2023-11-19 19:21:52 by ambuda-bot
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Nearly a year before his birth, on the holy day of rathasaptamī,
his mother had been to the famous surya (Sun) temple at Arasavalli
(near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh) to offer her prayers and
worship. She stayed overnight in the temple after the traditional
worship to the Lord. In the next early morning she had a dream in
which a beautiful woman with golden divine radiance emerged
from the corridors of the temple, approached her with a shining
pot of fire and giving it in her hands vanished. To her utter aston-
ishment, the moment the fire pitcher came into contact with her, it
entered her womb and assumed the form of a child. Soon after
her return to home from Arasavalli, she showed signs of preg-
nancy. She believed that her child was a divine gift of God agni
(fire). While she was waiting to deliver the child, her husband,
Narasimha Sastry, had gone to the holy city of Kashi (Benares in
Uttar Pradesh) in November 1878, where he also had a unique
experience. When he was performing tapas in the dhundi-
ganapati temple (near Visweswara Ghat) he had the vision of a
little child emanating from the Deity and coming near him. After
these wonderful experiences by both parents, Ganapati was born
in the parental home of his mother on 17th November 1878. The
father appropriately named his second son Ganapati, rooted in his
conviction that the child was an emanation of God Ganapati him-
self. It may be noted that the Vedic deity agni (Fire) is none other
than ganapati described in the purāṇas and worshipped in the
tantras. Ganapati himself was conscious of his divinity. He has
expressed this in his most famous poem Umāsahasram and has
said that he was born as an amsa (portion) of God Ganapati. He
has also expressed his conviction about the identity between him
and God Ganapati, the guiding spirit of his corporeal existence, in
his work Herambopasthanam (Glory of Ganapati).
Ganapati was educated entirely at home. His father,
Narasimha Sastry, like his ancestors, was an expert and well-
xii
his mother had been to the famous surya (Sun) temple at Arasavalli
(near Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh) to offer her prayers and
worship. She stayed overnight in the temple after the traditional
worship to the Lord. In the next early morning she had a dream in
which a beautiful woman with golden divine radiance emerged
from the corridors of the temple, approached her with a shining
pot of fire and giving it in her hands vanished. To her utter aston-
ishment, the moment the fire pitcher came into contact with her, it
entered her womb and assumed the form of a child. Soon after
her return to home from Arasavalli, she showed signs of preg-
nancy. She believed that her child was a divine gift of God agni
(fire). While she was waiting to deliver the child, her husband,
Narasimha Sastry, had gone to the holy city of Kashi (Benares in
Uttar Pradesh) in November 1878, where he also had a unique
experience. When he was performing tapas in the dhundi-
ganapati temple (near Visweswara Ghat) he had the vision of a
little child emanating from the Deity and coming near him. After
these wonderful experiences by both parents, Ganapati was born
in the parental home of his mother on 17th November 1878. The
father appropriately named his second son Ganapati, rooted in his
conviction that the child was an emanation of God Ganapati him-
self. It may be noted that the Vedic deity agni (Fire) is none other
than ganapati described in the purāṇas and worshipped in the
tantras. Ganapati himself was conscious of his divinity. He has
expressed this in his most famous poem Umāsahasram and has
said that he was born as an amsa (portion) of God Ganapati. He
has also expressed his conviction about the identity between him
and God Ganapati, the guiding spirit of his corporeal existence, in
his work Herambopasthanam (Glory of Ganapati).
Ganapati was educated entirely at home. His father,
Narasimha Sastry, like his ancestors, was an expert and well-
xii