To start with I shall begin with a story on Lord Ganesha :
Ganesha, the elephant-headed god of Hindu mythology, has been quite beloved of all, children and adults.He is very famous especially with the teen girls who carry on worshiping him until their end. He is credited with a lot of intelligence and wisdom ..and come on...you just have to love a cute elephant!!! That too,one with a penchant for eating binges!!! (hehe i can relate with him on this) :P Tales of his intellectual prowess abound in Indian mythology, the story that follows is a well-loved one. It also results in the establishment of a well-known temple, Palani, for its other protagonist, Muruga, Ganesha's brother (watch this blog space for an upcoming series on temple tales). The story goes:
Once upon a time, the gods in heaven, set up a task force headed by Brahma to give a mango that contained all the knowledge of the universe to the most deserving god. Brahma approached Shiva and Parvati who were spending some quality time with the kids, Ganesha and Muruga(also known as Subramanya), in the Himalayas. Brahma said, "O Shiva, here is a fruit that represents the knowledge of this universe. We would like you to give it to the most deserving god."
Shiva said, "All right Brahma I will do it. Parvati, can you suggest to whom I should give this to?"
Parvati said, "I think Muruga and Ganesha are both equally deserving of this fruit. One is unmatched for his bravery and knowledge, the other for his intelligence and grace. How do we decide?" (no nepotism, of course, since gods are impartial!!!) Brahma and the retinue of devas agreed with Parvati.
Shiva mulled over this problem for a bit and said, "I have it! They can have a race to see who wins! The winner will get the fruit" (a strategy used by most parents even today to achieve results with siblings).
"But what kind of race?" asked Parvati.
"Well, let them both go around the world thrice and whoever comes back here first will win the mango," said Shiva.
So he called Muruga and Ganesha and explained the rules and what the prize would be. Both the brothers were excited at the prospect.
Muruga said, "Hah! Ganesha, you on your silly little mount (a rat) won't even have taken off and I will be back to win the prize!"
To which Ganesha said, "Well since you're so confident, and I know I can beat you, how about I give you a handicap? You can even do an entire round before I even start."
Muruga decided his brother had gone crazy or was being lazy and wanted to finish his lunch instead. So after bidding his parents goodbye and taking their blessings, he sat on his mount, a beautiful peacock, and took off around the world. After he finished one round, he saw Ganesha still seated where he was and finishing the remains of his lunch, with one modaka left on his plate. He thought to himself, "There's no way Ganesha can beat me now!!!" He waved at Ganesha, who waved back, and went on his way.
Now Parvati watched the whole exchange between the brothers and asked Ganesha worriedly, "Aren't you going to at least TRY to win the fruit? Muruga has a huge lead over you. And not that I don't love you, but you're a little out of shape!!! You had better hurry up!!"
"Dont worry, ma," said Ganesha. "I'm giong to win." Burping a little since he'd overeaten as usual, Ganesha washed his hands and face and smoothed out his clothes. He then summoned his little mount and approached Shiva and Parvati who were seated together. He said, "O mother and father, Shiva and Shakti, together you represent the entire universe. All the elements of the universe are enshrined within you. For me, you are the entire universe." He prostrated before them and with his hands folded went around them thrice lost in deep meditation and with utmost devotion. Amazed by his grace and knowledge and devotion, Shiva, Parvati, Brahma and the assembled gods blessed Ganesha and gave him the fruit.
Just then Muruga entered their presence with a triumphant smile when he saw Ganesha. He assumed Ganesha hadn't even tried to win. When he saw him holding the fruit instead, Muruga was furious. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "I won the race and HE got the fruit?"
When Shiva explained what had happened, Muruga stormed off in anger to roam the earth and was later pacified as the deity of Palani .
And so, Ganesha is revered by all for his knowledge and wisdom and is beloved throughout India and even abroad. Go Ganesha! Om Namah Ganesha!(For a story of muruga and Parvathi click here it is about how the holy ash(vibhoothi)came into existence)
Once upon a time, the gods in heaven, set up a task force headed by Brahma to give a mango that contained all the knowledge of the universe to the most deserving god. Brahma approached Shiva and Parvati who were spending some quality time with the kids, Ganesha and Muruga(also known as Subramanya), in the Himalayas. Brahma said, "O Shiva, here is a fruit that represents the knowledge of this universe. We would like you to give it to the most deserving god."
Shiva said, "All right Brahma I will do it. Parvati, can you suggest to whom I should give this to?"
Parvati said, "I think Muruga and Ganesha are both equally deserving of this fruit. One is unmatched for his bravery and knowledge, the other for his intelligence and grace. How do we decide?" (no nepotism, of course, since gods are impartial!!!) Brahma and the retinue of devas agreed with Parvati.
Shiva mulled over this problem for a bit and said, "I have it! They can have a race to see who wins! The winner will get the fruit" (a strategy used by most parents even today to achieve results with siblings).
"But what kind of race?" asked Parvati.
"Well, let them both go around the world thrice and whoever comes back here first will win the mango," said Shiva.
So he called Muruga and Ganesha and explained the rules and what the prize would be. Both the brothers were excited at the prospect.
Muruga said, "Hah! Ganesha, you on your silly little mount (a rat) won't even have taken off and I will be back to win the prize!"
To which Ganesha said, "Well since you're so confident, and I know I can beat you, how about I give you a handicap? You can even do an entire round before I even start."
Muruga decided his brother had gone crazy or was being lazy and wanted to finish his lunch instead. So after bidding his parents goodbye and taking their blessings, he sat on his mount, a beautiful peacock, and took off around the world. After he finished one round, he saw Ganesha still seated where he was and finishing the remains of his lunch, with one modaka left on his plate. He thought to himself, "There's no way Ganesha can beat me now!!!" He waved at Ganesha, who waved back, and went on his way.
Now Parvati watched the whole exchange between the brothers and asked Ganesha worriedly, "Aren't you going to at least TRY to win the fruit? Muruga has a huge lead over you. And not that I don't love you, but you're a little out of shape!!! You had better hurry up!!"
"Dont worry, ma," said Ganesha. "I'm giong to win." Burping a little since he'd overeaten as usual, Ganesha washed his hands and face and smoothed out his clothes. He then summoned his little mount and approached Shiva and Parvati who were seated together. He said, "O mother and father, Shiva and Shakti, together you represent the entire universe. All the elements of the universe are enshrined within you. For me, you are the entire universe." He prostrated before them and with his hands folded went around them thrice lost in deep meditation and with utmost devotion. Amazed by his grace and knowledge and devotion, Shiva, Parvati, Brahma and the assembled gods blessed Ganesha and gave him the fruit.
Just then Muruga entered their presence with a triumphant smile when he saw Ganesha. He assumed Ganesha hadn't even tried to win. When he saw him holding the fruit instead, Muruga was furious. "What is the meaning of this?" he demanded. "I won the race and HE got the fruit?"
When Shiva explained what had happened, Muruga stormed off in anger to roam the earth and was later pacified as the deity of Palani .
And so, Ganesha is revered by all for his knowledge and wisdom and is beloved throughout India and even abroad. Go Ganesha! Om Namah Ganesha!(For a story of muruga and Parvathi click here it is about how the holy ash(vibhoothi)came into existence)
