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Question - 6
Is there any evidence for Ganesh Chaturthi Vrata in the Mahabharata?
Answer:
Yes.
The description by Vyasa of the second day of conversation with Bheeshma who was lying on the arrow bed shows that it was a Shukla Chaturthi day. The previous day Krishna brought the Pandavas to the presence of Bheeshma on the arrow bed and asked Bheeshma to part with his knowledge. The Pandavas returned to Hastinapura for the night and came back to meet Bheeshma the next morning which was the 2nd day of his conversation with them.
On that evening, Pandavas cut short the conversion even though Bheeshma was willing to continue. Yudhishthira said that he would ask his doubts the next morning as the sun was about to set then. Before the sunset they wanted to leave for home, heading towards the east. This sense of urgency was not seen on any other day.
While returning they stopped at River Dridhadvati and bathed which was also not reported on any other day. By sunset, they had taken bath in the river and offered Sandhyopasana and Mangalopasana. Sandhyopasana is the Sandhyavandana, done on all days. We come across references to Sandhyavandana in many contexts in the Mahabharata. For example, the very next morning the Pandava-s had done their morning oblations, but the specific mention in the evening at Drishadvati is something odd.
Additionally they had done Mangalopasana. The specific mention of “maṅgalāḥ upāsya” seems to be a reference to Lord Ganesha, whose form is supposed to be ‘Mangala’. The planet Mars attained the title Mangala after having seen the Mangala form of Ganesha on his wedding with Siddhi (this gave him the name Siddhi Vinayaka), according to Vinayaka Purana. “Mangalarambha” is an epithet of Ganesha– referring to starting any work after worshiping Ganesha. So, the worship of Mangala could only refer to the worship of Ganesha.
The Mangalopasana done on Shukla Chaturthi after sunset shows that they sighted the 4th phase of the moon in the west on their return, before they could turn towards Hastinapura in the east. This phase of the moon will be visible in the western sky as soon as the sun sets. Pandavas wanted to avoid seeing this moon and hence started early, but could not avoid seeing it. This made them halt at Drishadvati and do the worship in addition to Sandhyavandana. Vyasa also was a part of this entourage that did Mangalopasana.
The methods of worship might have modified over time, but the concept has survived until recently as reported in the Journal of Literature and Science produced in the previous answer. Standing in water with mental thoughts on Ganesha or with a lump consecrated with Ganesha might have evolved into making Ganesha image in fresh clay and immersing in water after worship as a mark of Ganesha washing off the obstacles.
There is scope to presume that Vyasa did some form of ‘Maṅgalopāsana’ for the successful completion of the text of Mahabharata that he included it as well in the text as Ganesha, the scribe. By that he assigned the responsibility of completing the text to Lord Ganesha, which is very much in line with the purport of the Caturthi vrata done even today.
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