RIDDHI AND SIDDHI
I was thinking the mythological legends in which Mahaganapathi is considered as a family man (recently I read from the internet). There are two legends and one of the legend version one read as follows from the internet:-
Siddhi and Riddhi – the wives of Hindu God Ganesha – The Story of How Ganesh Got Married? Sep 2 Posted by Vikram Kharvi
In some Hindu cultures, Hindu God Ganesh is considered to be a bachelor. But there are some cultures in which he is a family man. Siddhi and Riddhi are the wives of Hindu God Ganesha. There is an interesting story which narrates how Ganesh Got Married.
As Ganesha had an elephant-head no girl was ready to marry him. While all other gods had a consort he did not have one and this angered Ganesha. He started creating problems in the marriages of Devas (demigods). He asked rats to dig up holes on the path through which wedding procession of any Deva would go to the bride's house.
The Devas faced innumerable problems in their weddings. Fed up with the activities of Ganesha, the Devas complained to Brahma, who agreed to solve the problem.
To please Ganesha, Brahma created two beautiful women named Riddhi (wealth and prosperity) and Siddhi (intellectual and spiritual powers). Brahma gave them in marriage to Ganesha.
From that day onwards whoever pleases Ganesha also gets the blessings of Siddhi and Riddhi. Ganesha had two sons in Riddhi and Siddhi – Shubha (Auspiciousness) and Labha (Profit).
Another posting I read the matter is same with some more details is as follows:-
In Indian mythology there are so many stories about Ganesha that determining his proper marital status is quite difficult and may easily be considered as a subject eligible for scholarly reviews.
There are some myths that depict Ganesha as a confirmed bachelor – a bramhachari without any consort. While there are also some stories that shows him as the husband of Riddhi and Siddhi – known as the goddesses of prosperity and spiritual power respectively.
As per MUDGALA PURANA AND GANESHA PURANA Riddhi and Siddhi are born from the mind of Bramha – the creator of the universe and were offered to Ganesha as his consorts by the creator himself. Ganesha accepted them as his wives and in many part of north India they accompany Ganesha but there is actually no rituals associated with Shakti worship to worship them. The story that relates Riddhi and Siddhi as lord Ganesha's wife is quite interesting and fascinating at the same time.
Wives of Ganesha-As Ganesha has an elephant head on his shoulders no girl was ready to marry him and the absence of a consort made him really angry. Out of frustration Ganesha started to create problems in the marriages of other demigods and asked his rat to dig up the path though which their marriage procession will pass. The demigods faced innumerable hardship to reach their bride's houses and ultimately complained to Brahma who took the responsibility of solving the problem. To bring the situation under control Brahma created two beautiful women Riddhi and Siddhi to accompany Ganesha as his consorts and Ganesha was ultimately satisfied with the offerings.
In Hindu pantheon Riddhi is the goddess of wealth and prosperity and Siddhi stands for intellectual and spiritual powers – the ultimate goal of this mortal world and the means of achieving that. Anybody who satisfies Ganesha with his devotion and prayer are also blessed by Riddhi and Siddhi and can attain every success in their life. in Riddhi and Siddhi Ganesha had two sons – Subha the auspicious and labha, the profit.
The version2 of the legend is as follows:-
There is another story describing Ganesha's marriage with Riddhi and Siddhi and that is both Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya were rivals for marrying Siddhi and Riddhi. In order to decide who will get their hands a race was arranged in which both of them were to circle the globe and who comes first will get the twin girls. Promptly Kartikeya went away riding his peacock. But instead of following him Ganesha started circling round his parent lord Shiva and goddess Parvathi and when asked why he did so he said that his parents were the universe in themselves and by circling around his parents he has circled around the universe. No one even the great scholar Narada had any answer to this and thus there was no other way but to marry him with the twin girls Riddhi and Siddhi.
When Kartikeya returned home Ganesha was already married and Kartikeya had to satisfy himself by listening to stories of how he lost to greater wisdom and intelligence.
