My parents'guardian

Today I took a closer look at this sculpture that is with my parents since my early childhood. As kids we used to call this the Elephant Man whose whistle from his big trunk ended our bedtime stories. Not ever was a reference made to his symbolic features and meaning.

This sculpture with elephant's features in the face like nose and ears is named Ganesh and belongs to the Hindu Pantheon ~ he actually is 1 of the 5 prime Hindu lords (the others are: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva and Durga).

Ganesh is lord of success and destroyer of evils and obstacles. And he's also worshipped as the god of education, knowledge, wisdom and wealth.
Not ever did my parents tell us the meaning of this sculpture and I wonder if they ever knew its symbolism. I know they enjoyed its beauty but did they know that the his big ears show he is all ears to our petition? And did they know that the bulb between his eyebrows above his nose is the symbol of Aum the vibrating sound out from which the universe origins.

Apart from blipping Ganesh I took a meditative look at him today