Avatars of Lord Ganesha

Lord Ganesha has eight avatars, as do Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. Ganpati took these avatars to exterminate creatures from all eras. Actually, Lord Ganesha took these eight avatars to safeguard people from eight types of self-destructive habits: Kaam, Krodh, Mad, Lobh, Matsar, Moh, Ahankar and Agyan. According to Hindu scriptures, these eight components have the greatest impact on people's life. The following are Lord Ganesha's eight avatars.

Table of contents

Vakratunda: First incarnation of Lord Ganesha
Ekadanta: Avatar with one tooth and four arms
Mahodara: Destroyer of confusion
Gajanana: Destroyer of greed
Lambodara: Destroyer of the demon of anger
Vikat: One who defeats the demon of lust
Vighnaraja: Remover of obstacles
Dhumravarna: Destroyer of ego

Vakratunda: First incarnation of Lord Ganesha
Ganesha's very first incarnation was Vakratunda, which means curled trunk. According to tradition, Lord Indra's heedlessness resulted in the birth of the demon Matsarasura. Matsara represents envy and selfishness. Shiva bestowed the blessing of fearlessness on Matsarasura after he performed tremendous penance. He, together with his two sons, Sundar Priya and Vishaypriya, controlled the three planets and caused devastation everywhere. All of the gods contacted Shiva for assistance, but due to his own boon, Shiva was limited in his abilities. Finally, Lord Dattatreya came to the rescue. He revealed to all the gods the secret of the monosyllabic mantra, Gam, and instructed them to invoke Lord Vakratunda. Vakratunda, the lion, arrived in his vehicle and slaughtered Matsara's two boys. Looking at the powerful god, the demon surrendered and asked for forgiveness. The Lord forgives him and restores the three dimensions.
Ganesha, in his Vakratunda avatar, demonstrates to the world that no matter how powerful or wealthy you are, wisdom is found in knowing and understanding your own limitations. 

Ekadanta: Avatar with one tooth and four arms
Chyavana, an asura, had a son named Mada who enjoyed madira, or alcohol. Mada was educated by his uncle Shukracharya, who was Chyavana's brother and the asura guru. Madasura told Shukracharya that he wished to dominate the world. Shukracharya, pleased with his nephew's ambition, offered him the Shakti Mantra 'Hrim'. Madasura did penance for a thousand years, calling the goddess and receiving exceptional powers from her. Madasura began conquering the three realms, armed with his new talents and fueled by drink and selfishness. The gods appealed to the sage Sanat Kumara for assistance. Sanat Kumara instructed them to invoke Ekadanta. Ekadanta, seated on Mooshika, arrived to fight the demon. However, Madasura lost his courage in the presence of the great god and surrendered, receiving Ekadanta's mercy. Ganesha's Ekadanta avatar demonstrates how intoxication can fill one with pride beyond control.

Mahodara: Destroyer of confusion
The narrative of Ganesha's third avatar, Mahodara, has two variants. The first version discusses the major antagonist, Mohasura, who became known as Daitya Raj, or "King of the Asuras," because of his devotion to Surya, the sun deity. In the second version, when Shiva was deep in concentration and the gods needed him, they requested Parvati's assistance in breaking his trance. Parvati acquired an attractive form, distracting Shiva. When Shiva awaked from his meditation condition, Parvati sacrificed her captivating form. This abandoned energy manifested as Mohasura, the personification of delusion, and proceeded on a rampage across all three planets. Both stories end similarly.
The worried gods turned to Surya for help. Surya recommended they pray to Mahodara. Mahodara, encouraged by the prayers, lands on Mooshika to wage battle against Mohasura. At this point, Vishnu appears and advises Mohasura to surrender, as everything will be forgiven. Mohasura follows Lord Vishnu's advice and surrenders himself to Mahodara, becoming his eternal devotee.

