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Ganesh Poojaa is performed before any Devtaa is worshipped that is what Shiv gave him the boon.

Leaves Used for Ganesh Chaturthee
One may use 21 leaves for Ganesh Chaturthee Poojaa. The leaves are also known as Ganesh Patree. Below are the pictures of 21 leaves used during Vinaayak Chaturthee. Traditionally leaves of 108 different types of plants are offered, but today most people confine the offering to Doorvaa grass and Bilva leaves. In some regions, certain wild leaves are worshipped instead of Ganesh Moorti. In most community Poojaa, 21 different types of leaves are offered.

Tulasee leaves are only used during Ganesh Chaturthee Poojaa. It is not used during other Ganesh Poojaa.
Nirgud Kimva or Neem leaves is also used, but both are not used together.
Similarly, Kevadaa or Doralee is used. Both are not used together. Dorali is also known as Ranvange.
Mango leaves are also widely used for decorating the Poojaa area.
Not all 21 leaves are offered in Poojaa performed in homes.

Ganesh and Saraswatee
There are two Gods for learning - Ganesh and Saraswatee. Ganesh is for countable knowledge (Gananaa = counting), and Saraswatee is for abstract knowledge which is Bhaav or Ras, it is Rasavatee, that is why she is called Saraswatee - Sa means with, Ras means sweetness, and Vatee means woman, so Saraswatee means "a woman with sweetness". These are two opposite ends of knowledge, so their worship comes at opposite ends of Samvatsar cycle-separated by 6 months in Bhaadrapad Shukla 4th and Maagh Shukla 5th. Why Ganesh is 4th and Saraswatee is 5th? - no answer. Chandra is the owner of 4th Raashi (Kark or Cancer) and the Sun is the owner of 5th Raashi. Or discrete objects are 4th stage of creation - root state is Amaavasyaa. Next stage is their Mahimaa = field of influence, that is Saraswatee. Man is after 5th Aahuti, i.e 6th creation. In space the 5 stages are - Swaayambhoo (universe), Parameshthee (galaxy), Saur (solar system), Chandra (sphere of Moon orbit) and Bhoo (the Earth). Man is the 6th after that.

I had asked Dr, Abdul Salam of Pakistan when he stayed with me for 2 days in 1981 after getting Nobel prize. He thought about his Indian and Hindu heritage and stated that philosophical basis of his theory was Vedaant which was continuous filed theory, not discrete theory. I differed with him on the ground that Ved has to be Universal and it cannot exclude one branch of knowledge. in explanation I explained this concept. Then there were 2 types of computers - analog and digital. I gave example that analog is Saraswatee and digital is Ganesh. He stated that controller of Digital computer should be called mouse - which is now popular name probably on suggestion of Dr Salam.

Gan also means people and head of that institute is Ganesh (president). Mover of grand size of masses is small size mouse (Hazrat Moosaa of Koraan, Moses of Bible). As head of state he takes tax which is called Kar as Kar also means trunk of elephant through which it takes in water. Thus, Ganesh is called Karat in Taittireeya Sanhitaa Ganesh gayatree. Karat is also a title in Mahaaraashtra / Karnaatak - Were they tax collectors? Only visible objects are counted, so Ganapati Atharvaa Sheersh names him 'Pratyaksh Brahmaa' i.e. visible universe.

There are 3 infinities in Cantor's set theory - these have been called Anant, A-saankhyeya and A-prameya in Vishnu Sahastra Naam. The first two are Ganesh and Uchchhisht Ganapati. A-prameya is Saraswatee. Sankhyeya is countable infinity - equivalent to set of natural numbers. A-sankhyeya is not countable by that sequence - that is real numbers - irrational and transcendental numbers are A-prameya.

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