I could read the Siddhivinayak Ganapathi temple at Prabhadevi is having Mahaganapathi is installed along with Buddhi and Siddhi. The details I could read from temple website is as follows:-
Ganesh, the son of Shree Shiva is one of the most prominent altars, faithfully invoked and dedicatedly worshipped by a large number of devotees. The idol of Shree Siddhivinayak is of black stone and is 2.5 feet high and 2 feet wide, with the trunk on the right. The upper right hand holds a lotus, the left an axe. The lower right hand holds a rosary and the lower left holds a 'modaka'. Around the neck is the snake like sacred thread. The idol is carved out of a single stone. The idols of Riddhi and Siddhi are on either side of Shree Siddhivinayak.
Riddhi and Siddhi are Goddesses of success, riches and prosperity. The auspicious idol of Shree Siddhivinayak with its trunk bent towards the right is unique, as the trunk is usually found curving leftwards.
The sanctum sanctorum housing the deity was altered time and again and finally gave way to a monolithic and magnificent structure, which was accomplished by a series of rituals, which lasted a fortnight. hree Ganesh is the first to be worshipped before beginning any new project or venture as he is the destroyer of obstacles (Vighnaharta).
This is Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai, a two-century-old Temple that fulfils the desires of the worshipers. The city of Mumbai is a mute witness to places of worship & historical interest, which are not only popular but also of archaeological importance.
Arguably the most popular & significant places of worship are the Shree Siddhivinayak Ganapati Mandir situated at Prabhadevi. This temple was first consecrated on Thursday 19th November 1801, a fact that is noted in government records. The temple then was a small structure housing the black stone idol of Shree Siddhivinayak, which was two and half feet wide. The outstanding feature of this deity is the tilt of the trunk to the right side. The idol has four hands (Chaturbhuj), which contains a lotus in upper right, a small axe in upper left, holy beads in the lower right and a bowl full of Modaks (a delicacy which is a perennial favorite with Shree Siddhivinayak). Flanking the deity on both sides are Riddhi & Siddhi, goddesses signifying sanctity, fulfilment, prosperity and riches. Etched on the forehead of the deity is an eye, which resembles the third eye of Lord Shiva.
I tried to get some information about the marital status surfing from Wikipedia. I got the following information.
Wikipedia
The marital status of Ganesha varies widely in mythological stories and the issue has been the subject of considerable scholarly review. Several patterns of associations with different consorts are identifiable. One pattern of myths identifies Ganesha as an unmarried brahmacārin with no consorts. Another pattern associates him with the concepts of Buddhi (intellect), Siddhi (spiritual power), and Riddhi (prosperity); THESE QUALITIES ARE SOMETIMES PERSONIFIED AS GODDESSES WHO ARE CONSIDERED TO BE GANESHA'S WIVES.
Another pattern connects Ganesha with the goddess of culture and the arts, Sarasvati, and the goddess of luck and prosperity, Lakshmi.
In the Bengal region he is linked with the banana tree, Kala Bo (or Kola Bou). He also may be shown with a single consort or a nameless servant (Sanskrit: daşi).
My note- Kolabavu is a new information to me.
Some of the differences between these patterns can be understood by looking at regional variations across India, the time periods in which the patterns are found, and the traditions in which the beliefs are held. Some differences pertain to the preferred meditation form used by the devotee, with many different traditional forms ranging from Ganesha as a young boy (Sanskrit: बाल गणपति; bālagāņapati) to Ganesha as a Tantric deity.
Unmarried
According to one tradition, Ganesha was a brahmacārin, that is, unmarried. This pattern is primarily popular in southern India. This tradition was linked to Hindu concepts of the relationship between celibacy and the development of spiritual power.
BHASKARAYA alludes to the tradition in which Ganesha was considered to be a lifelong bachelor in his commentary on the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama, which includes the name Abhīru (verse 9a). In his commentary on this verse Bhaskaraya says the name Abhīru means "without a woman," but the term can also mean "not fearful."
The Ganesha Purana and the Mudgala Purana contain descriptions of Ganesha flanked by Siddhi and Buddhi. In these two Puranas they appear as an intrinsic part of Ganapati and according to Thapan do not require any special rituals associated with shakti worship.
