Two days back I got a call from client regarding Ganesh ji. She enquired about Ganesh ji’s trunk direction.
Lord Ganesh ji’s trunk could be on left side, right side or in the middle. The key to judging the Lord Ganesh ji’s statue as the left-oriented or right oriented statue is to see the direction which Ganesh ji’s trunk has taken in the beginning (don’t see the direction which Ganesh ji’s trunk is pointing in the end).
Normally Ganesh ji’s trunk will be almost straight and then in the end portion, it will turn left or right or on rare occasion will be straight. So if the trunk is turning to the left side in the beginning then it is left sided Ganesh ji’s statue and if the trunk is turning to the right side in the beginning then it is right sided Ganesh ji’s Statue. It does not matter if the trunk turns to any other side in the end. We only have to see the beginning of the curve which Lord Ganesh ji’s Statue trunk takes and not the end of the curve.
Significance of Lord Ganesh ji’s trunk direction:
1. Lord Ganesh ji trunk on the left side – For householders, it is strongly advisable to keep left sided Ganesh ji’s statue at home. Left sided Ganesh ji statue are believed to be representing Ida Nadi which is more cooling side or you can relate it to the moon. It is more feminine, cooling, nourishing and relaxing energy.It is also believed that for the household purpose, The Ganesh ji’s statue should be in sitting position so that the god stays in your home. Whereas for pandals (During Ganesh Chaturthi festival), it could be standing position.I believe, that if you want to keep Ganesh ji’s statue in the home for material prosperity then the trunk should be touching or close to the laddu. Because it represents that Ganesh ji’s is having its favorite food in his hand and will offer the prasad to its devotees also. Here the laddu represents material gain and prosperity. If you want to have spiritual wisdom or spiritual bliss then the trunk should be close or touching the Modak.
2. Lord Ganesh ji’s trunk on the right side – This is normally the case with Ganesh ji’s statues in temples. Because you need to worship the Ganesh ji’s statue with right sided trunk as per rituals on every day. Any mistake in ritual can bring the wrath of the deity. The Ganesh ji’s statue with trunk on the right side is called as ‘Siddhi Vinayaka‘ because if worshiped correctly then it can give quick results or siddhis. If you happen to visit Mumbai then do visit the famous Siddhi Vinayak temple. It is known for fulfilling the wishes of those people who pray with sincerity and intense devotion.Right sided Ganesh ji’s statue is believed to be representing your Pingala Nadi which is related with sun energy. It is masculine and has fiery nature but can give quick results. If the fire is used properly can cook your food and the same fire element will also help you to digest food in your stomach. However, the same fire can burn you also, if handled improperly. So you have to follow the rituals properly if you want to have right sided Ganesh ji’s Statue in your home or in your pooja place.I have read the book of Pandit Gopi Krishna whose kundalini shakti was activated from Sun (Pingala) Nadi and he got a lot of trouble. After suffering for many years, he was finally able to activate his moon (Ida) Nadi to bring coolness to his head which balanced the fire of already activated Pingala Nadi and he was finally relieved from too much heat in his body.
3. Lord Ganesh ji’s trunk is facing straight forward – It signifies that the Sushumna Nadi is entirely open. Such idols are very rare and special. Even more special is the trunk where the trunk is swung upright in the air. It means the kundalini shakti has reached the Sahasrara (crown chakra) permanently.Also, remember in mind that Ganesh ji is a sattvic deity. So avoid having non-veg food at home. Create a pure environment at home. The favorite food of Lord Ganesh ji is Modak and Laddu. Whenever you plan to make prasad for Ganesha then make with a lot of devotion and purity. Never taste the food which is meant to be offered to Lord Ganesh ji. Once Ganesh ji has taken the prasad then only you can consume the food as a prasad. Secondly, avoid adding onions and garlic to the food which is meant to be offered to Lord Ganesh ji.
