The concept of the descent of godhood known as the avatar is a major contribution of Indian culture. However the avatar phenomenon is not limited to Vishnu, as many seem to think. Practically all the gods are represented as having had avatars at some time or the other. In this category a rich source of mythology are the avatars of Ganapati or Ganesha. We have already covered Ganesha in the Gods section. This article will deal with further aspects of the elephant headed god, specifically his many avatars.

The Ganesha Purana says that he has had four major avatars, one for each of the four great ages known as Yugas. In the first Yuga known as the Satya Yuga or Krita Yuga he incarnates as Vinayaka, the son of the divine sage couple Kashyapa and Aditi. They are already the parents of the Adityas, the major gods of old Hinduism, and in this story there seems to be some attempt at inserting the elephant headed god into the mainstream status progenitors. He has ten arms, is red in color, rides upon a lion and he incarnated for the purpose of slaying the demons, Davantaka, Narantaka and Dhurmraksa. The first two were actually children of a pious rishi, Rudraketu, but they had the misfortune of being blessed with invincibility to all known forms of life. This made them power drunk and they soon forgot the worship of Shiva which had given them this power. Ganapati's half human half elephant form was the only way out of the dilemma, and he slew them in the famous holy city of Kashi where they had established themselves. To die in Kashi is instant liberation, so they did not suffer too much. Dhurmraksa was a demon who anticipated the doom of the others and incautiously tried to prevent Ganapati from reaching Kashi. The story has been regarded as an allegory of the trials and tribulations you face on the spiritual path, i.e. the journey to Kashi, but once you reach the sacred space, the evil is easily vanquished.

In the Treta Yuga, he incarnates as Mayureshwara, which means peacock rider. This is an obvious attempt to graft the Ganapati myth onto the then extremely strong Skanda cult, who used to ride upon a peacock too. Since Ganapati, like Skanda, is also regarded as a son of Shiva, it was easy to do. In this version of the avatar, the nectar of immortality of the gods is lost to a great demon king called Sindhu who claimed it as the prize of his immensity of penance. He could not be refused it, but was warned that if he lost the inexhaustible bowl in which the nectar was kept, he would die. The smart demon swallowed it to make sure and then proceeded on the expected universe conquering lines. Ganapati incarnated in a white form with six arms, riding a peacock and slew the demon and his army with the standard oceans of blood so familiar to Sanskrit myth. The parallels to the Tarakasura story in the standard Skanda myth are by no means accidental.

In the Dvapara Yuga, he incarnates as Gajanana, son of Shiva. This time he has only four arms, a red complexion and he rides upon a supernatural mouse who was an unfortunate celestial Gandharva who had been cursed to become a demon. Ganapati defeats and redeems him, and the grateful celestial requests to remain in his 'cursed' form and serve as the mount of the lord, a situation that is much valued in Hindu myth. But his main exploit was to destroy the demon Sindura, not to be confused with our old friend Sindhu, from the previous incarnation. It is interesting to note that as the Yugas go by, Ganapati begins shedding superfluity of limbs, the form becoming more and more spiritually powerful rather than physically dominant. Sindura was actually a son of Brahma, born from an accidental yawn of the Creator. This unthinking creation turned out to be a supernaturally beautiful male child whose peals of laughter shook the three worlds. Brahma was captivated by this delightful accident and named him Sindura, for the pink glow of his complexion, and he granted the boy invincibility and the power to travel anywhere instantly. Sindura was at first content to be a galaxy roamer, but in an evil instant he thought of testing his powers and soon realized that only the great trinity were his match. Brahma cursed him for his folly and presumption and predicted his doom at the hands of Ganesha. It was during this incarnation that the discourses known as the Ganesha Gita were given.

The last incarnation is very interesting, for Ganapati will be born in the Kali Yuga as Dhumraketu, slayer of Mlecchas. That last is an expansive word and means roughly anybody who is not a Hindu. Since Hindu India has had to endure foreign domination for many centuries, this was never going to be an unpopular concept in theological terms. He has only two arms now, is ash-gray in complexion and rides upon a horse. The links with the Kalki avatar are only too clear here. The condition of the world as described here is almost a paraphrase of the gloomy environment the Kalki Avatar will encounter, details of which can be found in our Kalki Avatar article.