Saiva Siddhanta Church

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A Pancha Ganapati Story: Watching the Better-Than Monster

Saiva Siddhanta Church – December 21

On December 21, during Pancha Ganapati, we gathered to celebrate joy, renewal, and the quiet art of beginning again. As often happens during this sacred season, a simple story helped us see ourselves more clearly. It was told like a small play, with gentle humor and a serious purpose.

The story begins with a familiar character: the Better-Than Monster.

Act One: Awakening — Seeing Clearly

The Better-Than Monster enters first, without hesitation. It is loud, busy, and already decorated. Medals hang from its neck. A scoreboard flashes numbers no one remembers adding. An applause machine hums constantly.

The monster talks to itself while scanning the room.
“Am I ahead? Who is behind? Are they watching?”

The monster is not cruel. It is restless. It compares everything. Even standing alone, it competes with an invisible opponent. From a distance, this is oddly amusing. The monster works very hard, yet looks permanently tired.

Then the seeker enters quietly.

The seeker does not interrupt. No announcement. No correction. The seeker simply observes and softly repeats Aum Namah Sivaya.

This moment reflects a core Saiva Siddhanta teaching. Gurudeva reminded us often:

“You are not the body. You are not the mind. You are the soul.”

The seeker sees clearly that praise and blame belong to the outer world. They rise and fall like waves. The soul—anma—stands apart, calm and unchanged.

This is Iruvinai Opputal, acceptance. The seeker does not fight the monster. Awareness alone weakens its grip. The applause machine keeps running, but it already sounds hollow.

Act Two: Love — Living Devotion

In the second act, the Better-Than Monster changes tactics. It wants love.

“Love me,” it says, “but only if I succeed. Only if I shine. Only if I am admired.”

The monster waits, chest out, listening for approval.

The seeker responds in a very different way. The seeker cooks food. The seeker sweeps the floor. The seeker lights a lamp, chants, and offers the day to Siva. No performance. No audience.

This is Irubathu Anpu—love as steady practice.

Gurudeva taught:

“Love is not something you seek. Love is something you become.”

In the Saiva Siddhanta Church, devotion shows itself in regularity, discipline, and humility. At Kauai Aadheenam, monks rise at 3:00 a.m., not because anyone is watching, but because devotion thrives on consistency. Love expresses itself through routine, not display.

The seeker moves like this—simple, attentive, sincere. The space grows peaceful. No one claps, yet something feels complete.

The monster watches, puzzled. It tries harder, but the seeker’s quiet devotion fills the room without effort.

Act Three: Transcendence — Letting the Stage Fall Away

In the third act, something subtle happens. The need for an audience fades. The stage itself begins to disappear.

The scoreboard tips over. The props lose importance. Without attention, the Better-Than Monster starts to shrink. It looks around, searching for comparison, but there is nothing left to measure.

Its loud voice softens. Then it stops.

This is Onrupatu—transcendence.

Gurudeva described this simply and clearly:

“When the ego is quiet, the soul shines.”

There is no performer now, and no critic. No better, no worse. The seeker stands still, resting in awareness. Beyond thought, beyond effort, only Siva remains—Parasiva, timeless and formless.

The story naturally brings to mind Iraivan Temple. Hand-carved granite does not compete. It does not ask for approval. It stands because it was shaped patiently, prayerfully, and with devotion. Long after applause fades, the stone remains.

Closing Reflection

At the end of the story, a gentle humor lingers. The Better-Than Monster turns out to be inflatable. It stood tall only because attention kept filling it with air. Once awareness turned inward, the monster collapsed quietly and without drama.

Pancha Ganapati reminds us to bring harmony into our homes—joy, culture, forgiveness, and renewal. This story reminds us that comparison has no place there.

Gurudeva often said:

“The goal of life is to realize Siva.”

Saiva Siddhanta does not ask us to be better than others. It asks us to know who we truly are, to live with love and discipline, and to rest finally in Siva. When we stop performing and start observing, life becomes lighter. And sometimes the greatest healing comes when we notice the monster, smile gently, and let it go.

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