In readiness for anyone who may need it ...
Metaphorically.
You are a writer.
You are not one who usually runs out of ink but once in a while you find the flow blocked.
Or your pen breaks mid-word and the writing process grinds to a halt.
Sometimes making it impossible to resume, leaving unresolved thoughts that can arrange themselves only as they are transferred from mind to material
Leaving half grown ideas and half told tales, a writer's unwritten words ...
We've all been there.
And as I woke to the celebrations of Lord Ganesha's birthday all around, I had to stop and wonder as a writer, what his special attributes meant to me.
"Lend me your divine tusk, I'm out of ink"
The words tumbled out of me, addressed to noone in particular but clearly meant for the Patron God of Obstacle Races, our doorway to the resources of the universe.
As the words played over and over in my head, I understood that I was asking for two things at once.
And that he represented the source of both.
The writing device(pen), as much as the medium(ink) that carries our thoughts outward from our inner being.
I re-read the oft-told legend of Ganapati's broken tusk, which he held in his hand in apparent readiness for use.
And I found my own meanings.
He was a scribe for a sage who poured forth an epic, uninterrupted. So is the writer a scribe for an inner voice whose expression cannot be halted.
Ganesh had to understand what the sage told him. The writer needs to make sense of subconscious thoughts, convert them into meaningful words, arrange them so they can be reached by another.
What did Ganapati do when his writing device snapped?
He turned to his own resources - a "weapon" that his "second birth" had equipped him with, his tusk!
And what do we mortals do when we are out of these resources? We appeal to the universe to replenish them!
Happy Birthday Ganesha!
You are a powerful symbol of creative realization. You are our writing partner.
Happy Celebrations Readers! In any manner you enjoy celebrating.
Ganesh broke a tusk. In my understanding, he broke convention to serve the creative process.
May we all find ways to keep the words flowing.
In this unusual depiction, adapted by me from a photograph I'd taken of a Ganesh statue in Puri, we can clearly see his broken tusk and the whole one. We can also see that he's taken a break from writing to play the flute! Maybe it's to serenade the muse and keep her happy so the writer's inspiration keeps flowing. Maybe the great sage Vyasa did halt once in a while to collect his thoughts and this was his scribe's way of encouraging him when he wearied? Or does it mean he is giving a voice - a new dimension - to writing?
What do the readers think this signifies? Eager to hear your thoughts.
Disclaimer: No elephant was harmed in the writing of this post.
Shiva might have severed an elephant's head in the alterverse of mythology but he wouldn't even try in our real world. This writer staunchly supports the protection of elephants.
Metaphorically.
You are a writer.
You are not one who usually runs out of ink but once in a while you find the flow blocked.
Or your pen breaks mid-word and the writing process grinds to a halt.
Sometimes making it impossible to resume, leaving unresolved thoughts that can arrange themselves only as they are transferred from mind to material
Leaving half grown ideas and half told tales, a writer's unwritten words ...
We've all been there.
And as I woke to the celebrations of Lord Ganesha's birthday all around, I had to stop and wonder as a writer, what his special attributes meant to me.
"Lend me your divine tusk, I'm out of ink"
The words tumbled out of me, addressed to noone in particular but clearly meant for the Patron God of Obstacle Races, our doorway to the resources of the universe.
As the words played over and over in my head, I understood that I was asking for two things at once.
And that he represented the source of both.
The writing device(pen), as much as the medium(ink) that carries our thoughts outward from our inner being.
I re-read the oft-told legend of Ganapati's broken tusk, which he held in his hand in apparent readiness for use.
And I found my own meanings.
He was a scribe for a sage who poured forth an epic, uninterrupted. So is the writer a scribe for an inner voice whose expression cannot be halted.
Ganesh had to understand what the sage told him. The writer needs to make sense of subconscious thoughts, convert them into meaningful words, arrange them so they can be reached by another.
What did Ganapati do when his writing device snapped?
He turned to his own resources - a "weapon" that his "second birth" had equipped him with, his tusk!
And what do we mortals do when we are out of these resources? We appeal to the universe to replenish them!
Happy Birthday Ganesha!
You are a powerful symbol of creative realization. You are our writing partner.
Happy Celebrations Readers! In any manner you enjoy celebrating.
Ganesh broke a tusk. In my understanding, he broke convention to serve the creative process.
May we all find ways to keep the words flowing.
In this unusual depiction, adapted by me from a photograph I'd taken of a Ganesh statue in Puri, we can clearly see his broken tusk and the whole one. We can also see that he's taken a break from writing to play the flute! Maybe it's to serenade the muse and keep her happy so the writer's inspiration keeps flowing. Maybe the great sage Vyasa did halt once in a while to collect his thoughts and this was his scribe's way of encouraging him when he wearied? Or does it mean he is giving a voice - a new dimension - to writing?
What do the readers think this signifies? Eager to hear your thoughts.
Disclaimer: No elephant was harmed in the writing of this post.
Shiva might have severed an elephant's head in the alterverse of mythology but he wouldn't even try in our real world. This writer staunchly supports the protection of elephants.
