

Ganesha is also called ढु॑ढि (राज) What is the meaning of this epithet ? I also come across name धु॑डि (राज).Please let me know the correct spelling between the two names along with its meaning. Thanks. N. R. Joshi.

 

 

 

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[S P Narang]

Has Ganesh Cult any relation to ancient Indian trade? the epithets Gana and vinayaka indicate to that. Please shed light. Regards, spnarang --- On Sun, 9/4/11, gira...@juno.com <gira...@juno.com> wrote:

-- अथ चेत्त्वमिमं धर्म्यं संग्रामं न करिष्यसि। ततः स्वधर्मं कीर्तिं च हित्वा पापमवाप्स्यसि।। तस्मादुत्तिष्ठ कौन्तेय युद्धाय कृतनिश्चयः। निराशीर्निर्ममो भूत्वा युध्यस्व विगतज्वरः।। (भ.गी.)

[iragavarapu narasimhacharya]

प्रियविद्वत्सुहृदः,

सादरम्प्रणम्य। "हेरम्ब"शब्दस्य विवरणमेवमस्त्यमरसिंहस्य नामलिङ्गानुशासने।"हे=रुद्रसमीपे;रम्बते=तिष्ठती"ति हेरम्बः।"ऋ=गतौ"। "हेरते"=वर्धयति,भक्तानिति वा।"हे=वृद्धौ"।"विनायको विघ्नराज द्वैमातुर गणाधिपाः।अप्येकदन्त हेरम्ब लम्बोदरगजाननाः॥"इत्यमरः।

२) परवस्तु श्रीनिवासाचार्यमहोदयैः विरचित "सर्वशब्दसम्बोधिनी"नामक निघण्टौ तु एवमस्ति।"हेरम्ब"इत्यस्य चत्वारोऽर्थास्सन्ति।१.गणेशः।२.महिषः।३.शौर्यगर्वितः।४.बुद्धविशेषः।"हेरम्बजननी"=दुर्गा।"हेरम्बहट्टः"=देशविशेषः।इति।

अभिवाद्य,

ऐविनाचार्यः।

2011/9/4 gira...@juno.com <gira...@juno.com>

--

[narayanan er]

हः।  पुं०। शिवः। जलम्। शून्यम्। धारणम्। मङ्गलम्। गगनम्। नकुलीशः। रक्तम्। स्वर्गः। इति मेदिनी॥ 
पापहरणम्। चन्द्रः। इति शब्दरत्नावली॥
सकोपवारणः। शुष्कः। इत्येकाक्षरकोषः॥

हेरम्बः।  पुं०। हे  शिवे रम्बते इति।
रम्बते। रबि शब्दे । आत्मनेपदम्। इदित्वान्नुम्।  पचाद्यच्।
गणेशः। इत्यमरः। १। १। ४१॥

हेरम्बः।  पुं०। जले रम्बते इति।
महिषः।  शौर्यगर्वितः। इति मेदिनी।

ढुण्ढिः।  पुं० । ढुढ्यतेऽन्विष्यतेऽसौ भक्तैरिति। ढुढि अन्वेषणे । इदित्वान्नुम्।  इन्। गणेशः।

 

Regards,
Narayanan

---

From: "gira...@juno.com" <gira...@juno.com>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sun, 4 September, 2011 8:49:45 AM

Subject: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Epithets of Ganesha

[Dr. Yadu Moharir]

Namaste:

I think Dr. Narayan Joshi is looking at the connection between "hera.mba" and "GaNesha".

I have come across a reference from  Skanda puraana (3.2.12.20-21), which  states that gajaasura, the Son mahiShaasura (slain by the goddess Durga) as the source for head.  This also establishes demonic (asuraa) lineage of vinaayaka.

(REQUEST: Can some one confirm the above quoted reference as it has obtained from a secondary source and I  have not been able to confirm from the original text.).

This establishes the link between hera.mba and gaNesha.  The name "dvaimaatura" (having two mothers) is also an important clue. GaNeha being a-yonika has two motheres (1) paarvati (2) Shjiva who attaches a new head and brings him to life.

Another interesting clue comes from Vaamana puraaNa that whjere Shiva explains the derivation of term "vinaayaka" to paarvati.

naauakeNa vinaa devi tava bhuuto.api putrakaH|
yasmaajjaatastato naamnaa bhaviShyati vinaayakaH || vaamana puraaNa 28. 71-72||

ShrividyaarNavatantra furnishes following details regarding how to prepare hera.mba statue.

1. It must have five head decorated with pearls.

2. It must be depicted as chandra-kalaa-dhara.

3. He is supposed to be riding a lion.

4. He must have ten hands.  Eight of them hold (trishuula, a.nkusha, aksha-maalaa, mudgala, muNDa, T.nka, and remaining two portrays abhaya and daana mudraa).

