Why is Hindu custom to break coconut primarily associated to Lord Ganesha?

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Hindus rituals have symbolic imports. Lord Ganesha is the god who removes the hurdles in our efforts. You break coconut to propitiate Lord Ganesha so that he might remove the hurdles if any, on your endeavours. By breaking the coconut's hard outer nut, you visualise the stead and difficult hurdles on your ways are broken. At the esoteric level, it must be understood that all our difficulties come out of our ego. Ego is a hard nut to crack. It is more due to our clinging to our ego that all the hurdles present themselves before us and that proves to be our undoing. Hence, the message is that the ego if broken, all the hurdles in attaining our worldly and spiritual goals will be met.

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

Dhanyavaad,dear comrade!
Thanks to Kanya and to everyone too...

Answer 2

It's rule...................not for GANESHA . all of the HINDU GODS.

Answer 3

I think the custom actually originated from the pactice of breaking coconut & pouring the water on Shiva Linga.
It might also originate from the practice of offering the most treasured object to the god, and hence is still practiced more in southern and western India than northern or eastern India...as coconut was and still is the principle agricultural cash crop of the deccan...

Answer 4

Lord Ganesh, who is also known by various other names such as Ganapathi, Vinaayaka or Vighneswara, is the God who helps us overcome obstacles in life. He is the son of Lord Shiva and Mother Parvathi. Every rite or ceremony or project starts with the worship of Lord Ganesha.

Ganesh is the lord of new beginnings and guardian of entrances. A prayer to Ganesh is invariably accompanied by smashing a coconut, symbolic of smashing the undesirable forces inherent in oneself.

. The coconut is broken and placed before the Lord. It is later distributed as prasaada.

The fibre covering of the dried coconut is removed except for a tuft on the top. The marks on the coconut make it look like the head of a human being. The coconut is broken, symbolising the breaking of the ego. The juice within, representing the inner tendencies (vaasanas) is offered along with the white kernel - the mind, to the Lord.

A mind thus purified by the touch of the Lord is used as prasaada.
The marks on the coconut are even thought to represent the three-eyed Lord Shiva and therefore it is considered to be a means to fulfill our desires