In Chapter I.18.24-39 of the Ganesha Purana, Brahmā performs worship in honor of Ganesha, and during it GANESHA HIMSELF CAUSES BUDDHI AND SIDDHI TO APPEAR SO THAT BRAHMĀ CAN OFFER THEM BACK TO GANESHA. Ganesha accepts them as offerings. In Ganesha Purana I.65.10-12 there is a variant of this incident, in which various gods are giving presents to Ganesha, but in this case Siddhi and Buddhi are born from Brahmā's mind and are given by Brahmā to Ganesha.
The Ganesha Temple at MORGAON is the central shrine for the regional aṣṭavināyaka complex. The most sacred area within the Moragaon temple is the sanctum (garbhagŗha), a small enclosure containing an image of Ganesha. To the right and left sides of the image stand Siddhi and Buddhi. In northern India the two female figures are said to be Siddhi and Riddhi. There is no Purāṇic evidence for the pair, but the pairing parallels those of Buddhi and Siddhi in Shiva Purana and Riddhi and Buddhi from Matsya Purana.
I will continue with more details from Wikipedia in the next posting
Compiler- R. Gopala Krishnan dated 15-11-2015
RISHI AND SIDDHI 2
Continued from part1
Interpretation of relationships
The ŚIVA PURĀṇA has a story in which Ganesha and his brother Skanda compete for the right to marry the two desirable daughters of Prajāpati, Siddhi and Buddhi, and Ganesha wins through a clever approach. This story adds that after some time Ganesha begat two sons: Kshema (Kşema) (Prosperity), born to Siddhi, and Lābha (Acquisition, Profit) born to Buddhi.
In Northern Indian variants of this story the sons are often said to be Śubha (Hindi Shubh) (auspiciousness) and Lābha. In discussing the Shiva Purana version, Courtright comments that while Ganesha is sometimes depicted as sitting between these two feminine deities, "these women are more like feminine emanations of his androgynous nature, Shaktis rather than spouses having their own characters and spouses."
Ludo Rocher says that "descriptions of Gaṇeśa as siddhi-buddhi-samanvita 'accompanied by, followed by siddhi and buddhi.' often seem to mean no more than that, when Gaṇeśa is present, siddhi 'success' and buddhi 'wisdom' are not far behind. Such may well have been the original conception, of which the marriage was a later development."
In verse 49a of the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama, one of Ganesha's names is Ŗddhisiddhipravardhana ("Enhancer of material and spiritual success"). The Matsya Purana identifies Gaṇesha as the "owner" of Riddhi (prosperity) and Buddhi (wisdom). In discussing the northern Indian sources, Cohen remarks:
"They are depersonalized figures, interchangeable, and given their frequent depiction fanning Gaṇeśa are often referred to as dasīs — servants. Their names represent the benefits accrued by the worshipper of Gaṇeśa, and thus Gaṇeśa is said to be the owner of Ṛddhi and Siddhi; he similarly functions as the father of Śubha (auspiciousness) and Lābha (profit), a pair similar to the Śiva Purāṇa's Kṣema (prosperity) and Lābha. Though in Varanasi the paired figures were usually called Ṛddhi and Siddhi, Gaṇeśa's relationship to them was often vague. He was their mālik, their owner; they were more often dasīs than patnīs (wives)."
In the Ajitāgama, a Tantric form of Ganesha called Haridra Ganapati is described as turmeric-colored and flanked by two unnamed wives. The word "wives" (Sanskrit: दारा; dārā) is specifically used (Sanskrit: दारायुगलम्; dārāyugalam). These wives are distinct from shaktis.
Ganesha's relationship with the Ashtasiddhi — the eight spiritual attaintments obtained by the practice of yoga — is also of this depersonalized type. In later iconography, these eight marvellous powers are represented by a group of young women who surround Ganesha. Raja Ravi Varma's painting illustrates a recent example of this iconographic form. The painting includes fans and Fly-whisks, which establish the feminine figures as attendants.
