2022-09-09 02:01:51 by Kchitrapu
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of Bhadrapada, worship Him for varying periods and there-
after ceremonially immerse the image in rivers or seas.
The late Lokamanya Bal Gangadhar Tilak, popularised
social worship of Ganesha to arouse the spirit of national
awareness amongst Hindus. Social worship of Ganesha
played a significant part in the Indian struggle for liberation
from British rule in India.
The prayer of Ganesha in the Atharvashirsha is handed
down from ancient times to liberate our minds from the
shackles of worldly life and open our minds to the broad
vistas of an ample and fuller life. Minds freed from the
material urges alone can be equipped for concentrating on
the Divine Spirit and the prayer to Ganesha in a sincere
spirit is the true vehicle for this journey of the spirit.
Valuable suggestions from my friends Sarvashri G. N.
Purandare and S. R. Desai, formerly Manager, Government
Press, Nagpur, helped me a great deal towards writing this
book.
Suggestions for the picture of Ganesha were made by
my friends M. Dominique Chiaramonti and M. Jean Cousso
of the Alliance Française. M. Jean Cousson took a large
number of pictures of Ganesha for the required illustrations.
We finally selected the picture of a rare bronze statue of
a standing Ganesha from our collection which according to
M. Jean Cousso was remarkable for its clarity of line and
wealth of detail.
My wife Usha and daughters Ranjan and Roopa gave
me constant encouragement and support in writing the
book.
I sincerely pray that with His blessings this book will
help in bringing peace and tranquility to the reader.
Bombay 13th October 1980.
S. B. SUKTHANKAR
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