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Hindu Deity Ganesha  

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Hindu Deity Ganesha Image
Ganesha is India's cutest god. He has the head of an elephant on which is perched a dainty tiara, four pudgy hands joined to a sizeable belly with each hand holding its own symbolic object. One has a trishul, or a trident, the second, an ankush, or goad made from his very own broken tooth, the third hand elegantly holds a lotus and the fourth a rosary (which is sometimes replaced by modaks - his favourite sweet). His appetite for sweets is legendary and offerings of them are often left at his shrine.

Ganesha is famous not only for being a trickster and for his sense of humour, but equally for his wisdom. He is the son of Shiva (Destroyer in the Hindu Holy Trinity of Creator-Preserver-Destroyer) and Parvati (Shiva's consort).

The chubby, gentle, wise, elephant-headed Ganesh, or Ganesha, is one of Hinduisms most popular deities. He is the remover of obstacles, the deity whom worshippers first acknowledge when they visit a temple. He is also patron of letters and of learning; he is the legendary scribe who, using his broken tusk, which he often holds, wrote down parts of the Mahabharata epic.

"from "Loving Ganesa"

by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami


Egyptian Deity Jah Or Iah  

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Egyptian Deity Jah Or Iah Image
Jah is often used as a shortened form of the Tetragrammaton. The Tetragrammaton is often translated (especially in older English versions of the Bible) by use of the term "LORD", and the word "Hallelujah" by the phrase "Praise ye the LORD" (Psalm 104:35 KJV and footnote). Thus, partially translated and partially transliterated, the term could be rendered "Praise Jah."

In the original text of the Hebrew Bible, "Jah" occurs 50 times, 26 times alone and 24 times in the term "Hallelujah" (see footnote to Psalm 104:35). In the King James Version of the Bible it is transliterated as "JAH" i.e. all capital letters, in only a single instance: "Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him." (Psalm 68:4). "An American Translation" renders the Hebrew word as "Yah" in this verse. The complete Tetragrammaton is not always rendered as Jehovah. Rotherham's "Emphasised Bible"Masoretic Tanach: Psalms 68:19, - Yah Elohim.YHWH includes 49 uses of Jah.

In the West Indies, the recent popularity of reggae, and the Rastafari movement's referring to Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia as "Jah" or "God," has led to the use of the names "Jah" and "I and I" in Rastafari circles. This term is also used in hip-hop Pigeon John of LA Symphony in California, and Seph1 of Tempo Valley in Hawaii. Used also in popular Rastafari terms such as "Jah" among young Rastas. According to the band P.O.D., they use such terms to refer to elements of the Bible in songs such as "The Messenjah" from "Satellite", "Freedom Fighters" from "Payable on Death" and "Praise Jah ">demonstrating the evolution of reggae to hip-hop from the dance hall in Jamaica to rhyme, by such artists as

The Assemblies of Yahweh use the term Yah, which they believe sounds more accurate and would comply with the Name of YHWH. In the "Sacred Scriptures Bethel Edition" Bible the Name YHWH and abbreviated form Yah is found. The "New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures", a Bible translation used and distributed by Jehovah's Witnesses, features the word "Jah" in all 26 places in the Hebrew-Aramaic Scriptures, commonly known as the Old Testament, and translates the Hebrew 'Hallelujah' as 'Praise Jah, you people' in all 24 occurrences of that expression in the Hebrew Scriptures, and in all four occurrences of the corresponding Greek expression in the Book of Revelation 19:1, 3, 4 and 6 in their Christian Greek Scriptures

Due to the frequent use of the word, in some parts of the world, notably South Africa, a Rastafari is colloquially referred to as Jahman.

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