Symbols, Sweets, and Shares of Happiness

The happy feeling I've had this past week continues unabated. It still seems like a miracle to me...if I compare how happy I feel now to how I previously felt, it's like a switch in my brain was flipped! I asked another Hindu in my area as to why this may be, and he had some good explanations that made a lot of sense. I figured I'd share the explanations he taught me, so that you readers can understand and weigh in if you wish.

The biggest thing to consider as to explain what happened to me, I believe, lies in the symbolism of Ganesha's form. As you may know, Ganesha's form is a pot-bellied human with an elephant head (I'm over-simplifying here, I guess)...but this form isn't for show. Rather, there is rich symbolism behind every aspect of this form, I was told. The symbols most relevant to my emotional transformation have to do with the elephant aspects of Ganesha's form, I think.

For instance, the symbolism I was told is:
-Large ears: good listener, listens often.
-Trunk covering mouth: speak less, because talk is cheap, etc.
-Large forehead: analytical, active mind (I think).
-Long trunk: getting to the bottom of the problem, the root cause.
-Sweets in one hand: plenty to share, everyone should have their share.
-Mouse at base of deity: the greed that must be overcome by all humans.

If I connected the dots correctly, I guess what can be inferred here is that after I offered milk on Sunday, Lord Ganesha heard my problem with His large ears, and instead of telling me what to do, He must've discerned my problems stemmed from lack of happiness...that I didn't have the same happiness other people have. So maybe He gave me the ultimate sweet of happiness that I've been lacking for so long...because being happy can make me a better person.

I think it was the Buddha who once said that happiness is like a candle - one candle doesn't diminish by lighting other candles, and thus happiness can be shared the same way, without affecting one's own happiness. I can't really comment on God's happiness level, but if all the Gods of Hinduism are aspects of the One, then surely if one aspect is happy, He or She can share that happiness with others...even humans.

This post might not be my most articulate post on this blog. Still, I felt the need to further express my newfound happiness, and what might have caused it. Hopefully with my happy posts on this blog, I can light more happy candles in my readers. :-)