In Hindu culture Ganesha is worshiped before starting anything new or beginning of a special occasion. Lord Ganesha is not just the lord of wisdom and prosperity who removes all obstacles, if you look more closely at the tales from our mythology, his anecdotes impart great lessons to all of us. Today, let us all learn a thing or two from these tales.
Being Dutiful
Lord Ganesha is known for being the most dutiful child to his parents. Ganesha’s birth is an interesting story in itself. It's said that Goddess Parvati, carved an idol of a boy out of turmeric powder and breathed life into it, unbeknownst to her husband, Lord Shiva. So, when Ganesha denied Lord Shiva entry into his abode--because Goddess Parvati was bathing inside--Shiva decapitated Ganesha's head in anger. According to legend, an elephant was the first animal that Lord Brahma later found when he went out to look for one (to replace Ganesha's head).
The birth story of Ganesh where he fulfilled his mother’s order despite facing the repercussions of his father Lord Shiva and facing all the consequences, he never for once thought of compromising or giving up. This is just one example of his dutifulness.
This very story is a life lesson for children that we should not fear powerful obstacles in our path. If we perform our duties wholeheartedly, we will be rewarded just like how Shiva gave Ganesha the status of being foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ganas (classes of beings), Ganapati.
Respect Parents
Once, Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati had a miraculous fruit and the one who ate it would gain knowledge and wisdom. Now both Shiva and Parvati were in a predicament. Which of their two sons Kartikeya and Ganesha should they give the fruit to? They decided to hold a competition between the two boys. Whoever won the race would win the fruit as a prize. The terms were that whoever circled the world thrice would win. Our little Ganesha was a plump boy and his vehicle was a mouse. He started thinking how could he even participate in the race with much active Karthikeya who also has a peacock as his vehicle.
While Ganesha was still thinking, Karthikeya wasted no time. He immediately jumped on his peacock and began the race. Ganesha came up with a very smart plan. He called his parents and asked them to sit together. Then he folded his hands and walked around them thrice. “Now give me the fruit,” he said. Shiva and Parvati looked at him in surprise and said, “But you haven’t fulfilled the terms of the competition.” Ganesha with a twinkle in his eye replied, “my parents are the world to me. So when I went around you thrice, it was equal to going round the world.” Pleased with his wit, Shiva and Parvati handed over the fruit to Ganesha. He was blessed with the fruit of knowledge, and came to be known as the Lord of Knowledge.
This story is a lesson that we will be blessed with knowledge and success if we consider our parents our world and give them the utmost respect and importance. Also, his way of handling the situation shows how resourceful Lord Ganesha was. When he faced a crisis, he acted quick enough to come up with a plausible solution with his presence of mind.
Never give up and complete every task you take up
Sage Ved Vyasa wanted to write the one of the greatest epics known to mankind, Mahabharata, and he requested Lord Ganesha to write it down while he narrated it. The Lord agreed on one condition that Sage Vyasa should recite the verses without a pause, and that Ganesha would write it down without taking a break. The two sat down to write but unfortunately Ganesha's pen broke while he was still writing. To stay true to his commitment, Ganesha broke one of his tusks, and continued writing the epic. (That's why Lord Ganesha is also called Ekdanta meaning ‘with one tusk’). Popular legends say that it took both of them three years of continuous speaking and writing to complete the epic.
Lord Ganesha sacrificed his own tusk to finish a task meant for him and for the greater good. If we could all imbibe this lesson of dedication and commitment from him, we would all be successful in life.
Standup for your self-respect
Other gods and goddesses were embarrassed of Ganesha’s physical appearance and massive diet. One day they tricked Lord Ganesha in to guarding Swargalok, as they all left with Lord Vishnu's marriage procession headed towards Goddess Laxmi's abode. On getting to know the truth, Lord Ganesha wanted to avenge himself, and devised a plan to make them realize his importance. Ganesha sent his rat to dig up the roads that led to Goddess Laxmi's abode. As expected, the deities were stuck and couldn't proceed further, no matter how hard they tried. A farmer who was crossing by the road decided to help them and pulled out the carriage stuck in the road by chanting Lord Ganesha's name. He explained how only Lord Ganesha is the remover of obstacles and his name alone gave him the strength to lift the carriage. This made the deities realize that there's more to a being than his physical appearance, and they apologized to Ganesha.
This story is a lesson to never let anyone undermine your abilities, or your physical appearance cloud people's judgement of you.
Every religion has its own legends to teach life lessons. And it is very important for growing children to learn the valuable morals and virtues from our mythology and understand the true meaning behind each festival.
If you are looking for a fun way to celebrate this Ganesh Chaturthi with your kids, check out the Ganesha Puzzle. Your kids will definitely enjoy solving it while learning a sloka, it's meaning and a story about this laddoo loving Lord.
With a passion for Indian culture and the values it imparts, Kusuma Reddy shares them in a fun and creative way on Instagram - @culturorama.
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