How Was Shri Ganesh Born?

September 17, 2005

(From Deepa H)

There are many interesting myths, and most of them do not agree with each other,

on the story of how Ganesa came to be born and how he got his elephant head.

According to one, Parvati, the consort of Siva – the destroyer in the Hindu

Trinity, was getting ready for her bath. She paused a moment. Yes, she could be

disturbed if somebody barged in, she thought. Taking the sandalwood paste and

sweat off her body she created a beautiful little baby boy. “Keep guard,” she

told him, “and do not let anyone enter.”

Ganesa stood his ground. So duty bound was he that he e even refused entry to

Lord Siva. The Lord tried most means and finally in indignation even told him

that he was the husband. Ganesa would not relent. A war was waged between the

young boy and many attendants of Siva. Some gods too came running to help.

Finally Ganesa’s head was severed. Parvati, hearing all the commotion, came

running out and flew into a rage when she saw the little boy’s head severed.

Lord Vishnu, the protector, Siva and many others of the pantheon did not know

how to face the woman’s rage. Instantly Siva sent emissaries to look for the

first sleeping figure with his head to the north. An elephant was found. Its

head was severed and attached to the little boy.So Lord

Shiva re-created his son with the head of the elephant. Hence the trunk of Lord

Ganesha. Parvathi was still not totally happy so Shiva granted Ganesha a boon

that before beginning of any undertaking or task people would worship Lord

Ganesh. Thus the reason for worship of Ganesha before start of any work.

Another version says that Lord Siva and Parvati were making love, when Lord

Vishnu looked for mischief. He pretended to be a thirsty old man and knocked at

Siva’s door, asking for water. The couple rose in a hurry to fulfil the request

of the old man. After drinking the water, Vishnu assumed the form of a little

child and lay on their bed where he mingled with Siva’s seed. This child came

to be called Ganesa.

According to one myth, Siva and Parvati assumed the forms of elephants and

wandered about many forests, trumpeting with others who were elephants by

birth. Their names were Matanga and Matangi. Their child was Ganesa.

There are many stories about how Ganesha got his elephant head, and about his

exploits and antics. He was created as an ordinary boy, but was decapitated in

battle. Shiva's emissaries were sent into the forest and told to get the head

of the first animal they found and to fit that head onto the boy's neck. They

found a little elephant, and it worked!

There is one more story that we all have heard from the legends, When the Gods

lived on the earth, Mahadeva, the Lord of All, lived on the highest peak of the

Himalayas. With him lived his wife, Queen Parvati.

They had no child.For thousands of years they lived there, looking down upon the

entire world, which lay at their feet. But even the gods have their own sorrows,

and it grieved them that they had no child.Parvati thought that she should go

and live among mankind, and pay sacrifices as they do, and perhaps she may be

blessed with a child. So she went down from the mountains and lived in a

forest.

Every day she fed thousands of Brahmans, and spent her days in the prayers and

fasting for a whole year. At the end of that time she bathed in the holy river

Ganges, and then returned to her home.At last her prayers were answered. A son

was born to her.There was great rejoicing among the gods. Mahadeva and Parvati

invited them all to a feast to see their son, baby Ganesh.Parvati was very

happy now, and she loved to show her baby to the gods, and to hear their

remarks.

She laid Ganesh upon a golden bed, with his head to the North.Ganesh was a

beautiful baby, and as he lay smiling on his golden bed, the gods came and gave

him gifts.Now Sani was at the party too, but before coming to the party he had a

quarrel with his wife.

iN her anger she put a spell upon him so that whoever he looked at first would

fall headless. So Sani kept his eyes down and would look nobody.Parvati noticed

that Sani did not look at her baby, which seemed strange, so she asked him why

he was doing so. With his eyes upon the ground he told her of the spell his

wife had put upon him.Parvati laughed at the story. She was so proud of her son

that she wished everybody to see him and admire him. She did not believe the

spell could touch the son of Mahadeva, the greatest of the gods.

She took Ganesh in her arms, and held him out to Sani."Look," she said, "is he

not beautiful?"Sani said that he was afraid to look, but Parvati would not

listen.So Sani obeyed. As soon as his eyes rested on Ganesh the child’s head

separated from his body. It was caught up to heaven by Krishna.Oh, the cries

and tears there were then!

