subject: 32 Forms Of Ganesha [print this page] Every God in the Hindu mythology is believed to have different forms or incarnations or avatars. Every avatar symbolises something unique. Ganesha, the elephant-headed God, has displayed himself in 32 forms, each form having special powers and characteristic features. Two shaktis of Ganesha, Siddhi and Riddhi , are often depicted on images of the mighty Gods forms.
The 32 forms of Lord Ganesha are as follows:
1.Bala Ganapati
2.Taruna Ganapati
3.Bhakthi Ganapati
4.Vira Ganapati
5.Shakti Ganapati
6.Dwija Ganapati
7.Siddhi Ganapati
8.Ucchhishta Ganapati
9.Vighna Ganapati
10.Kshipra Ganapati
11.Heramba Ganapati
12.Lakshmi Ganapati
13.Maha Ganapati
14.Vijaya Ganapati
15.Nritya Ganapati
16.Urdhva Ganapati
17.Ekakshara Ganapati
18.Varada Ganapati
19.Tryakshara Ganapati
20.Kshipra Prasada Ganapati
21.Haridra Ganapati
22.Ekadanat Ganapti
23.Sristhi Ganapati
24.Uddanda Ganapati
25.Rinamochana Ganapati
26.Dhundhi Ganapati
27.Dwimukha Ganapati
28.Trimukha Ganapati
29.Sinha Ganapati
30.Yoga Ganapati
31.Durga Ganapati
32.Sankatahara Ganapati
Every avatar is depicted as a red, golden, blue or white image. The names of these 32 forms suggest what each of them symbolises. For example, Bala means child-like, Bhakti means devotion and Nritya means dance. To pin-point a few of these forms, Lakshmi Ganapati is the Giver of Success. While some say Ganesha was an unmarried bachelor, some others say that he was married to Siddhi (spiritual power) and Buddhi (intellectual power). But Lakshmi Ganapati has two consorts Saraswati, goddess of culture and arts and Lakshmi, goddess of luck and prosperity. Vighna Ganapati is the Lord of Obstacles. Destruction of obstacles for those who are on their way to glory is one of Ganeshas important tasks. On the other hand, Bhakti Ganapati is calm and very dear to his devotees. Hence, each name of Ganapati has a specific quality attached to it. From these 32 forms of Ganesha, we can observe that Ganesha switched from one form to another to show his greatness. From being a valiant warrior (Veera Ganapati) to fulfilling his duties as a protector of the weak (Heramba Ganapati) to enforcing Dharma (Uddanda Ganapati), Lord Ganesha has blessed us all with his magical incarnations.
Even though he was blessed with so many powers and incarnations, he did not misuse them. Instead, he always put them to good use. We should also try to absorb some of these qualities of Ganesha to become better human beings.
