You know him by the name of Ganesh, but how do others address your beloved elephant-headed God? And, what are the meanings possessed by each of these names that add to the popularity of this God of luck? Here is some interesting information about the most admired names of Ganesh.
For His Family Relations
Some of the names of Ganesh depict his relationships with other members of the family. For instance, his names Eshanputra and Nandana means ‘Lord Shiva’s son’. Another name is Rudrapriya that means ‘beloved of Lord Shiva’.
Shambhavi, Umaputra and Gaurisuta are other names of Ganesha and they translate to ‘the son of Parvati’. His name Skandapurvaja implies that he is the ‘elder brother of Lord Skanda’.
For His Power to Handle Obstacles
Ganesh is known to remove the obstacles from one’s life and this forms the basis for an array of his popular names. Avighna and Vighnahara are the names that recognize the Lord as ‘remover of obstacles’. Vignaharta is another name that also describes him as ‘demolisher of obstacles’. Vighnaraja, Vighnarajendra, Vighnavinashanaya and Vigneshwara are other names of Ganesh in this category.
For his Body Appearance
There are many names of Lord Ganesha that recognize various attributes of his glorious and divine physical appearance. One of these popular names is Ekadanta that identifies him as ‘one with single tusk’. Gajanana is the name given to Ganesh for his appearance as ‘elephant-headed God’. Similarly, Gajavakra is another popular name of Ganesh, meaning ‘one with elephant trunk’, while Vakratunda also highlights the curved trunk of the Lord.
Chaturbhuj represents Ganesh as ‘one having four arms’. The names Kapila and Pitambara make Ganesh familiar as one with ‘yellowish-brown body’. Other names like Lambakarna and Shoorpakarna make him popular as ‘Lord with large ears’. Apart from them, there are many names of Ganesh that highlight his huge and gigantic appearance. For instance, Vikat and Bheema are some of these names. Mahabala is another name that depicts Ganesh as ‘the strong Lord’.
For his Wisdom
Ganesh has always been popular as the God of wisdom and endower of intelligence. This quality provides him with many popular names. Vidyavaridhi, Buddhinath and Buddhividhata make him popular as ‘the God of wisdom’. His names Sarvasiddhanta and Buddhipriya represent him as ‘one who grants wisdom and knowledge’.
Other Popular Names
Ganesh is called Ganapati, because he is the Lord of all the Ganas (or Gods). It is one of the names found painted on Ganesh statues. Siddhivinayaka is another name of Ganesh that makes him popular as ‘Endower of Success’. For being the Lord of auspiciousness, Ganesh is called by another rpopular name of Mangalamurti. Vinayaka is also one of the names of Ganesh that translates to ‘Lord of all’.
Source by Ford Walston