Ganesh Chaturthi 2019: 10 Lesser-Known Short Stories Of Bal Ganesha You Need To Know
Ganesh Chaturthi is a very important Hindu festival that is celebrated across India, especially in Maharashtra, with great devotion. The day is celebrated as the birthday of Lord Ganesha, the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. He is the symbol of wisdom, prosperity and good fortune. This year Ganesha Chaturthi will be celebrated on September 2.
Giant Ganesha idols are made and beautiful pandals are decorated to celebrate the festival that goes on for 10 days. On the last day of the festival the idols are taken out in colorful and musical processions and immersed, traditionally, in water.
So, while everybody is getting excited for the day to come, we are here to tell you some of the most interesting stories about Lord Ganesha¡¯s life.
1. Story of his birth
Let's begin from the start with his birth. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati used to stay at Mount Kailash, making it their abode. Most of the times, Lord Shiva would be out fulfilling his responsibilities, while goddess Parvati would be alone at the mountain.
One day, she wanted to take bath and there was nobody to guard her door and that is when she made a structure out of the turmeric paste she used to clean her body with, and put life into it. She called the child Ganesha and he was absolutely loyal to her.
2. Karthikeya and Ganesha
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This is one of the most popular stories that almost everyone has heard.
One day, Ganesha and his younger brother, Karthikeya were playing. They received a special fruit (wisdom and knowledge) from the gods and being kids, they were not ready to share the fruit. Their parents, Shiva and Parvati said that the first one to go around the world thrice, would get this fruit.
Karthikeya, at once, climbed his peacock and set off, but Ganesha took the wise decision and sought permission of his parents to revolve around them, because he considered them as his universe. Hence, Ganesha won the fruit.
3. The Elephant face
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One day when goddess Parvati was going to take bath, she told Ganesha to guard the door and he was so loyal that when Lord Shiva showed up, he even stopped him from entering. At the time, he didn't know who Lord Shiva was. He too didn't know who Ganesha was and got really furious and ended up beheading him. When Parvati came out, she lashed out at Lord Shiva and threatened to destroy the universe, if he didn't bring back Ganesha.
Shiva realised his mistake and sent his troops into the forest to get the head of the first animal they saw in the forest. The troops came across an elephant and brought his head which was then placed over Ganesha's body. He also accepted him as his own son.
4. Ganesha and his one tusk
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There are two theories about Ganesha's tusk.
According to one theory, one day, Ganesha was guarding the door for Lord Shiva, when sage Parshuram came to meet him. When Ganesha denied him entry, he got angry and began fighting with Ganesha. He lost his tusk while fighting with him, and came to be called Ekdant (one with a single tooth).
Another theory is that when Ved Vyas (creator of Mahabharata) approached Ganesha to write down Mahabharata for him, he agreed but kept a condition that Vyas had to narrate it in one go, without any break. As he started writing the story, there was one point when the quill he was writing with broke down and without wasting anytime, he broke off one of his tusks and made it into a pen to continue writing.
5. How he came to be known as 'God of Beginnings?'
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Once Ganesha was guarding the swarg lok as everybody went to attend Lord Vishnu's wedding. When Narad Muni saw Ganesha alone, he told him that he was not invited to the wedding because he ate too much and was very fat. This made Ganesha really angry, who sent his army of mice to dig the soil from inside and make it hollow on the way from where the marriage procession was going to pass. The army of mice dug the soil and the wheels of the chariot got stuck.
None of the gods were able to pull out the chariot, so they asked a passerby to help them. He took Lord Ganesha's name and the wheels came out! When the gods asked him why did so, he said that he's the God of beginnings who removes all the hurdles from life.
On hearing this, the gods went back, apologised to Ganesha and took him with them to the wedding.
6. Ganesha and the cat
Ganesha was a very naughty child who once came across a cat and started playing with it. He picked up the cat and threw it on the ground, pulled its tail, while the cat meowed in pain. But without realising that it is hurting the little cat, he kept playing with it until he was tired.
On reaching home, Ganesha found Parvati lying on the floor, with wounds all over her body and crying in pain. Ganesha rushed to her and asked her what happened, to which she replied that the cat was actually a form of her and she just wanted to play with her son. But Ganesha treated her unfairly and ruthlessly, and his treatment of the cat reflected on his own mother.
7. Ganesha and river Kaveri
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Lord Ganesha was basically behind the origin of the river Kaveri. Long ago, sage Agastya wanted to create a river that would provide water to the people living in South India. So, he set off with his Kamandala filled with sacred water. When he reached Coorg mountains, he wanted to take rest, but couldn't keep the pot down. Then, he saw a young boy and asked him to hold the pot until he came back.
That boy was Ganesha. He kept the pot on the ground as he knew it was the perfect place for the river to originate. Just then a crow came and sat on the top of it, when the sage returned, he shooed the bird away which led to the Kamadala falling upside down and the water started flowing from the spot, which was later called river Kaveri.
8. How a mouse became his ride
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Gajmukhasur was a demon who wanted to become a very powerful king and was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He even prayed to him and asked Shiva for a boon that no god or human would be able to harm him. Shiva granted it to him but warned him against its misuse. But Gajmukhasar, being a demon, began killing people and destroying their homes. Seeing this, Shiva sent Ganesha to control the demon, who then turned the demon into a mouse. And that's how the mouse became Ganesha's ride.
9. When Kuber learnt a lesson
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Kuber who is the god of wealth, was a big show off. One day, he went to Kailash to invite Lord Shiva and Parvati to his place for dinner, but he really just wanted to show off how rich he was. Knowing this, Lord Shiva asked Kuber to take Ganesha with him as he was fond of eating. He complied, because how much could a kid actually eat?
Ganesha finished every food item in the house and asked for more! When Kuber pleaded that he wasn't left with any more food, Ganesha threatened to eat his host. Panicked, Kuber rushed to Kailash begging Shiva and Parvati to stop Ganesha. Parvati smiled and gave Ganesha a tulsi leaf that calmed him down and Kuber learnt his lesson.
10. When Ganesha cursed the moon
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After eating to his heart's content, Ganesha's stomach was full and had become terribly large. Walking around with it became difficult for him and he ended up losing his balance and fell down. Seeing this, the moon began laughing at him. Humiliated, Ganesha cursed the moon, making it completely invisible. Later, the moon realised its mistake and began pleading to Ganesha for forgiveness.
Picture Credits: Navoday Times
