Jack Szlosek

5/8/15
I have completed this assignment in accordance with the NAHC Jack
Szlosek
The Destruction of Obstacles
In todays world, many individuals encounter problems or
obstacles that they cannot overcome or solve. Many simply dont know
how or dont have the skills or tools to solve their problems and
challenges. According to a historian named Derek Cooper, there are
over 300 million Hindu gods. One of the many important gods is
named Ganesha, and he is the god of success and the remover of all
obstacles. According to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, He is a god
of great importance for everyday existence. Ganesha can be
shown through various types of art, and many worship the statues
of Ganesh in their homes. Sculptures of Ganesh honor him for the
ability to keep chaos out of the world, and for removing all the
obstacles that are present in someones life. At the Metropolitan
Museum of Art in New York City, there are a few sculptures of
Ganesha from many different time periods. However, not all capture
the beauty and the symbolism of Ganesha. The Ganesh sculpture,
Standing Ganesha, was made in the second half of the 7 th century
in Cambodia during the Pre-Angkor period. The Standing Ganesha
demonstrates the importance of trying to overcome obstacles in the
ancient world and in todays world.

1. The Second Myth About World Religions: Hindus Believe in Many Gods Biblical Theological
Seminary, accessed May 7th, 2015 https://www.biblical.edu/faculty-blog/96-regular-content/698-thesecond-myth-about-world-religions-hindus-believe-in-many-gods
2.Southeast Asia, 500-1000 A.D. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed May 14 th , 2015
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06&region=sse

3. Ibid

Standing Ganesha, represents the importance of Ganesha to the

religion of Hinduism. The statue of Ganesha stands at about 17 inches
high, 10 inches wide, and 6 inches deep. Ganesha is shown wearing
a short wraparound skirt (sampot), the front end of which falls down
the center in a series of flaring folds characteristic of the Prasat
Andet style. The large ears that most Ganesha statues have
symbolize Ganesha listening to prayers that are sent to him. The
broken tusk of Ganesha represents Ganesha getting into a fight
with another god according to many historians. The story of
Ganesha starts at with Parvati wanting someone loyal to her, so she
created Ganesha. Ganesha was told by Parvati not let anyone pass
so she could bathe in private. Parvatis husband named Shiva was
not allowed past Ganesha, and he was furious. He line up his entire
army to take out Ganesha, but they failed. Shiva destroyed
Ganesha, and Parvati was not happy to hear about this. She was
furious, and wanted Ganesha to be brough back to life. Shiva
agreed to this, and even accepted Ganesha as his own son, and

that is why Ganesha is more prominent than any other god.

Ganesha has his own holiday in Hinduism called Ganesha Chaturhi.
1. Southeast Asia, 500-1000 A.D. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed May 14 th , 2015
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06&region=sse
2. Ganesha- The elephant headed God, Art and Mythology. Excotic India, accessed May 3 rd ,
2015, http://www.exoticindiaart.com/article/ganesha/
3. Ibid
4. Ibid

This source was produced in the second-half of the seventh

century during the Pre-Ankgor period. The Pre-Angkor kings
claimed to be incarnations of Shiva or Vishnu and their names reflect
this affiliation. Their authority is also based on South Asian
chakravartin (universal king) concepts of rulership that came to
Southeast Asia in the form of Sanskrit texts. Although, it doesnt say
anything about Ganesha, he was an important Hindu God because he
was the son of Shiva and Parvati. Many kings said they were
incarnations of these gods because they had a lot of power, and
Hinduism was very special to these kings. . This shows how much the
Hindu God and Goddesses meant to the worshippers of Hinduism, and
the people that lived in the Pre-Ankgor period. The Standing Ganesha
comes from a country named Cambodia, which is in Southeast Asia,
where not many Hindus come from. It is not surprising to see this piece
come from Cambodia because of the massive population of Hindus. To
conclude, this exquisite sculpture is made out of pure stone.
1. Southeast Asia, 500-1000 A.D. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed May 14 th , 2015
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/ht/?period=06&region=sse
2. Religion in Cambodia Wikipedia, accessed May 13 th, 2015.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion_in_Cambodia

The Standing Ganesha was made in the second half of the

seventh century in Cambodia during the Pre-Angkor Period. Angkor,
which stands for Capital City, is a town in Cambodia and the empire
that flourished in the region of Angkor was Khmer. The Khmer empire
began in the eighth century, and ended in 1431 CE. The Khmer period
included a lot of south East Asia countries including Cambodia,
Thailand, Laos and Southern Vietnam.
1. Khmer Empire Ancient History Encyclopedia, accessed May 10 th, 2015,
http://www.ancient.eu/Khmer_Empire/
2. Ibid

Hinduism mostly, but Buddhism as well, were important

religions in the region, mixed with animist and traditional cults.
Hinduism played a big role for people in South East Asia during the
Angkor period. During the Angkor period, there were various wars
between the Khmer empire and neighboring empires. Angkor was the
capital for the Khmer empire, and it was under attack several times.
This is why Ganesha might have been important to the people of the
Khmer empire. They were under so many attacks that citizens of
Angkor might have prayed to Ganesha to take away there obstacles
and the challenges they have due to war. There was a magnificent
Hindu temple built for people to go to worship and pray during the
Angkor period. The most stunning temple, Angkor Wat, is a microcosm

of the Hindu universe and defies imagination as the worlds largest

religious complex - covering 200 hectares. Its construction took some
30 years and was started by one of the greatest kings, Suryavarman II,
around 1122 CE. Another tribe called Cham took Angkor who took
over in 1177 CE. However, then came the greatest Khmer king of all
named Jayavarman VII who took back the city of Angkor and made it
better than it was before. In summation, people of Angkor and the
Khmer Empire looked to Ganesha for their obstacles to be removed.
1. Khmer Empire Ancient History Encyclopedia, accessed May 10 th, 2015,
http://www.ancient.eu/Khmer_Empire/
2. Ibid
3. Ibid

