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The Elephant God and His Daughter
| Article
# : |
12533 |
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Section : |
Modern Thought
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| Issue
Date : |
7 / 1987 |
5,267 Words |
| Author
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Paul B. Courtright
Paul B. Courtright is professor of religious studies at the
University of North Carolina in Greensboro. In 1987-1988, he
will be a fellow at the National Humanities Center, Research
Triangle, North Carolina. He is the author of Ganesa: Lord of
Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings [New York: Oxford University
Press, 1985]. His new book, The Goddess and the Dreadful
Practice, will be published by Oxford University Press next
year. |
If you think mythology is something that happened only in the past or among "primitive" peoples, you should travel to India. There you would not be disappointed in your search for the vitality of mythology. From the time you pull away from the airport into the cities of Bombay, Delhi, or Calcutta, you will see the Hindu pantheon displayed in every conceivable place: images of gods and goddesses appear on billboards advertising everything from butter to tobacco. They are depicted in popular lithographs framed on the walls of shops and homes, painted on buildings, trucks, and rickshaws. Devotees transform their appearances into those of walking icons as they paint their foreheads with the symbols of the gods and goddesses they worship.
Contrary to the expectations of both Western observers and Hindu reformers as long ago as the early nineteenth century, Hinduism's love and worship of its myriad deities--its "superstition" as they called it--has not diminished with the coming of modernity and technology. If anything, quite the reverse is true: the technologies of publishing and mass communication have been pressed into the service of religion and mythology, making possible more rapid and cheaper dissemination of religious lore and bringing new expressions of enduring religious sensibilities.
This pattern is most clearly visible in the mythologies and worship of two popular Hindu deities: Ganesha, the elephant-headed god who removes obstacles from new undertakings, and Santoshi Mata, a "new" goddess. These two deities are linked together by bonds of blood and function. Santoshi Mata is said to be the daughter of Ganesha, and each of them is involved in the business of bringing success and happiness to their devotees. Both deities appear to speak in compelling ways to the conditions of modern life in India, and their followings have increased rapidly over the past several decades.
Ganesha: the Elephant-Headed God
Even when faced with bewildering array of Hindu deities, Westerners have little difficulty in picking out Ganesha. He is the one who has the head of an elephant and a squat, rotund body. At the center of Ganesha's mythology, attested to in texts and iconography dating back to the fifth century A.D., is the story of his creation, beheading, and restoration in a new form. In the story, Parvati, the wife of the powerful irascible and ascetic god Siva, longed for her husband who was off to the mountains engaged in deep meditation. In order to have companionship and protection, she rubbed off from her limbs some unguent and
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