The Best Around

Question: Is Ganesha really "perfect?"

If your definition of perfect includes a dude who overeats until he falls down and literally explodes, then puts the food back in his belly, and then stabs anyone who dares laugh at the spectacle... then, sure.

Hinduism is very fond of calling its deities "perfect", even when they are demonstrably being crazy, violent, illegal or immoral. Shiva is often called perfect, too, and he's a guy who never bathes and hangs out naked and covered in dead people in cemetaries when he's not at home murdering his sons. Vishnu's also called perfect, even though he punched his wife in the face that one time and ended up begging in the streets as a result. In most cases, including Ganesha's, what's meant is not that they're perfect in the sense of having no flaws and never making poor decisions, but perfect in embodying their particular area of divinity.

Ganesha may be a gluttonous crankypants, but he's perfect in wisdom; there's no knowledge beyond his reach or thought too difficult for him to unravel. He is a master of all sacred mysteries and the keeper of all godly wisdom. No matter what the confrontation or puzzle, he always knows, not just an answer that will work, but the perfect answer. He knows the answer by divine reckoning, not just what humanity might come up with as a solution.

So yes, Ganesha is perfect. Not physically perfect - he has a surrogate head, complete with busted tusk from the aforementioned stabbing incident. Not temperamentally perfect - he's eaten other gods out of house and home and, well, stabbed people. But intellectually perfect, as the perfect embodiment of wisdom? Absolutely.

I find that it helps, when any mythology starts calling their gods perfect (the Hindu aren't the only ones by any means - just look at the list of superlatives Greek poets heap on Zeus), to consider that what they're really saying is that the gods have Ultimates and Avatars. In those areas, they are the pinnacle of perfection, regardless of what other little wrinkles or idiosyncrasies they all probably have.