"The gods then invoked Prvati in laudatory strains: 'Praise be to thee,

O supreme of goddesses! Supporter of the universe, praise be to thee, who
createst and destroyest! Grant us thy aid, and save us from this distress!'
Having heard the prayer of Indra and the gods, thou, O goddess! wert moved
with compassion; and gently rubbing thy body, there was produced a
wondrous being with four arms and an elephant's head, and then thou didst
thus address the gods: 'Desirous of your advantage, have I created this
being, who will occasion obstacles to men, and, deluding them, will deprive
them of the wish to visit Somnth, and thus shall they fall into hell.' Hearing
this, the gods returned to their homes delighted.
1. Sons of Siva Parvati Sacred- texts, accessed on May 9 th, 2015, http://www.sacredtexts.com/hin/hmvp/hmvp35.htm

This quote can be found in CHAPTER VIII. SONS OF SIVA AND

PRVATI. The quote explains how Ganesha was born, and what purpous
was the the gods of Hinduism. Ganesha is supposed to occasion
obstacles to men, and, deluding them. This is why Ganesha is referred
to as the remover of obstacles and important to everyday life. The

gods went home delighted because all of their problems solved their
problems/obstacles that they had. According to one historian named
Kyle Tortora, Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, the deity whom
worshipers first acknowledge when they visit a temple. This could be
because Ganesha is the son of Shiva, but it is also because he is the
god of beginning. Besides being the remover of obstacles and the god
of beginning, but he is also the god of good fortune.
1. Lord Ganesh-The Remover of Obstacles Lotus sculpture, Accessed on May 7 th, 2015
http://www.lotussculpture.com/ganesh1.htm

The Seated Ganesha demonstrates the importance of trying to

overcome obstacles in the 21st century also. It is not just in ancient
world that people had obstacles, and needed them removed. According
to Kyle Tortora, His image is placed where new places are to be built.
He is also honored in the start of a business venture. Ganesha is the
Remover of Obstacles, but he is also considered the Hindu God of good
fortune. This applies to the 21st century because according to Forbes,
Approximately 543,000 new businesses get started each month.
However, more employer businesses shut down each month than
businesses start. So in todays world and economy, many businesses
are going to need the good fortune that Ganesha can bring. The good
fortune will be needed because it is very hard for a business to thrive
and do well in todays economy. Ganeshas role of being the remover
of obstacles is important for a business because businesses can run

into a lot of problems. Some obstacles that a business might have to

overcome is finding the right staff, financing, and beating the
competitor.
1.

Lord Ganesh-The Remover of Obstacles Lotus sculpture, Accessed on May 7 th, 2015

2.

http://www.lotussculpture.com/ganesh1.htm
16 surprising Statistics about Small Businesses Forbes, Accessed on May 14 th, 2015.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/09/09/16-surprising-statistics-about-smallbusinesses/

In the pop culture world, there are many songs that have to do
with overcoming obstacles, and dealing with adversity. One of the
songs that has to do with overcoming obstacles is by Miley Cyrus. Now,
we all know that Miley Cyrus has gone through a bit of a rough patch
after she left Disney channel and bleached her hair. Then, came her
song 23, thats when things really started to go downhill. It is pretty
obvious that she has dealt with some adversity in her life. The song,
The climb by Miley Cyrus made in 2010.
The struggles I'm facing,
The chances I'm taking
Sometimes might knock me down but
No I'm not breaking
I may not know it
But these are the moments that
I'm going to remember most yeah
Just got to keep going
And I,
I got to be strong
Just keep pushing on.

This part of the song really shows how this song has to do with
overcoming obstacles. Miley acknowledges the struggles she is dealing

with, and how they knock her down. She realizes that she is going to
have keep on pushing and going to overcome these obstacles. This
song can relate to the eternal truth of the Standing Ganesha, because
they both have to do with the idea of trying to overcome obstacles.
1. The climb Lyrics, accessed on May 11th, 2015. http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/mileycyrus/theclimb.html

The Standing Ganesha represents the removing of obstacles in

the ancient world and in the 21st century. The Standing Ganesha is a
17-foot high statue that carries all the meaning of the Hindu god
Ganesh. This sculpture comes from the Pre-Angkor period, in which the
rulers of this time said they were incarnations of Hindu gods like
Ganesha. The Khmer empire, which was located in Angkor, may have
needed the power of removing obstacles that Ganesha possesses
because they were in numerous wars. In a quote from an ancient Hindu
text, Gods were delighted to have a god like Ganesha because he has
the powers to remove obstacles. Although, removing obstacles meant
a lot to the ancient world, it is still present and greatly appreciated in
todays world. That can be seen through businesses today because
they face a lot of obstacles and adversity just to stay in business in this
day and age. Miley Cyrus can also show removing obstacles in her
song called The Climb where she talks about her uphill battle, and how
she has to keep on pushing to overcome obstacles. The Standing
Ganesha and the removing of obstacles has been prominent
throughout history.

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""TheClimb"Lyrics."MILEYCYRUSLYRICS.AccessedMay15,2015.

2.
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