In cosmopolitan Śākta worship of Ganesha, the Aṣṭa Siddhi are addressed as eight goddesses. In Ganesha Purana, these personified Aṣṭa Siddhi are used by Ganesha to attack demon Devantaka. These eight consorts are fused in a single devi, Ganesha's śakti, according to Getty. She speculates as to whether the Aṣṭa Siddhi are a transformation of the saptamātṝikas with whom Ganesha is often sculpturally represented.
Buddhi (Wisdom)
Ganesha is considered to be the Lord of Intelligence. In Sanskrit the word buddhi is a feminine noun that is variously translated as intelligence, wisdom, or intellect. The concept of buddhi is closely associated with the personality of Ganesha as of the Puranic period, where many stories develop that showcase his cleverness and love of intelligence. One of Ganesha's names in the Ganesha Purana and in the Ganesha Sahasranama is Buddhipriya.
The name Buddhipriya also appears in a special list of twenty-one names that Gaṇeśa says are of special importance at the end of the Ganesha Sahasranama. The word priya can mean "fond of" or in a marital context it can mean "a lover, husband", so Buddhipriya means "fond of intelligence" or "Buddhi's husband".
This association with wisdom also appears in the name Buddha, which appears as a name of Ganesha in the second verse of the Ganesha Purana version of the Ganesha Sahasranama. The positioning of this name at the beginning of the Ganesha Sahasranama indicates that the name was of importance. Bhaskararaya's commentary on the Ganesha Sahasranama says that this name for Ganesha means that the Buddha was an avatar of Ganesha. This interpretation is not widely known even among Ganapatya, and the Buddha is not mentioned in the lists of Ganesha's incarnations given in the main sections of the Ganesha Purana and Mudgala Purana.
Bhaskararaya also provides a more general interpretation of this name as simply meaning that Ganesha's very form is "eternal elightenment" (nityabuddaḥ), so he is named Buddha.
A distinct type of iconographic image of Ganesha shows him with a single human-looking shakti (Sanskrit: śakti). According to Ananda Coomaraswamy, the oldest known depiction of Ganesha with a shakti of this type dates from the sixth century. The consort lacks a distinctive personality or iconographic repertoire. According to Cohen and Getty, the appearance of this shakti motif parallels the emergence of tantric branches of the Ganapatya cult. Getty mentions a specific cult of "Shakti Ganapati" that was set up by the Ganapatyas involving five distinct forms.
Of the THIRTY-TWO STANDARD MEDITATION FORMS FOR GANESHA THAT APPEAR IN THE SRITATTVANIDHI (ŚRĪTATTVANIDHI), SIX INCLUDE A SHAKTI. A common form of this motif shows Ganesha seated with the shakti upon his left hip, holding a bowl of flat cakes or round sweets. Ganesha turns his trunk to his own left to touch the tasty food. ..
Prithvi Kumar Agrawala has traced at least six different lists of fifty or more aspects or forms of Ganesha each with their specific female consorts or shaktis. In these lists of paired shaktis are found such goddess names as Hrī, Śrī, Puṣṭī, etc. The names Buddhi, Siddhi, and Riddhi do not appear on any of these lists. The lists provide no details about the personalities or distinguishing iconographic forms for these shaktis. Agrawala concludes that all of the lists were derived from one original set of names. The earliest of the lists appears in the Nārada Purāṇa (I.66.124-38), and appears to have been used with minor variations in the Ucchiṣṭagaṇapati Upāsanā. These lists are of two types. In the first type the names of various forms of Ganesha are given with a clear-cut pairing of a named shakti for that form. The second type, as found in the Brahmāṇḍa Purāṇa (II.IV.44.63-76) and the commentary of Rāghavabhaṭṭa on the Śāradātilaka (I.115), gives fifty or more names of Ganesha collectively in one group, with the names of the shaktis provided collectively in a second group. The second type of list poses problems in separating and properly connecting the names into pairs due to ambiguities in the formation of Sanskrit compound words.