Parvati was full of grief; she did not know what to do. She threw herself down

beside the lifeless body of her child, and wept bitterly.Vishnu, in pity,

mounted Garuda, the eagle, and flew off to fetch the head of the first thing

found. It happened to be an elephant.Vishnu brought the elephant’s head, and

clapped it on the body of Ganesh, and then brought him to life again.Then all

the gods withdrew and left the parents in grief.Parvati was divided between

sorrow and joy. She rejoiced to have her baby alive again, but it was terrible

that he should be so deformed.

Mahadeva was grieved too, but he told Parvati that it was her vanity that had

caused all the trouble. If she had not insisted upon Sani’s admiring her child,

it would not have happened.

Parvati threw herself before Mahadeva and begged him to bring Ganesh back his

formed shape, but Mahadeva reminded her that while he was all powerful in

heaven, he could not undo what was done on the earth.Parvati blamed herself

bitterly for her fault, and prayed that Ganesh might be gifted with wisdom and

humanity, so that his deformity might be forgotten.

This Mahadeva could grant, and Ganesh was given Prudence, Counsel and Policy.All

men love Ganesh, and go to him for help and guidance. He is the best loved of

all the gods.Elephats have been rewarded with great strength, gentleness and

cleverness and have been made the servants of Kings.Sani was punished with

lameness.

Though he did not wish to injure Ganesh, it all happened because he had

quarrelled with his wife, and quarrelsome couples are warned by his example.It

is now believed unlucky to admire children, or to sleep with the head to the

North.

Mother’s pride seemed to have definitely been detrimental to Ganesa’s look, if

we believe the following two stories. In one it is said that Parvati showed off

her son to Lord Saturn. Her pride caused the child’s head to fall out. It was

Lord Vishnu who came to the rescue and fixed an elephant head to bring the

child back to life again.

Another version says Siva created Ganesa from Parvati’s garment. So beautiful

was the creation that Parvati could not take her eyes off him. Jealous Siva

immediately changed the face into that of an elephant.

There is yet also a nother myth about How lord ganesh got his elephant head..

The legend goes that there was a monster called Gajasura, a powerful monster was

also a devotee of Lord Shiva. It seemed that the monster prayed for many years

and as a result Lord Shiva, who was touched, granted him a boon.

But the cunning monster asked Shiva to reside in his stomach. Since he had no

choice, Lord Shiva granted his boon and went inside the belly of the

monster.Parvati, Shivas wife, who was searching for her husband, became frantic

with worry and went to Lord Vishnu for help. Lord Vishnu, who assured Parvati

that he would find Shiva, disguised himself as a street player and set out with

Nandi, the sacred bull of Shiva, to find Shiva.

When they reached the monster Gajasuras kingdom, Nandi danced to please the

monster. The monster that was pleased to see the bull dancing he decided to

reward the bull. Nandi, the bull, asked for Lord Shiva as a reward and this

made Gajasura realize that the street player was Lord Vishnu. He also realized

that Lord Shiva couldnt live in his belly forever and thus freed Lord Shiva.

After that, he prayed to Shiva to make him immortal. To grant him the wish,

Shiva severed Gajasuras head and carried the head with him. Meanwhile, Parvati

who heard that Shivas out of the monsters belly was joyful. In order to prepare

for her Lords return she went to have a bath, but before that she asked someone

to stand guard outside. She made a boy out of dough and named him Vinayak.

But when Lord Shiva returned, the boy refused to let him enter the palace, as he

had never seen him before. This made Lord Shiva furious and thus he beheaded the

boy and went inside. When he saw Parvati, he told her about his beheading of the

boy.

This shocked and upset Parvati. She told Shiva that Vinayak was like a son to

her and that she wanted him back alive. Thus Shiva put the head of Gajasura on

the boys head and the boy Vinayak came to life. Shiva also blessed him and

announced that everybody would worship him on that day. And thus the festival

Ganesh Chaturti marks the day when Vinayak came back to life.

>From Deepa H Do You

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September 17, 2005

JimAum Ganesh <aumganesh .au> wrote: