In plain words
Embodiments of the Ātma of Prema!
Śiva Himself is the jīva; the jīva itself is Śiva. Whoever recognises this oneness, they alone are the perfectly wise. The sacred festival days of Bhārata are all filled with a spiritual inner meaning; they are not matters of mere outward observance. The people of Bhārata praise Vināyaka as the son of Pārvatī and as the lord of the gaṇas. They think of Pārvatī as the embodiment of Śakti, and of Gaṇapati as the one born to Her, but no one tries to see the inner meaning of this. Pārvatī means the earth. So ‘the son of Pārvatī’ means ‘the son of the earth’. Arjuna has the name Pārtha. Pārtha means the son of the earth. Every human being is born of this earth, so every human being is a Pārtha; every human being is a Gaṇapati.
What does Gaṇapati mean? What are these gaṇas? Where are they? The five senses, the Manas, the Buddhi: these twelve Ādityas are what are called the gaṇas. The one who is lord over them is Gaṇapati. Ga means Buddhi; ṇa means Vijñāna. So the lord of Buddhi and Vijñāna is Gaṇapati. He lives in every human being as the very form of Buddhi and Jñāna.
The worship of Gaṇapati did not come about yesterday or the day before; it has been going on from the time of the Vedas. In the Ṛgveda, in the Nārāyaṇa Upaniṣad and in the Taittirīya Upaniṣad too, the praise of Gaṇapati is found in many places.
“We know that Supreme Person, we meditate on the One of the curving trunk; may that Tusked One move us on.”
The Veda has shown the truth that Gaṇapati is the very form of all power. He has no other leader. So He came to have the name Vināyaka. The one who has no leader is Vināyaka. In man He has taken on the form of the Ātma. For the Ātma there is no other leader, is there! To recognise this Vināyaka principle, we must turn our vision within.
Students today pray to Vināyaka in many ways. For what? That they may pass in these worldly studies, that they may win great degrees. In truth, the very word vidyā is full of a most sacred inner meaning. So this worldly schooling should not be called vidyā. The principle that holds every power, that alone is named vidyā. This is what they called Awareness. Awareness does not mean knowing a little here and a little there; Awareness is complete Jñāna. It is for such Jñāna that we should pray to Vināyaka, not for worldly degrees. Vidyā is a Way of life. Walking is vidyā, talking is vidyā, eating is vidyā, thinking is vidyā; and in the end, knowing how we should give up our breath is vidyā too. The whole of man's life is the very form of vidyā! The one who tries to recognise such vidyā is the true student.