Interesting read :) And Loved the Disclaimer :) :)
ReplyDeleteThat makes me happy. Writing it brought a naughty smile to my face.Glad the feeling is shared :)
DeleteLoved the metaphor of tusk as a 'pen' as well as the 'medium' for transferring of thoughts and ideas onto a piece of paper.
ReplyDeleteLoving your writing and sharing it. Keep it coming, Maya!!!
Your comment really made me ponder the different means by which we transfer from subconscious to conscious and from the inner realm to the outer. When pen and ink fail, you use a stylus to scratch your words on palm leaf. You can use slate and chalk (Tabula Rasa) or as we do most often, an electronic device. What's important is to capture the thoughts without losing them, capture the words that form, the sentences you craft out of them! The divine tusk I see as a metaphor for the entire process. Ironically you break one thing to ensure continuity of another.
ReplyDeleteWhat you "break" is a part of you. Which really means you use a resource you are already gifted with. We can each take our own messages from the symbolism of this story. As with all mythology it is layered with several meanings.
Keep commenting Nipun. Each comment is "a little piece of tusk" that plays its part in the continuity of creative flow.
Your post was recommended to me by my brother Nipun. The saying"do not judge the book by its cover"truly suits your blog. At first, I thought you will tell how the writers should overcome their writers' block. But I really like the way you have used Ganesha analogy. I also write blogs but every two months I have to give up the idea because my juices are not flowing. But now I get it. I am not reading into my subconscious. Thanks, and keep going.
ReplyDeleteA warm welcome to the blog!
DeleteNo you won't find the usual self-help claptrap here.
Do share your blog link. Would love to read it.
Happy the post spoke to you.
All the best! And come again :)
And that was Nipun who put a cover over the cover ;)
DeleteI love this idea that we have more than one birth in our lifetime. Ganesh's "second birth" and the replacement of his head with an elephant's is such a sign of hope in a world where people are purposefully, not accidentally, beheaded. That we can go on hoping and creating in such a world is one of Ganesh's great gifts to us...the gift of the overcoming of obstacles, whether they be outside us or within. Can we continue on to a "third birth," a birth in which we realize not only the creative potential within us from our past, but also the one beckoning us into our
ReplyDeletefuture? I'm hoping there is a special tusk which can help us write those final chapters, not only for ourselves, but also for our aching world...
Kim this is a profound comment. I see a post emerging on Chakratirtha Travels
DeleteGoogle hung up on me and I couldn't continue but I wanted to say that this beckoning into the future is really the theme of "Unwritten." There are so many words yet to be written. They are waiting somewhere, formed and unformed like children conceived, planned, dreamed of and in progress in the womb.
DeleteAnd while "Unwritten" is mainly focused on Creation By Word, it is about all forms of art waiting to be expressed.
Maybe it is fortuitous that I came across your blog (via Kiran Chaturvedi) while grappling with writer's block and I too was thinking of making a new beginning on and from Ganesh Chaturthi. But my block has been going on for about 4 years now, so I don't even know if I can call myself a writer, and maybe "writer's block" is too presumptuous a term for me! You have compelled me to think about what tusk I should break to start writing again----thank you!
ReplyDeleteWelcome aboard Lakshmi. It is so good to have new visitors. Your block will melt. Sometimes all it takes is a really good conversation on what you are yearning to write about. Kindred spirits have a way of coming together and interacting in cyberspace . Some way into these conversations you will realize you have already been writing whatever you needed to write. And when you read it back to yourself you'll know that all you need is to now sort it all out and put it together. Isn't it wonderful our conversations get recorded in writing? Here's to the end of your writer's block and may your creative juices flow and articulate themselves.
DeleteI did not know the story about the broken tusk! Laughing at the disclaimer - just perfect!
ReplyDeleteMom told me the story when I asked why he had a damaged tusk. I must've noticed it at a puja pandal where you have really huge images.
DeleteThe head and second birth stories though, I learned much later when invited to contribute thoughts about about elephant head symbolism on a friend's blog, and researching towards that.
Yes I am giggling now at the disclaimer. The title could alarm some people and they may swoop down all set to turn me in :)
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteIt happens so many times with the writers I believe. Though we don't use pend and ink now, we use the new technology of typing on computer, suddenly the power goes off, or typing on mobile, mobile get stuck and stops functioning.
ReplyDeleteThe idea, what I understood Ganesha has given us all is that find another source to keep writing as to keep your tempo and words flowing smoothly in your minds.
Wonderfully penned Chakra. This is a great help to the new amateur writers like me to impress.
Thank you.
"The idea, what I understood Ganesha has given us all is that find another source to keep writing as to keep your tempo and words flowing smoothly in your minds."
DeleteBrilliant - I love how you captured that essence! Thank you for commenting, not many do. Thank you for your support, it matters!
Beautiful heartwarming welcoming
ReplyDeleteThank you dear Shabana - visit when you can
DeleteWhat a feeling of peace to know that there is that divine tusk which we could bring into our consciousness and gain strength of ability or the inkling that is so much a necessity of a writer. Just the thought of it brings inner peace.
ReplyDeleteReading this makes me feel at peace. Have been restless of late.
Delete