The Kumarasvaami (kaartikeya) temple near Sondura in Karnataka there is a hera.mba statue.

Hope this helps,

Best regards,

Dr. Yadu

---

From: iragavarapu narasimhacharya <insac...@gmail.com>
To: bvpar...@googlegroups.com
Sent: Sunday, September 4, 2011 9:27 PM
Subject: Re: {भारतीयविद्वत्परिषत्} Epithets of Ganesha

[Dr. Yadu Moharir]

Please read " GaNeha being a-yonika has two motheres (1) paarvati (2) Shjiva"

as

GaNeha being a-yonijaka having two motheres (1) paarvati (2) Shiva

Apologies

---

From: Dr. Yadu Moharir <ymoh...@yahoo.com>
To: "bvpar...@googlegroups.com" <bvpar...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Monday, September 5, 2011 7:23 AM

[hnbhat B.R.]

Thanks all for giving suitable meaning and epithets applicable to Lord Ganesh.

The traditional etymologists offer different ones as I have collected below:

हे = शिवसमीपे, रणे वा, रम्बते इति हेरम्बः;

"हः शंकरे हरौ हंसे रणरोमाञ्चवाजिषु" इति नानार्थरत्नमाला; 

हः = Shiva, Hari (Vishnu or Lion), Swan, fighting,  erection of hairs (thrilling), horse. Any meaning applicable can be taken in the context. Choice is yours.

It is possible that lion and elephants are mutually enemies as found often described in Sanskrit literature and hence on seeing Ganesha his face being that of an elephant, would produce great sound on seeing Hari (the lion).

One more lexicon for ह -

हः शिवे सलिले शून्ये धारणे मङ्गलेऽपि च।

गगने नकुलीशे च रक्ते नाके च वर्ण्यते॥ इति मेदिनी

Some more addition to the meaning of ह.

हिरते = वर्धयति स्तोतॄन् इति हेरम्बः; "हिर वृद्धौ" + म्ब

हे (इति) रम्बते = शब्दायते वा हेरम्बः।

Some  consider this like देशी without any derivation denoting Ganesha (which is rationalistic approach, than inventing any sort of derivation to get the form) = देशीपदप्रायं मन्महे according to some remark in a commentary. क्षीरस्वामी

Really he is a linguist with modern view. He considers it is borrowed from regional languages. According to Mani, there were a tribal people in South India, called हेरम्ब-s inhabitants of हेरम्बक. on the authority of Mahabharata. SabhaParva Ch.31.13.(Gita Press Edn).

प्रत्यूषे हे रम्बते = शब्दायते वा हेरम्बः। इति नैरुक्ता:; देशीपदप्रायं मन्महे। 

One episode is alluded to that between the child play, Ganesha squeezing all the heads of Kartikeya with his trunk, hid under the bead-stead hanging on it. Out of severe paid, he shouted, हे तात, , विनायकः, मां प्रहृत्य मञ्चेर(ल)म्बते = लम्बते इति  . Thereafter he was called हेरम्ब। 

The above is the version of ब्रह्माण्डपुराण.

Free etymology: हेरम्बशब्दं करोतीति वा (हे अम्ब इति शब्दं) करोति; or हे इति रम्बते  = शब्दायते - हेरम्बः।

In the opinion of Kshiraswamy, it is loan word from Desi languages (Vernacular) and the same is confirmed by V Mani in his Puranic Encyclopedia referring to a native southern region as .Heramba-hatta referred to in Mahabharata.(was not able to check the edition). Etymological meaning is one thing and the conventional meaning is another thing. Both co-relate sometime in some words. But could not expect them directly follow and attach denotation. It is a commonly accepted view among traditional grammarians as maxim : व्युत्पत्तिनिमित्तमन्यत्, प्रवृत्तिनिमित्तमन्यत्". This view has been examined in Nirukta, while examining the view of 22 जुलाई 2009 – 

तत्र नामान्याख्यातजानीति शाकटायनो नैरुक्तसमयश्च ।  न सर्वाणीति गार्ग्यो, वैयाकरणानाञ्चैके । - निरुक्तम् अ1.12

There is one Herambopanishat too (may be of later origin if common chronology can be applied, but not if Vedic Literature are taken as without origin "anaadi" or "pravaahanitya") which enumerates the popular names along with it.

The Vinayaka- class of retinue of Shiva are referred to in plural number too. The epithet द्वैमातुर denotes जरासन्ध and गणेश also. So Heramba may have more than one referents to signify by etymology according to other norms of mythology rather than etymology.

--
Dr. Hari Narayana Bhat B.R. M.A., Ph.D.,
Research Scholar,

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