One of the most celebrated festivals in India, particularly in the state of Maharashtra and some parts of Gujarat and South India is Ganesh Chaturthi. The festival began to be observed after the Maratha Empire was established by Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj in the 16th century. Later, when India came under the British Raj, until the year 1893, Ganesh Chaturthi was limited to individual homes, as the British law prohibited public and social gatherings. It was Bal Gangadhar Tilak, the then nationalist leader and social reformer, who revived the spirit of this festival and brought it back to the streets and made it a public event again. The 10-day festival will begin this year on September 13 and end on September 23.

Lord Ganesha may be looked upon as a symbol of Earth and Nature, if one goes to recall the story that is linked with His birth. Goddess Parvati in Hindu Mythology with her divine will, had created her son, with mud from the ground, had given life to it and later he was named ‘Ganesha’. Today, when this festival is celebrated by installing idols of Ganesha at home, invariably non-biodegradable and hazardous materials like Thermocol and Plaster of Paris are used that are not only harmful to the natural environment but also blocks the flow of cosmic energy in our homes and surroundings. Saral Vaastu strongly advocates the use of natural materials and colours for celebrating this festival. Natural materials like clay, papier mache, organic fertilizers or red soil containing plant seed should be used instead of hazardous synthetic materials like plastic. We should celebrate the festival in such a way that it does not impact our environment. The use of synthetic materials disturbs the harmony of our homes and surroundings with the nature and the cosmos. As per Saral Vaastu that is based on the concept of Saral Energy if we live in harmony with nature and in sync with the cosmic energy, we are able to attract the abundance in the universe in the form of happiness, peace, prosperity and success in all our life spheres.

The festive season of Ganesh Chaturthi is an ideal time to embody some of the divine characteristics of Lord Ganesha in our life! One of his most adorable divine characteristic is being humble and respectful to every creature no matter how weak or powerful it is. The vehicle of Lord Ganesha has always been a small mouse that shows his respect for smallest of creatures. We can embrace His divine quality of being humble always, no matter how elevated position we reach in life.

So, on this festive occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi, we can invoke the divine grace of Lord Ganesha by celebrating it in harmony with nature. Not only this, we can get His divine blessings and lay the foundation of our Manava Abhivruddhi, by embodying His divine qualities in our life!

!! Ganapati Bappa Morya !!