‘‘onkarashcharth shabdashch, dvavetau brahmanah pura. kanthan bhitva viniryarto, tasma manglika vurbho ..’’ ganpti-pujan ki vishishtata yah hai ki unke pujan men unki pratima ka hona avashyak nahin hai. mitti ke tukre ya supari par kachche rangin dhage (kalave) lapet kar rakh dene se bhi ganpti ki murti ka bodh hota hai aur use ganesh ji ka pratik man liya jata hai . ganesh-pujan ki parampara pratik-purak hai. mangl-kalash par ‘svastik’ chihn bhi isi parampara ke antargat banaya jata hai. svastik bhi ganesh ji ka hi pratik hai. iski char bhujaen ganesh ji ki bhujaon ke sadrish mani gai hain. ise chaturbhuj bhi kahte hain. ganesh ji ki sarvapratham charcha hamen rigved ke mantra (2-31-1) se prapt hoti hai. aj bhi ganesh-pujan prayah isi mantra se prarambh hota hai - ‘‘un gananantva ganpti havamhe, kavi kavita mup shravastam . jyeshth rajan brahmanan brahmanaspat, a nah shrrivvannutithiah sid sadhvam ..’’
is mantra men ganesh ji ke lie ganpti shabd ka prayog hua hai. ved-mantron men ganesh ji ko ‘ganpti’ ya ‘brahmanaspati’ namon se hi sambodhan mila hai. ‘brahmanaspati’ ka ek lakshyarth brihaspati se bhi hai- jo dev-guru tatha vivek aur gyan ke devta hain. sanbhvtah ganesh ji ke lie ‘brahmanaspati’ shabd ka prayog mantrasrishta rishi ne unke vivek aur unki manisha ke sandarbh men kiya ho, kintu ganpti shabd ganon ke pati (nayk) arth men hi prayog hai. ‘gan’ dhatu vyakaran men samuh-vachak hai jisse lok prachlit ‘gan’ shabd bana hai. atah gan ka samanya arth samuh ya samuday hi hota hai. ganesh ji ke vishay men ‘gan’ devsmuh ka dyotak hai, jiske ve adhipti arthat svami hain. ganesh ji ka svarup bhi anya sabhi devi-devtaon se bhinn aur vishisht hai. bahya-akriti men unka mukh to gaj (hathi) ka hai, kintu kanth ke niche ka bhag manushya-yoni ka hai. isilie unko gajanan, gajmukh adi namon se bhi abhihit kiya gaya hai.
unki akriti gajanar ki anuthi samanvit srishti hai. ‘gaj’ shabd brahm vachak hai kyonki ‘ga’ varn ki vyutpatti-samadhino yogino yatra gachchantiti g,’’ arthat samadhi ke dvara yogi-jan jise prapt karte hain- vah ‘ga’ hai tatha yah jagat jisse utpann hota hai vah ‘ja’ hai - ‘‘yasmad bimb pratibimb tatha pranvatmak jagajjayte iti jah.’’ vishva karan hone se vah brahm ‘gaj’ kahlata hai. shri ganesh shabd ka shabdik-arth bhi vichitra hai- ‘ga’ arthat gyani, ismen agnitatva bhi asat maujud hai jo vishva shakti rup hai. ‘na’ se abhipray vani se hai. ishvar (ish) ke ye donon ‘ga’ aur ‘na’ isht hain. isilie unke sath sadaiv matri-svarupa dhan aur samriddhi ki adhishthatri ‘shri’ (lakshmi ji) virajti hain. shakti varenya hai, kintu shakti ke upyog ki disha hi shakti ke mahatva ko rupayit karti hai. yahi karan hai, ki ganesh ji ka pujan sansar ki donon mahatvapurn shaktiyon ‘‘sarasvati’’ aur ‘‘lakshmi’’ donon ke sath kiya jata hai.
vani ki shakti jansamanya ke manglarth ki srishti karen- anyatha vah vidhvansak hogi, isilie vani ke sath vinayak (vivek) ki vandana anivarya hai. gosvami ji ne apne amar granth ramchritmanas ki rachna prarambh karte samay vani ke vinayk-yut rup ki vandana ki thi- ‘‘manglanam ch katrtaron, vande vani vinayko’’. dusri or lakshmi ji ki shakti manv-kalyan rup ko adarsh manakar bhartiya parampara men ‘ganesh-lakshmi’ ke pujn-rup men lok-prachlit hai. vivekhin mastishk se lakshmi ka prayog mangal ki srishti nahin kar sakta. is prakar ganesh ji shaktiyon ke sanchalak bhi hain aur niyantrak bhi. adi dev rup men unke pujan ki parampara apne virat-arth men jan-chetna se avibhajya rup se samprikt hai. ganesh ji ki utpatti ke sambandh men kai prakar ki kathaen lok-manas men vikhyat hain. ‘brahmavaivartapuran’ ke anusar ganesh ji ke janm ke samay hi shani ki vakradrishti parne se unka sir kat gaya.
is par vishnu ne ek hathi ka sir kat kar unke dhar par jor diya aur tabhi se unka nam ‘gajann’ para. ‘ganesh puran’ ke anusar mata parvati snan karne ja rahi thin- unhonne apne kaksh tak kisi ko bhi n ane dene ke lie ek mitti ke balak ki rachna ki aur use jivan dekar pahredar bana diya. parvati-pati bhagvan shiv aye, antahpur ki or jane lage- pahredar balak ne toka-shiv ko krodh aya aur unhonne uska mastak kat dala. man parvati ko jab gyat hua ki unke putra ka shiv ji ke dvara vadh hua hai- to unhonne duahkhi hokar bhagvan shankar se prarthana ki ki ve use punah jivan dan den- shiv ji ne prayashchit karte hue ek gajmukh ko us balak ke sharir par jor diya.
shiv parivar men ganesh ji ka vishisht sthan hai, unke agraj kartikey devsena ke senapti hain aur ve svayan devon ke adhishthata arthat ‘nitinirdhark’ hain. ganesh ji vivek ke devta hain- shaurya ke sanvahak hain. unka kala-premi svabhav unke vyaktitva ke vishisht ayam ka dyotak hai, sarjak rup prernaspad hai. ganpti mangal ke vidhayak hain. ve vivek ke pratik hain- vivek arthat karniya aur akrniya ki bhedak drishti. buddhi to pashu men bhi hai, par vivek jo buddhi ka parishkrit rup hai, manushya ki apni thati hai. vivek hi karm ko adhomukhi hone se bachakar udhrvamukhi gati deta hai. karm ko mangal ke hetu samarpit karne ka shrey vivek ko hi hai. atah vivek ke adhishthata ganesh ji ko pujan men tatha jivan men bhi sadaiv sarvapratham smaran karna hi abhisht aur varenya hai.