Just take a look around, at any house, any city, and any country. You will come across similar people, leading similar lives and sharing the same set of four problems – health, finances, relationships and emotions. This is what spells a man in kaliyug. His deepest concerns do not go beyond an out-of-shape body, a chronic illness, loss in business, unsatisfactory vocation, marital discord, parental problem or an emotional void. The real problem however, is not these four issues. It is rooted in selfishness.
Selfishness has veiled the vision of man. The man of kaliyug sees everything from the point of view of what can he get out of it. His business mindset has not even spared the energy world; there too he attempts to strike a profitable deal. Ganesh is seen as an elephant, worshipping whom, will rid you of your problems and bring in material comforts. Likewise every house, every office, every vehicle today sports an idol of Ganesh.
Let me tell you, Ganesh is not an elephant and elephant-worship will take you nowhere. Ganesh is the lord of physical creation; the gatekeeper to subtler dimensions. In this heyday of negativity, he is entrusted with the task of letting in, only a true seeker and keeping out selfish people, by engaging them in material pursuits. So the only way to access the energy of Ganesh is through selflessness, and that will rid you of your problems on its own.
When I ask people to turn from selfishness to selflessness, nobody understands. Their senses do not let them understand. Limited by the sensory pleasures, they are unable to think beyond. It is same as the case of a little girl…no matter how much you tell her to leave her doll, that there are far greater pleasures in the world, she refuses to part with it. It’s only when her mental growth takes place that she goes for other pleasures and leaves the doll.
You must understand that the Creation is not run on selfishness. Sun gives away heat and light, rivers distribute water, winds blow, earth bears plants and animals. Nothing is stagnant, nothing is stationary, and nothing is for the individual self. Everything exists to aid the Creation. Any individual who goes against the Creation, leading his/her life centered in selfishness is bound to face the earlier mentioned four problems in a major way. The only way out is Yoga in the sanidhya of Guru. Dancing on your head, twisting and turning is not yoga. Yoga is this change from selfishness to selflessness and that too naturally.
When you go searching for a Guru, first, you must assess why are you searching for one. If it is to cure you of an illness, consult a doctor or vaid. If it is to resolve financial troubles, visit a financial consultant. If you are looking to mend relationships, go to a counsellor. If you are emotionally disturbed, approach a psychologist. To look for a Yoga Guru to resolve these four problems is almost like trying to generate nuclear energy, just to light a bulb. You will be wasting your time. Look for a Guru only if you intend to aid the positive forces in the Creation.
Ganesh Chaturthi is the day when the energy of Ganesh is most easily accessible to human beings. It falls on the fourth day of the waxing moon (shukla paksha) of bhadrapad. It is a very powerful day and must be devoted to the higher practices of Yoga and Sanatan Kriya. A havan done on this day under the guidance of Guru to aid the Creation and for general good, enables one to access the energy of Ganesh; opening the doors to the subtler dimensions and to realizing your hidden potential for growth with preserving the real world.
