The chronic misuse of religion
When Ganesh publishes "101 Questions and Answers on the Hindu Religion," he symbolically represents his own character—much like a reader of such a book would not be having an authentic experience with Hinduism, Ganesh proves that he doesn't understand the faith himself. Rather, he is clever enough to behave as someone would who was really enlightened. Perhaps this is the novelists opinion of all religious insight, or perhaps the novelist is pointing at a particular problem amongst the faithful and the needy.
The ethical dilemma of Ganesh
Ganesh is a seemingly well educated person. He belongs to a nearly homeless class, but he feels called not to a life of meager fare. His approach to Hinduism is essentially not important until he achieves fame for himself first. That means that perhaps this "religious mystic" is not so enlightened at all. Since he is not who he claims to be, and since he makes himself into a symbol of religious hope, Ganesh holds a unique position of cruelty and abuse: the role of the religious hypocrite. The false prophet.
Political games in light of real suffering
When Ganesh publishes "The Years of Guilt," perhaps it is in response to the undeniable more guilt he must feel when he realizes that the reward for all his scamming and duping desperate people is a seat among real politicians. That's what he has been the entire time. The entire endeavor was only born from financial need, so Ganesh is an example of what is wrong with his society. In their impoverished, desperate state, they fall easily for the traps and snares of any powerful person who will pretend to have their best interests at heart, and religious hypocrites and politicians alike get really rich while their constituency suffers.
