PINCHUNO

I'm listening to JPR at the moment and this tune from "Live rom San Francisco" just came on. Now, te musical element apart, what does everyone think of the chanting of "Ganesha" at the begining and end. With all respect to Maynard and from whichever source this chant comes from, I think it sounds just too corny to be true, especially with Maynard's nasal sounding voice. Any comments?

sdhinote

Have you ever talked to Maynard? He sounds like that when he's speaking as well!

As a former band member (for a short time way back in the stone age) and contributor to his newsletter, I can tell you he is very devout in his beliefs and that he visits his guru in India at least once a year. And yes, he does put himself in a quiet place and chants every day. He believes this helps him focus. Ganesha is just a combination of several chants put into an arrangement for the band.

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Geoff Winstead
former studio player/private teacher in SD

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PINCHUNO

Thanks Geoff. I've heard Maynard talk loads of times and with all respect to his beliefs, from a "comercial" point of view, it just sounds a bit corny doesn't it.

Manny Laureano

You know, it's funny... that was my view, Pinchuno, when i first heard that tune live a few years ago when the tune started. When it began I said,"Oh, great... what's this now?" But I have to say the tune really held my interest and I got into it as it developed and I wound up really liking it quite a bit.

ML

Alex Yates

Heh, heh.....Good ol' Maynard. He has always had a very nasal voice. Surprising coming from such a big guy. I still get a kick out of him singing "I Can't Get Started". He is no Frank Sinatra, but I think it is great that he puts himself out there. He is really enjoying his music and his life. More power to him, I say.

Do you guys know what/who "Ganesha" is?

He is the Elephant/Boy diety in the Hindu belief system. To chant Ganesha is to "remove all obstacles and bring success". I have a small charm I wear around my neck that is a morphing of the symbol "OM" and Ganesha.

Here is a pasted article for reference (for those who are interested).

Ganesha — the elephant-deity riding a mouse — has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.

The Lord of Success
The son of Shiva and Parvati, Ganesha has an elephantine countenance with a curved trunk and big ears, and a huge pot-bellied body of a human being. He is the Lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. He is also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth. In fact, Ganesha is one of the five prime Hindu deities (Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga being the other four) whose idolatry is glorified as the panchayatana puja.

Ganesh Chaturthi
The devotees of Ganesha are known as 'Ganapatyas', and the festival to celebrate and glorify him is called Ganesh Chaturthi.

Significance of the Ganesha Form
Ganesha's head symbolizes the Atman or the soul, which is the ultimate supreme reality of human existence, and his human body signifies Maya or the earthly existence of human beings. The elephant head denotes wisdom and its trunk represents Om, the sound symbol of cosmic reality. In his upper right hand Ganesha holds a goad, which helps him propel mankind forward on the eternal path and remove obstacles from the way. The noose in Ganesha's left hand is a gentle implement to capture all difficulties.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice, which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo (sweet) he holds in his trunk indicates that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.

How Ganesha Got His Head
The story of the birth of this zoomorphic deity, as depicted in the Shiva Purana, goes like this: Once goddess Parvati, while bathing, created a boy out of the dirt of her body and assigned him the task of guarding the entrance to her bathroom. When Shiva, her husband returned, he was surprised to find a stranger denying him access, and struck off the boy's head in rage. Parvati broke down in utter grief and to soothe her, Shiva sent out his squad (gana) to fetch the head of any sleeping being who was facing the north. The company found a sleeping elephant and brought back its severed head, which was then attached to the body of the boy. Shiva restored its life and made him the leader (pati) of his troops. Hence his name 'Ganapati'. Shiva also bestowed a boon that people would worship him and invoke his name before undertaking any venture.

However, there's another less popular story of his origin, found in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana: Shiva asked Parvati to observe the punyaka vrata for a year to appease Vishnu in order to have a son. When a son was born to her, all the gods and goddesses assembled to rejoice on its birth. Lord Shani, the son of Surya (Sun-God), was also present but he refused to look at the infant. Perturbed at this behaviour, Parvati asked him the reason, and Shani replied that his looking at baby would harm the newborn. However, on Parvati's insistence when Shani eyed the baby, the child's head was severed instantly. All the gods started to bemoan, whereupon Vishnu hurried to the bank of river Pushpabhadra and brought back the head of a young elephant, and joined it to the baby's body, thus reviving it.

Ganesha, the Destroyer of Pride
Ganesha is also the destroyer of vanity, selfishness and pride. He is the personification of material universe in all its various magnificent manifestations. "All Hindus worship Ganesha regardless of their sectarian belief," says D N Singh in A Study of Hinduism. "He is both the beginning of the religion and the meeting ground for all Hindus."

sdhinote

I'll grant you that it may sound a bit "corny" now, but that's where his head was at then, and like all good artists, you let your audience know who you are at that particular point in your life through your music. In 10 years we'll all just sit back and laugh at some of the commercial stuff being played today... Wait! I do that already...

Now, that being said, I am going nuts trying to find my Live in S.F. cd! It isn't where it should be and I believe its out of print. Aaaarrrrghh!

Alex, thank you so much for your info. I knew some of it, but didn't want to expound on a religious viewpoint I didn't have a full understanding of. Bravo!

__________________
Geoff Winstead
former studio player/private teacher in SD

Benge 3x+
Blessing ML-1G Artist's Model
Conn Connstellation 38B (Cat's horn)
Wharburton 5sv/5
Kanstul flugel w/Schilke 13F

Manny Laureano

Honestly, Alex...

I don't think there's a subject you couldn't hold forth on without some substantive knowledge. We're lucky to have you around, kiddo!

ML