Ga?e?a
Gaṇeśa (Skt., ‘Lord of the hosts’). Gaṇapati, Vināyaka (leader), Ekadanta (one-tusked), Lambodara (pot-bellied), Siddhadāta (the one who gives success), Vighnarāja (lord of obstacles), the elephant-headed god of wisdom and good fortune. Since early medieval times Gaṇeśa has been one of the most popular Hindu gods. He is invoked before all undertakings—from religious ceremonies (excluding funerals) to written compositions, and before the worship of other deities. Though his origins may be that of a tutelary village deity, today all sects claim him as their own. A few sectarians worship him exclusively, especially the Gāṇapatyas who produced the Gaṇeśa-gītā (a version of the Bhagavad-gītā in which Gaṇeśa replaces Kṛṣṇa) and the Gaṇeśa-Purāṇa.
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Ga?e?a
