lord ganesha is known by other names as well like ganapati,gajanana,vinayaka and vighesvara.gajanana means elephant face.gaja means elephant and anana means face.vighnesvara is the lord of obstacle,worshipped in the commerncement of hindu rituals and ceremonies.the first step in spiritual education is saravana which means listening to the eternal truths of vedanta.the second is manana which is self determining manifestion upon those truth.om sri maha ganapataye namaha means om is recited to invoke pure supreme vibrations.sri=title of respect.maha=great.ganapataye=name of the god.namaha=i bow[act of surrender].benefit:to remove obstacles and bestow success.one leg folded up and one resting on the ground.this indicate one aspect of us should deal with world and the other is focus upon the supreme.the trunk of an elephant has the unique capasity of performing both gross and subtle operation,which can not be done by any instrument.the trunk has the capacity to up root a tree and pick up a needle from the ground,so does ganesha"s intellect penerate the matrial and the spiritual world.this is the state that man need to achieve.modaka represent joyous reward of spiritual seeking.om gam ganapataye namaha.
