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Ganesha (; (サンスクリット:गणेश), '; ), also known as Ganapati and Vinayaka, is one of the best-known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon.〔Rao, p. 1.〕 His image is found throughout India, Sri Lanka and Nepal.〔 * Brown, p. 1. " is often said to be the most worshipped god in India. " * Getty, p. 1. ", Lord of the , although among the latest deities to be admitted to the Brahmanic pantheon, was, and still is, the most universally adored of all the Hindu gods and his image is found in practically every part of India. "〕 Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations.〔 * Rao, p. 1. * Martin-Dubost, pp. 2–4. * Brown, p. 1.〕 Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains and Buddhists.〔 * Chapter XVII, "The Travels Abroad", in: Nagar (1992), pp. 175–187. For a review of Ganesha's geographic spread and popularity outside of India. * Getty, pp. 37–88, For discussion of the spread of Ganesha worship to Nepal, Chinese Turkestan, Tibet, Burma, Siam, Indo-China, Java, Bali, Borneo, China, and Japan * Martin-Dubost, pp. 311–320. * Thapan, p. 13. * Pal, p. x.〕 Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify.〔Martin-Dubost, p. 2.〕 Ganesha is widely revered as the remover of obstacles,〔For Ganesha's role as an eliminator of obstacles, see commentary on , verse 12 in 〕 the patron of arts and sciences and the deva of intellect and wisdom. As the god of beginnings, he is honoured at the start of rituals and ceremonies. Ganesha is also invoked as patron of letters and learning during writing sessions.〔These ideas are so common that Courtright uses them in the title of his book, ''Ganesha: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings''.〕〔Getty, p. 5.〕 Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography. Ganesha emerged as a distinct deity in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors.〔Narain, A. K. ": The Idea and the Icon" in 〕 He was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the ''Ganapatya'' arose, who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity.〔For history of the development of the ' and their relationship to the wide geographic dispersion of Ganesha worship, see: Chapter 6, "The " in: Thapan (1997), pp. 176–213.〕 The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the ''Ganesha Purana'', the ''Mudgala Purana'', and the ''Ganapati Atharvashirsa''. ==Etymology and other names== Ganesha has been ascribed many other titles and epithets, including ''Ganapati'' (''Ganpati'') and ''Vighneshvara''. The Hindu title of respect ''Shri'' ((サンスクリット:श्री); IAST: ; also spelled ''Sri'' or ''Shree'') is often added before his name. One popular way Ganesha is worshipped is by chanting a ''Ganesha Sahasranama'', a litany of "a thousand names of Ganesha". Each name in the sahasranama conveys a different meaning and symbolises a different aspect of Ganesha. At least two different versions of the Ganesha Sahasranama exist; one version is drawn from the ''Ganesha Purana'', a Hindu scripture venerating Ganesha.〔For an English translation of ''Ganesha Purana'' 1.46, see: Bailey, pp. 258–269.〕 The name ''Ganesha'' is a Sanskrit compound, joining the words ''gana'' (), meaning a group, multitude, or categorical system and ''isha'' (), meaning lord or master.〔 * Narain, A. K. ": A Protohistory of the Idea and the Icon". Brown, pp. 21–22. * Apte, p. 395.〕 The word ''gaņa'' when associated with Ganesha is often taken to refer to the gaņas, a troop of semi-divine beings that form part of the retinue of Shiva, Ganesha's father.〔For the derivation of the name and relationship with the , see: Martin-Dubost. p. 2.〕 The term more generally means a category, class, community, association, or corporation.〔Apte, p. 395.〕 Some commentators interpret the name "Lord of the " to mean "Lord of Hosts" or "Lord of created categories", such as the elements.〔The word gaņa is interpreted in this metaphysical sense by Bhāskararāya in his commentary on the . See in particular commentary on verse 6 including names and in: .〕 ''Ganapati'' (; ), a synonym for ''Ganesha'', is a compound composed of ', meaning "group", and ', meaning "ruler" or "lord".〔 The ''Amarakosha'',〔 * for source text of 1.38 as . * for text of ' versified as 1.1.38.〕 an early Sanskrit lexicon, lists eight synonyms of ''Ganesha'' : ''Vinayaka'', ' (equivalent to ''Vighnesha''), ' (one who has two mothers),〔Y. Krishan (:Unravelling an Enigma, p.6): "Pārvati who created an image of out of her bodily impurities but which became endowed with life after immersion in the sacred waters of the Gangā. Therefore he is said to have two mothers—Pārvati and Gangā and hence called dvaimātura and also Gāngeya."〕 ' (equivalent to ''Ganapati'' and ''Ganesha''), ''Ekadanta'' (one who has one tusk), ''Heramba'', ''Lambodara'' (one who has a pot belly, or, literally, one who has a hanging belly), and ''Gajanana'' (); having the face of an elephant.〔Krishan p.6〕 ''Vinayaka'' (; ) is a common name for Ganesha that appears in the s and in Buddhist Tantras.〔Thapan, p. 20.〕 This name is reflected in the naming of the eight famous Ganesha temples in Maharashtra known as the ''Ashtavinayak'' ((マラーティー語:अष्टविनायक), ).〔For the history of the sites and a description of pilgrimage practices related to them, see: Mate, pp. 1–25.〕 The names ''Vighnesha'' (; ) and ''Vighneshvara'' (; ) (Lord of Obstacles)〔These ideas are so common that Courtright uses them in the title of his book, ''Ganesha: Lord of Obstacles, Lord of Beginnings''. For the name ''Vighnesha'', see: 〕 refers to his primary function in Hindu theology as the master and remover of obstacles (').〔For Krishan's views on Ganesha's dual nature see his quote: " has a dual nature; as Vināyaka, as a ', he is ', and as he is ', a '." Krishan, p. viii.〕 A prominent name for Ganesha in the Tamil language is ''Pillai'' ((タミル語:பிள்ளை)) or ''Pillaiyar'' ().〔Martin-Dubost, p. 367.〕 A. K. Narain differentiates these terms by saying that ''pillai'' means a "child" while ''pillaiyar'' means a "noble child". He adds that the words ''pallu'', ''pella'', and ''pell'' in the Dravidian family of languages signify "tooth or tusk", also "elephant tooth or tusk".〔Narain, A. K. ": The Idea and the Icon". Brown, p. 25.〕 Anita Raina Thapan notes that the root word ''pille'' in the name ''Pillaiyar'' might have originally meant "the young of the elephant", because the Pali word ''pillaka'' means "a young elephant".〔Thapan, p. 62.〕 In the Burmese language, Ganesha is known as ''Maha Peinne'' (, ), derived from Pali (). The widespread name of Ganesha in Thailand is ''Phra Phikhanet'' or ''Phra Phikhanesuan'', both of which are derived from ''Vara Vighnesha'' and ''Vara Vighneshvara'' respectively, whereas the name ''Khanet'' (from ''Ganesha'') is rather rare. In Sri Lanka, in the North-Central and North Western areas with predominantly Buddhist population, Ganesha is known as Aiyanayaka Deviyo, while in other Singhala Buddhist areas he is known as Gana deviyo. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ganesha」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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