DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.75620#0038
4 INDIA: ORIGIN OF GANE^A
as a scribe.1 No ancient Indian frescos or sculptures depict him in this role,2 nor
should we know whether Ganesa, the scribe, is to be identified or not with Ganesa,
the elephant-faced leader of the ganas, were it not for two miniatures, one Nepalese
and the other Rajput, wherein he is represented with the face of an elephant and
unquestionably, as a scribe.
The Nepalese miniature3 is in the Pingaldmdld, a tantric manuscript of the thir-
teenth century now in the Nepal State Library. The painting is on one of the
board-covers holding the manuscript leaves. Ganesa is seated cross-legged on the
rat with the right hand holding the broken tusk point downward as if it were a
stylus. Very likely, as the text is Tantric, he is represented in this instance as scribe
to Siva, for in the Gdyatri-tantra4 he is referred to as writing down the Tantras to
the dictation of his father, Siva.
The second miniature is a Rajput painting of the seventeenth century, now in the
Boston Museum of Fine Arts,5 where Ganesa is depicted four-armed standing before
the worshipping Vyasa. In the upper right-hand corner is Brahma, at whose sugges-
tion Vyasa has appealed to Ganesa. The text relates6 that while Vyasa was wor-
shipping Brahma, the god Ganesa suddenly appeared before him, whereupon he
worshipped Ganesa, who then consented to become his scribe. In the lower left-
hand corner is the scene of dictation. Ganesa, seated, has placed the water-vessel
before him and has taken the rosary in his lower right hand. As the upper right is
still in vitarka-mudrd and the upper left holds the axe, it would seem that Ganesa
had finished his task of amanuensis and was presenting, with his normal left hand,
the completed text to Vyasa.
There is a divergence of opinion as to how Ganesa, 'Remover of Obstacles',
gained this reputation of 'Patron of Letters'.
Prabodh Chandra Bagchi7 suggests that Ganesa was associated with writing
because of a confusion in regard to the word 'siddhi'. From very ancient times, the
Hindu alphabet was called 'siddham' and the enumeration of the alphabet began
with the word siddhi. As one of the epithets of Ganesa is Siddhidata, 'Giver of
Success', he believes it to be probable that his association with the word gave rise
to the legends depicting him as a scribe.
Bhandarkar8 is of the opinion that his reputation for wisdom was born of a con-
fusion between Ganesa and the Vedic god of Wisdom, Brhaspati ; while Rao9 identi-
fies him with the celestial guru, Brhaspati, himself. It is interesting to note here
that Brhaspati, an important god in the Rig-Veda, is described as carrying the axe
or 'golden hatchet', an attribute particularly ascribed to Ganesa, and that he also
was referred to as Ganapati.
Coomaraswamy10 attributes his reputation as Patron of Letters to the double
meaning of the word gana which, besides being the name of the followers of Siva,
1 v. p. 4. 6 B. of the B.M. of F.A., Coomaraswamy,
2 v. Pl. 26 from J. Coedes, Bronzes Khmers, vol. xxvi, p. 30.
Ars Asiatica, v, Pl. xv. 7 Letter to the author.
3 v. Pl. 1 (c). Kindness of Mr. Bagchi. 8 Vaisnavism, p. 149.
4 Mahdnirvana-tantra, Avalon, p. 4, note 7. 9 H.I., vol. i, part i, p. 45.
5 v. Pl. 1 (a). Kindness of Mr. Coomaraswamy. 10 B. of the B.M. of F.A., vol. xxvi, p. 30.
as a scribe.1 No ancient Indian frescos or sculptures depict him in this role,2 nor
should we know whether Ganesa, the scribe, is to be identified or not with Ganesa,
the elephant-faced leader of the ganas, were it not for two miniatures, one Nepalese
and the other Rajput, wherein he is represented with the face of an elephant and
unquestionably, as a scribe.
The Nepalese miniature3 is in the Pingaldmdld, a tantric manuscript of the thir-
teenth century now in the Nepal State Library. The painting is on one of the
board-covers holding the manuscript leaves. Ganesa is seated cross-legged on the
rat with the right hand holding the broken tusk point downward as if it were a
stylus. Very likely, as the text is Tantric, he is represented in this instance as scribe
to Siva, for in the Gdyatri-tantra4 he is referred to as writing down the Tantras to
the dictation of his father, Siva.
The second miniature is a Rajput painting of the seventeenth century, now in the
Boston Museum of Fine Arts,5 where Ganesa is depicted four-armed standing before
the worshipping Vyasa. In the upper right-hand corner is Brahma, at whose sugges-
tion Vyasa has appealed to Ganesa. The text relates6 that while Vyasa was wor-
shipping Brahma, the god Ganesa suddenly appeared before him, whereupon he
worshipped Ganesa, who then consented to become his scribe. In the lower left-
hand corner is the scene of dictation. Ganesa, seated, has placed the water-vessel
before him and has taken the rosary in his lower right hand. As the upper right is
still in vitarka-mudrd and the upper left holds the axe, it would seem that Ganesa
had finished his task of amanuensis and was presenting, with his normal left hand,
the completed text to Vyasa.
There is a divergence of opinion as to how Ganesa, 'Remover of Obstacles',
gained this reputation of 'Patron of Letters'.
Prabodh Chandra Bagchi7 suggests that Ganesa was associated with writing
because of a confusion in regard to the word 'siddhi'. From very ancient times, the
Hindu alphabet was called 'siddham' and the enumeration of the alphabet began
with the word siddhi. As one of the epithets of Ganesa is Siddhidata, 'Giver of
Success', he believes it to be probable that his association with the word gave rise
to the legends depicting him as a scribe.
Bhandarkar8 is of the opinion that his reputation for wisdom was born of a con-
fusion between Ganesa and the Vedic god of Wisdom, Brhaspati ; while Rao9 identi-
fies him with the celestial guru, Brhaspati, himself. It is interesting to note here
that Brhaspati, an important god in the Rig-Veda, is described as carrying the axe
or 'golden hatchet', an attribute particularly ascribed to Ganesa, and that he also
was referred to as Ganapati.
Coomaraswamy10 attributes his reputation as Patron of Letters to the double
meaning of the word gana which, besides being the name of the followers of Siva,
1 v. p. 4. 6 B. of the B.M. of F.A., Coomaraswamy,
2 v. Pl. 26 from J. Coedes, Bronzes Khmers, vol. xxvi, p. 30.
Ars Asiatica, v, Pl. xv. 7 Letter to the author.
3 v. Pl. 1 (c). Kindness of Mr. Bagchi. 8 Vaisnavism, p. 149.
4 Mahdnirvana-tantra, Avalon, p. 4, note 7. 9 H.I., vol. i, part i, p. 45.
5 v. Pl. 1 (a). Kindness of Mr. Coomaraswamy. 10 B. of the B.M. of F.A., vol. xxvi, p. 30.