Saraswati and Lakshmi
Throughout India, on contemporary poster art, Ganesha is portrayed with Sarasvati (goddess of culture and art) or Lakshmi (goddess of luck and prosperity) or both. Ganesha, Lakshmi and Sarswati are often grouped together as the divinities immediately responsible for material welfare. Ganesha and Saraswati share control over Buddhi (Wisdom), while Ganesha and Lakshmi are both deities of Ṝddhi and Siddhi (material and spiritual success). Particularly in Maharashtra, Ganesha is associated with Śarda orSarasvati. Some identify the two goddesses as the same person and thus the single consort of Ganesha while others consider them distinct and one or both of them as married to Ganesha.
Lakshmi's association with Ganesha is rarely tied with the Tantric tradition of Lakshmi as Ganesha's śakti. Other reasons are variously offered for their relationship: their functional equivalance and their joint worship on Diwali and in general by the "business community."
CONVERSELY, IN CALCUTTA, GANESHA IS SAID TO BE THE BROTHER OF SARASVATI AND LAKSHMI.
Kola Bo-Kola Bo (Banana wife) dressed in a white-red sari placed near the Ganesha image in a Durga Puja
In Bengal, Ganesha on Durga Puja is associated with a plantain (banana) tree, the "Kola Bo" (also spelled Kalobou or Kolabau), ritually transformed into a goddess during the festival.
On the first day of Durga Puja the Kala Bo is draped with a red-bordered white sari and vermilion is smeared on its leaves. She is then placed on a decorated pedestal and worshipped with flowers, sandalwood paste, and incense sticks. The Kala Bo is set on Ganesha's right side, along with other deities. For most who view her, the new sari indicates her role as a new bride, and many Bengalis see it as symbolizing the wife of Ganesha.
A different view is that the Kala Bo represents Durga herself, who in Bengal is considered the mother of Ganesha. Those who know of that tradition do not consider Ganesha's association with Kala Bo as a marital one. Haridas Mitra says that the Kala Bo is intended to serve as a symbolic summary for the nine types of leaves (nava patrika) that together form a sacred complex on Durga Puja.
The officiating priests who carry out the ceremony tie a bunch of eight plants on the trunk of the plantain tree and it is the grouping of all nine plants that constitute the Kala Bo. The nine plants all have beneficial medicinal properties. According to Martin-Dubost, the Kala Bo does not represent a bride or shakti of Ganesha, but rather is the plant form of Durga. He connects the plant symbol back to the festival enactment of Durga's return of the blood of the buffalo demon to the earth so that the order of the world may be re-established and luxuriant vegetation reappear. He links Ganesha to this vegetation myth and notes that Astadasausadhisristi (Aṣṭādaśauṣadhisṛṣṭi, "Creator of the eighteen medicinal plants") is a name of Ganesha.
Pictures shown in Wikipedia- Ganesha with consorts Riddhi and Siddhi, Painting titled "Riddhi Siddhi" by Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906)
Ashta Siddhi-Ganesha with the Ashta (8) Siddhi. The Ashtasiddhi are associated with Ganesha. - painting by Raja Ravi Varma (1848-1906)
Santoshi Ma
Ganesha was depicted as a householder married to Riddhi and Siddhi and the father of Santoshi Ma (Devanagari: संतोषी माँ), a new goddess of satisfaction, in the 1975 Hindi film Jai Santoshi Maa.
THE MOVIE SCRIPT IS NOT BASED ON SCRIPTURAL SOURCES. The fact that a cult has developed around the figure of Santoshi Ma has been cited by Anita Raina Thapan and Lawrence Cohen as evidence of Ganesha's continuing evolution as a popular deity.
Indalayappan.
In my native Lord Vinayaka is installed in a separate sanctum outside main prakaram in the outside. The peculiarity is the idol has no clear formation and roof is not above idol. I have not seen such temples any where else.
Final note- Most of the Vinayaka temples are not having either Buddhi, riddhi or sakthi with Vinayaka. But the drawing of Raja Ravivarma leads me to conclude the concept of Ganesha worship along with Buddhi and Siddhi would have been known. A few temples too having idols of these two goddess or personification of qualities as goddess.
Initially Ganga and Saraswathi were considered as Rivers and later as River Goddess and still later as Goddess with temples. It could be something like worshipping Sastha in one of his incarnation as Grahastha worshipped with his wives Poorna and Pushkala.
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