In true embodiment of the supreme, otherworldly, divine, royal, and ascetic manifestations of Hindu gods, we have the ‘panchaloha’ bronze image of a seated figure of Ganapati as ‘Yoga Ganapati,’ the ascetic. The thirtieth among the thirty-two forms of Ganesha detailed in texts like the Mudgala Purana and the Sritattvanidhi, this form of Ganapati is iconic for the way his legs are bound by a ‘yogapatta,’ or a meditation girdle, which allows our supreme remover of obstacles to meditate for hours on end without straining his back. A similar figuration with the ‘yogapatta’ is seen in other sculptural works as well, for example, in this Narasimha brass idol or this Ayyappan bronze image.
Being fully absorbed in meditation, Yoga Ganapati truly personifies the ascetic spiritualism of his father, the supreme destroyer of the cosmos, Shiva. As the ascetic mendicant, Ganesha carries with him the ‘rudraksha mala’ or rosary beads, which channels the prayers of the devout, and the instructions which Shiva passes down to his son. The walking stick placed under the left fore hand is similarly another accoutrement for the wandering mendicant deep in meditative thought. The noose is iconic in symbolising the instrument with which Ganesha guides his devotees over the path of righteousness. Finally, we have the ‘ikshukanda,’ or the sugarcane stalk that represents the sweetness of life that the devout attain with righteous action and the blessings of Ganesha.
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