Lord Ganesha is called Ganapati because he is the lord of the ganas, the demi-gods who are Lord Shiva’s attendants. “Gana” also means groups. They refer to pancha pranas (five life forces), antahkarana (four inner equipments), pancha mahabutas (the five elements), etc… Being the master, he leads all these groups in the right direction.

He is “Jagavandana”, the most worshipful in this world. Symbolically, he stands for Knowledge, and is the son of faith and trust. Ganesha is “Siddhisadana”, the abode of all siddhis.

Ganesha is called “Vinayaka” (Visista nayaka) - The incomparable leader. So, one who posseses faith and knowledge becomes the very abode of all success (siddhisadana) and a very good leader. One of the leadership qualities is compassion, and Lord Ganesha has it in abundance. He is called “Krpasindhu” - the ocean of compassion.

Ganesha is described as “Gajavadana” - with elephant’s face. The elephant’s trunk has enormous strength and is also capable of identifying fine distinctions. Ganesha’s beauty is that he is capable of doing everything - “Saba layaka”. He is also “Modaka priya”, which means lover of Joy. He is a symbol of joy, auspiciousness and goodness.

If we can try to emulate him, we can gain joy, peace and success.