Kubera Ganesha teaches us how to Be Better ⨁ with Less ⊖
I recently visited a Hindu temple in Bangalore dedicated to Sri Ganapati and Sri Dakshinamurthy
Ganapati (Ganesha) is the Hindu God who removes obstacles
Dakshinamurthy (which means “One who faces the South”) is a form of Shiva as a benevolent teacher who imparts wisdom and enlightenment to seekers.
In Jyotish (Hindu astrology), Dakshinamurthy is related to Guru (Jupiter), the largest planet in our solar system that symbolizes expansion and growth ⨁
As Ganesha and Dakshinamurthy are my two favorite Hindu Gods, I went to this temple to worship them.
To my great surprise, I found next to the idols of Ganesha and Dakshinamurthy a statue of Shani (Saturn)
In Jyotish, Shani is viewed as a malefic planet associated with hardship and restrictions ⊖
Sade Sati is a 7.5-year period in Vedic astrology when Saturn transits over your zodiac sign. I went through it between 2014 and 2021
Most Hindus dread Sade Sati, expected to bring AUSTERITY and HARDSHIP in your life
But here is the secret: during Sade Sati, Shani restricts your material growth (personal finances) to shift your focus to your INNER-growth
Read this great article on it.
During 2014–2021, I faced severe financial hardship, but it was a great 7.5 year period of intellectual and spiritual growth.
When I saw Ganesha flanked by Guru and Shani (see photo above), I realized the deep meaning of the Infinity symbol (∞) I used in the cover of my new book The Frugal Economy.
In this Infinity ∞ symbol, the ⨁ is Guru and ⊖ is Shani
Guru ⨁ boldly encourages us: Do (and Be) MORE
Shani ⊖ reminds us prudently: LESS is Better
Shani is the planet of boundaries.
As climate change worsens, we need to respect the “planetary boundaries” and produce and consume LESS.
But we humans are not born to do LESS. We are wired to do MORE. We are driven by an innate evolutionary need to surpass ourselves and *break* all boundaries.
Humanity today must reconcile our innate yearning to do (be) MORE and the ecological imperative to do LESS
Kubera Ganesha symbolizes the wisdom we must cultivate to manage this paradox of “Doing MORE with LESS”
Kubera Ganesha teaches us what is real wealth.
Read the myth on how Kubera Ganesha teaches us humility.
Kubera Ganesha teaches us how to *experience* infinity (∞) while living on a finite planet, by making us aware of 2 things:
1) “Infinite economic growth on a finite planet” is no longer sustainable
2) “Infinite human growth on a finite planet” is possible and worth pursuing as a noble goal
In my book, I use 100 examples to show how businesses & countries can simultaneously:
DO LESS ⊖ by respecting planetary boundaries and play safely within those limits
BE MORE ⨁ by crossing physical, mental, scientific limits and pushing out the boundaries of what humans can achieve, not selfishly but to serve others
Let us become Kubera Ganesha and wisely harness the power of both Guru and Shani to DO (BE) BETTER ⨁ with LESS ⊖
As Lord of Paradox, Ganesha invites us to RESPECT and BREAK ALL LIMITS
