Lord as Elephant and Mouse

The other day I was visited by an ‘upright’ - or should I say 'uptight'  Christian couple. 

They sat uncomfortably in my living room, pursing their lips. After a while they asked me, “Do you believe in Jesus Christ?”

 “Sure,” I said, “Jesus Christ is an historical fact.”

“Then why is it that you have all these Hindu gods all  around your house?” they persisted.

They were obviously perturbed by the Ganesha figure outside my door. And the  Ganesha statues and artwork that adorn my living room. 

"And why not?" I countered. 

Spiritual iconography is very much a part of any tradition. And the icons in the Hindy tradition have really deep meaning, if you have the grace and knowledge to decipher them.

Ganesha is a wonderful representation of the power of God. 

The power of the almighty. The power of mind over matter. The power of Nirvana.

One of the names of Ganesha:  
Vighna-mochan. 

The remover of obstacles. 

The Ganesha symbol is an elephant headed man astride a mouse. The elephant is the biggest animal in the jungle. Nothing can withstand the charge of the elephant. He can tear a path through the densest and most tangled of forests.

The tiny mouse can cut a passage through the highest mountain. He can tunnel under the hardest rock.

Put the elephant and the mouse together and you have it!

A wonderful representation of the remover of obstacles.

I love my Vighna –mochan. 

Ganesha

The remover of obstacles. 

God.     Allah.     Christ.  The Lord.

At times of perplexity, in times of trepidation, when the tangles and the thorns of the dark forests of the unknown challenge me, or an insurmountable wall blocks my path.

The Lord comes to me as an elephant. And as a mouse.

 Christians believe that  God being everywhere. 

 Muslims say there are a thousand names for Allah.

Pity some people can’t recognize Her.