Gajanana: Destroyer of greed
Kubera, the heavens' treasurer, once paid a visit to Lord Shiva's residence, Kailasa. He looked at Goddess Parvati with affectionate eyes, making her upset with his thoughts towards her. Kubera started to shiver with horror. This terrifying energy materialised as Lobha and Lobhasura went on to study under Shukracharya, performing penance with the mantra 'Om Namah Shivaya' until he gained enough power to conquer the three kingdoms. Troubled, the gods contacted Sage Raibhya, who advised them to pray to Lord Gajanana. The mere presence of Gajanana was enough to fill Lobhasura with guilt, and he begs for mercy. This avatar demonstrates to the world that passion is self-indulgent and self-centred, and it unintentionally leads to the destruction of the soul.

Lambodara: Destroyer of the demon of anger
During the event of the cosmic churning of the ocean, Vishnu disguised himself as the lovely and captivating Mohini in order to mislead the asuras. However, he did not notice Shiva getting captivated by his avatar. When Vishnu realises this, he promptly returns to his normal form. This made Shiva sad and annoyed, and his rage manifested as the dreadful monster Krodhasura. Krodhasura became Shukracharya's student, worshipping the Sun deity and performing penance, eventually becoming powerful enough to wreak devastation on the three planets. To halt Krodhasura's fury, Ganesha transformed the appearance of Lambodara and appeared with a potbelly large enough to contain the demon Krodhasura's rage! Lambodara subdues Krodhasura, and peace is restored.

Vikat: One who defeats the demon of lust
Kamasura was born from Vishnu and Vrinda, the wife of the demon Jalandhara. He represented deceit, lust, and the consequences of a desire. Kamasura sought sanctuary with Shukracharya, the asuras' guru, and was instructed to practice strict penance and concentrate on Shiva. Kamasura then acquired a blessing, which allowed him to conquer the three planets and cause havoc for all of the gods. On the instruction of the sage Mudgala, the gods begin to chant 'Om' in a location known as Mayuresa Kshetra, bringing Ganesha in the form of Vikata atop a peacock. Ganesha's Vikata form effortlessly defeats Kamasura. This avatar shows the world that desire knows no bounds. Satisfaction and contentment are a state of being that comes from within rather than the product of any effort.

Vighnaraja: Remover of obstacles
Goddess Parvati was relaxing with her friends in a woodland when her laughter transformed into a gorgeous boy. Surprised by her creation and persuaded by her ego, which resulted in attachment, she named him 'Mama', which means' mine' in Sanskrit. She advised him to always take the right road and worship Lord Ganesha. Mama decides to go to the jungles to concentrate on Lord Ganesha, but she encounters the demon Sambara along the route. Sambara draws him into the world of the asuras, and the good-natured Mama gradually transforms into the demon Mamasura. He marries Mohini, the daughter of an asura lord, and begins his mission to control the three worlds. The gods, defeated and forced out of Swarglok, come to Ganesha for rescue. So he adopts the form of Vighnaraja, the remover of barriers. Vighnaraja rides on the giant serpent Sheshnaag, defeating the demon of attachment and restoring peace. Vighnaraja was a symbol that demonstrated to the world that worldly attachments do not bring happiness. The soul seeks truth and divinity; everything else is an illusion.

Dhumravarna: Destroyer of ego
This was Ganesha's last avatar. Brahma once granted authority over the 'world of action' to his grandson, Surya, the sun god. Surya became proud and reasoned that because the entire world is regulated by karma, or action, he had become the world's master. As this thought flashed through his head, he sneezed, revealing a demon. The demon went to Shukracharya, who named him Ahamkarasura because he was born from the sun's ego. Shukracharya also instructed him to perform penance and concentrate on Ganesha. The gods, terrified by Ahamkaura's rising strength, turn to Ganesha for help. Ganesha obliges, taking the form of Dhumravarna, appearing at Mooshika and conquering the arrogant demon. This tale reminds us that ‘ahamkara’, or ego, is the fundamental cause of self-destruction.

Actually, Lord Ganesha took these eight avatars to safeguard people from eight types of self-destructive habits: Kaam, Krodh, Mad, Lobh, Matsar, Moh, Ahankar and Agyan. According to Hindu scriptures, these eight components have the greatest impact on people's life.