Should We Perform Visarjan… But What and Why Should We Immerse?*🌸 (Visarjan – Not the End, but the Dawn of Renewal)

Today is Anant Chaturdashi. Ten days of celebration — the fragrance of sweet modaks, the sound of sacred aartis, joy in every household, and hearts filled with devotion — all come to a close today. We bid farewell to Lord Ganesha. But this farewell is not merely the immersion of a clay idol in water. This moment signifies the purification of our inner being.

This morning, when we immersed the Ganesh idol at home, the aartis fell silent, the sweet aroma of modaks faded, and the atmosphere was tinged with parting sorrow. At that moment, my young grandson turned to me, his eyes moist, and asked with innocence,

*आजोबा do we perform Visarjan? And for what purpose?*

I was taken aback. Such a simple, yet piercing question! His query stirred my own heart — why indeed do we immerse the idol of Ganesha every year?

And from this innocent question, from this reflection and self-inquiry, this article was born…

The idol is shaped from clay, becomes sacred through worship, and finally returns to water, merging back with its origin. This journey teaches us a profound truth — everything in this world is temporary. However much we love, cherish, and cling to things or people, eventually everything must merge back into its source. This remembrance is an invitation to shed arrogance and immerse attachment.

After ten days of closeness, we grow deeply attached to Ganesha. At the moment of Visarjan, our eyes fill with tears, our hearts grow heavy. We wish He would stay a little longer… but no, Visarjan is inevitable. For the principle of Ganesha teaches us — whatever object, relationship, or circumstance has completed its purpose, must be let go. To cling to it is to invite suffering. Vinoba Bhave beautifully defined liberation: 🌸 *To resist the moment of attachment is to attain Moksha.*🌸

That is, the feeling of attachment will arise — but if, in that very moment, we refuse to surrender to it, we taste freedom.

In truth, even nature is constantly performing Visarjan.

The snake sheds its old skin; without shedding, its growth halts.

The eagle breaks its beak, talons, and feathers, enduring pain — but from this sacrifice it gains renewed strength.

The human body sheds thousands of old cells every day to create new ones; if the old did not die, the body itself would fall sick. This is nature’s law of balance.

All these processes proclaim — without Visarjan, renewal is impossible. Unless the old is cast away, the new cannot take birth. Hence, Visarjan is not destruction but the preparation for creation.

True Visarjan is not just of the idol.

True Visarjan means —

• To let go of anger, jealousy, hatred, and greed.

• To dissolve past bitterness, insults, and complaints.

• To release pride, the burden of incompleteness, and grievances into the waters, and to begin afresh.

At this moment, the Jain tradition of *Michhami Dukkadam* comes to mind. At the end of Paryushan, every Jain humbly says — *If I have hurt you knowingly or unknowingly, please forgive me.* This is not mere formality, but a genuine path to inner cleansing. It is the Visarjan of bitterness and the rebirth of relationships.

On this day of Visarjan, let us too, in the presence of Ganesha, offer a prayer of forgiveness:

🙏 *Dear ones, if knowingly or unknowingly I have ever hurt you, please forgive me.*🙏

Such forgiveness is true liberation. The heart feels lighter, and relationships shine with new light.

But in reality, these emotions must not remain empty words. They must descend into action and become the fragrance of our behavior. For this, the daily recitation of a Universal Prayer should become the very breath of our lives:

🌸 *O Lord, may all be blessed.*

🌸 *O Lord, may all prosper.*

🌸 *O Lord, may all be protected.*

🌸 *O Lord, may abundance come to all.*

When such a prayer becomes the heartbeat of our being, true Visarjan happens. Slowly, anger, hatred, jealousy, and pride dissolve, and life blossoms into harmony and divinity.

Visarjan is not the end. It is the beginning of a new journey.

Though the idol dissolves in water, the ripples of Ganesha’s wisdom remain in our hearts.

And every year, this ritual of Visarjan should become the immersion of our inner negativity, and the celebration of the birth of goodness.

Poet Keshavsut gave voice to this same spirit in his immortal poem “Tutari” —

🌸 *Let the old perish, let it die away; bring forth the new, bring forth the new!*🌸

That is — whenever anything has completed its course, do not cling to it; for from its very ashes springs the new shoot, the new life.

This is the true teaching of the Ganesh principle — discard what has become heavy and stale; welcome new inspiration, fresh vigor, and auspicious renewal.

Today is Anant Chaturdashi.

This moment of Visarjan signifies the merging of the finite into the Infinite.

The Complete once again becomes one with the Complete.

As the Upanishads declare —

“That is whole, this is whole.

From the Whole, the Whole arises.

When the Whole is taken from the Whole,

the Whole alone remains.”

The Visarjan of the Ganesh principle is the uniting of existence with the Infinite.

The idol dissolves in water, but the essence of Ganesha merges into the eternal, and continues to dwell in our hearts forever.

🌺 *Ganapati Bappa Morya,*

*Come back soon next year!*🌺

(A Reflection on Anant Chaturdashi –

*Jayant Joshi*