Vinayakar: the twin lord vigneswarar

 

Vignarajo vinayaka: -- after the name vignara comes vinayaka.

 

We often install two idols of lord vigneswarar as twin. In many towns there will a street with the name "twin vigneswarar" street. In those streets, there will be two vigneswarar statues in the same altar, sitting next to each other. Instead of a separate temple, such twin vigneswarar are also found in Siva temples.

 

No other deity has such twin idols being worshipped. Only lord vigneswarar has this practice. He is called often twin vigneswarar.

 

Why it is so is because he is the only lord who himself does two acts which appear to be opposed to one another. I did not say "opposed" – only appear to be opposed. I will come to this explanation later. Overall, the two acts of his appear confronted with each other. The twin vigneswarar signify the lord for each of the acts.

 

In these twin vigneswarar one is vignaraja and another is vinayaka. Like how the statues are next to each other, their names are also next to each other in the 16 names. "vignarajo vinayaka:"

 

What are the two acts: one is to create obstacles; another is to remove obstacles. Both are opposed to one another.

 

When we say vigneswarar and vignaraja we should not take the meaning that the lord is the king of making obstacles. I had told you that we should take the meaning that the lord got the name vigneswarar because like how kings have the power to vanquish enemies and avert bad events, the lord has the power to erase the bad thing called obstacle. Normally, when we pray to him calling him vigneswarar we should relate to him with this feeling only.

 

However, when we call as first one among the twin vigneswarar, as vignaraja, we should take the meaning that he creates obstacles. According to the literal meaning, as how the (he laughed) one who is good is stealing is called "king of stealing", in the same way we should take the meaning that the lord who is an expert in causing obstacles is called the lord of obstacles, i.e. vignaraja.

 

Afterwards, when we consider him as the lord who removes obstacles, he is called "vinayaka".

 

Just because he causes obstacles, is he a fearful deity? Not at all.

 

That is why, instead of calling the creation and removal of obstacles as opposed to each other, I told that they "appear" to be opposed to each other. The inner motive of these two jobs is only one, i.e. blessing. That has split into two forms, creation and removal of obstacles. Therefore, fundamentally they are not opposed to each other.

 

Is creating obstacles a blessing? How? I will tell you why..

 

We have done several mistakes in our past lives and have carried them with us in this life. Nonetheless, with the blessing of the lord we now have developed some devotion to the lord vigneswarar, and we pray to him – all the activities that we start should be successful without obstacles – and begin our activities.

 

Okay, just because we pray like this, will it be correct that he overlook our past karma and simply grant success in our endeavors. Though he may forgive because of compassion, can he simply cancel all the previous karmas? Would it be correct? If it were so, how will people have fear of sin? Then, righteousness and justice will not prevail, is n't it? Will it not become that "we could have committed and can commit any sin; now if we worship a little bit to vigneswarar, all the mistakes will be fully forgiven"?

 

To avoid this type of situation only, he creates obstacles as vignaraja. "create" does not mean that he intentionally unjustly creates obstacles to trouble us. Based on our past karma, there will be a balance sheet of our good and bad deeds, deciding on our success on endeavors. Therefore, the root cause of what appears to be obstacle created by him is in fact a mistake committed by us in the past. That mistake will definitely pose obstacles to most of our efforts and trouble us by eluding success. Therefore, if we make efforts just on our own we will be unsuccessful. We will consistently fail because the obstacles will be enormous. Otherwise, it may allow us to get some easy wins in trivial activities, and pay us back on a major matter - as if bang on our heads – with a serious defeat! To avoid such an eventuality, like how a dam is created to let the water out down stream slowly in small quantities, instead of a flood that will wash away everything devastating the things around, the vignaraja ensures that the obstacles that we need to face in order to wash away our sins are channelized in small counts and intervals. In addition, the lord ensures that the water is not only channelized but also allowed to dry up. That is, he pull with his trunk that great obstacle which would otherwise harm us immensely, and because of his compassion he dissects its into smaller pieces, let us experience it in smaller counts, and does not let the remaining also harm us in one go, but come in smaller counts each time, so that we can bear each piece of the obstacle. Is it not good so long the past karmas are erased sooner? Only when the past karma is erased there is chance for liberation? If the past karma is postponed, how much more will we be loading to the baggage? To avoid this, he brings the obstacles forward, and lets us experience it—though it appears painful indeed the vignaraja is the lord who is doing us good in this manner.

 

Therefore, the one who brings forward our obstacles (due to our past karma) is vignaraja. Afterward, vinayaka is the one who reduces them into pieces and erases them after we have experienced a bit. Have you not heard about healing after creating an illness? In the same way, the one erupts obstacles is vignaraja and the one who heals is vinayaka.

 

In the 108 names, the two names vigna kartha (to one who creates obstacles) and vigna hartha (the one who removes obstacles) come one after the other—they correspond to vignaraja and vinayaka, respectively.

 

Vinayaka means the lord who is special – that is he is a king with a special quality – all deities are kings in their own way. Each one of them would have vanquished a demon or monster who would have committed crimes, and brought peace and happiness. Because they do so, and "lead us towards goodness" they are called "nayakas" i.e. "lords". But, the lord vigneswara is a special "vi" nayaka because he did not just vanquish the demons – but also removes the obstacles that he himself created (due to our past sins). Therefore, he is a special lord who "excels" himself – so he is verily the "vinayaka".

 

Like vignaraja we also use vigna vinayaka – in "vigna vinayaka pada namaste"

 

We can also take this to mean that he is superior to the lord who creates obstacles.

 

The vigna vinayaka is also vigna vinasaka i.e. the super remover of all obstacles! i.e he uproots all the obstacles and eradicates them. Sa in Sanskrit will become ya in Tamil – akasa – becomes akayam (sky). On the contrary, the vigna vinayaka in Sanskrit becomes in Tamil vigna vinasaka.