Why Ganesha has Elephant face? [JUSTIFY]Lord Shiva and Parvati lived on the mountain Kailasa. Many times Shiva used to go to the forest and stayed there doing penance for months. Meanwhile Parvati had to stay alone at home. One day, as usual lord shiva went to the forest, leaving Parvati alone at home. Parvati then wanted to take bath. However there was no one else to look after the house. So, Parvati was worried. But soon she had an idea. Parvati removed the sandal paste from her body and created a boy from the paste. Parvati then made the boy stand at the door and instructed him not to let anyone enter the house, till she finishes her bath. The boy stood at the door and stopped everyone who visited the house. Soon lord Shiva returned home and was surprised to see a boy who stopped him from entering in. "You can not enter the house, mother is taking bath", said the boy He got annoyed and asked the boy to move aside. But the boy did not move, but stopped lord Shiva from entering the house. Shiva lost his temper and he chopped off the head of the boy with his Trishula. Later, Parvati finished her bath and to her surprise, she saw the headless body of the boy. So Parvati started weeping. Oh my lord! What have you done! You have killed my son! Lord Shiva felt very sorry for his short tempered act. Lord Shiva wished to bring back the boy to his life and he started searching for the chopped head of the boy. But surprisingly the head got vanished and the search was in vain. So he called servants, called "Ganas" and told them, to go to the forest and get the head of first living being you come across. The Ganas immediately rushed to jungle and came across an elephant. They immediately cut off his head and brought it to lord Shiva. Lord Shiva put the head on the body of the boy and brought him to life. Parvati was overjoyed to get back her son. The Ganas had helped to bring back the life of the boy, so he was named as "Ganapati".[/JUSTIFY]
Moon Deity Cursed By Ganesha [JUSTIFY]It was on Ganesha Chaturthi, Ganesha was riding on his little rat and suddenly a snake crossed his path. The rat was terrified and ran off in fright due to which Ganesha fell down in a thorny bush. The Moon was looking at this from the sky. The Moon laughed loudly at the funny sight of Ganesha's falling down, it annoyed Ganesha so much, so that he decided to punish the Moon. Angrily he broke one of his tusks and threw it at the Moon. As it struck the Moon, Moon lost the brightness. Then the moon went off. The world became dark. People were scared and they screamed and wept. All the Gods in heaven were worried by this confusion. They prayed to Ganesha, "Please give back the Moon the brightness". The Moon also repented. The Moon fell at Ganesh's feet and prayed to be forgiven. Ganesha relented but he wanted to teach Moon a lesson. So he said, "the first fifteen days of every month, you will get bigger and then the next fifteen days, you will become smaller and smaller. At the end of the month you will look like my tusk. And on the day of Ganesh Chaturthi the person who looks at the Moon will have an allegation of theft on him.[/JUSTIFY]
Lord Ganesha's Marriage [JUSTIFY]According to one tradition, Ganesha was a brahmacarin, that is, unmarried. This pattern is primarily popular in southern India. This tradition was linked to Hindu concepts of the relationship between celibacy and the development of spiritual power. In the north of India, on the other hand, Ganesha is often portrayed as married to the two daughters of Brahma: Buddhi [Also known as Riddhi] (intellect) and Siddhi (spiritual power). As a child Lord Ganesh was once playing with a cat. He pulled its tail and rolled it on the ground. Later, tired of this game, He decided to spend time with His mother, Parvati. He found her covered in dirt and with bruises. Surprised, He asked, "What happened, Mother?" Remember the cat you were playing with that was me. I am the Divine power that is exists in all beings. Lord Ganesh realised that all women are extensions of His mother and decided never to marry. Another interpretation is that His devotion towards His mother is the reason why He is considered as a celibate bachelor. To Him, she was the most beautiful and a perfect woman. He vowed that He could marry the girl who would match up to His mother's beauty and divine qualities. It is said that Lord Ganesh was unable to find a suitable mate because of His unique appearance. This bothered Him and He summoned the rats to burrow deep holes in the path of any God who were on their way to get married. The potholes made the journey of the grooms and their marriage processions extremely difficult. Frustrated, they went to Lord Brahma to complain. Lord Brahma created two beautiful girls Riddhi (Abundance, Opulence, Wealth) and Siddhi / Buddhi (Intellectual and Spiritual Prowess) and they were married to Him. With His two consorts, He had sons Shubha (Auspiciousness) and Labha (Profit) and a daughter named Santoshi (Goddess of Satisfaction / Contentment). The Shiva Purana states that King Prajapati had two daughters - Riddhi and Siddhi. He approached Shiva and Parvati for the marriage of his girls to Lord Ganesh and Lord Karthikeyan (Lord Ganesh's younger brother). But both these girls wished that Lord Ganesh should be their husband and so they were married. It is said that if one has Riddhi but doesn't have Siddhi / Buddhi then it is worthless. Possessing only Siddhi without Riddhi is also futile. Lord Ganesh bestows both these blessings to His ardent devotees. If we delve into ourselves we will realize that we are all Ganapatis (Gana is our body made of the Pancha-Mahabhuta (Five elements), Pati stands for master or owner). Thus He shows us the way to achieve both intellect and wealth to enjoy a rewarding life.[/JUSTIFY]
Gokarna Mahabaleshwar [JUSTIFY]Ravana, the king of lanka, was a great devotee of Shiva. He often went to Kailasa. There he worshipped Shiva with great devotion. Once, as usual, he had gone to Kailasa. Lord Shiva was very pleased with his devotion. "I am pleased with you", he told Ravana, "Ask for any boon". I shall grant it. "When all the world will end in the great floods," said Ravana, "Lanka should be spared. That's the only boon I want!". Shiva was little puzzled. Ravana had already proved troublesome to the Gods. Having the boon granted he would trouble the Gods still more. So what should be done? Shiva thought of a clever idea. He gave Ravana a Shivalinga. "Take this Shivalinga", Shiva told him, "wherever you put it down, it would stick fast there. That place will be protected from the floods". If you wish to protect Lanka, make sure you put it down on reaching Lanka! Ravana was overjoyed. But shiva warned him, "Hold it in both hands. If you leave it anywhere else it will stick to that spot, then it will not be possible to remove it. So be careful with it!". Ravana eagerly started for Lanka. Meanwhile, the Gods learnt of Shiva's boon to Ravana. They were horrified. They went to Ganesha for help. They told him what had happened. "Please do something, God," they pleaded to Ganesha, "So that the Shivalinga does not reach Lanka. If it reaches there, Ravana would become more powerful". Ganesha thought for a moment. He had a bright idea, "all right", he assured them a solution. "I shall see that the Shivalinga does not reach Lanka". Ganesha, in the disguise of a cowherd, stood in Ravana's path. Ravana had walked a long way, was tired and sweating. He wanted to wipe his sweat. But he could not do so, because he had the heavy Shivalingain his hands. Just then Ravana saw the cowherd boy standing in his path. Behind him there was a river. "Hey boy! Come here". Ravana called out to the boy. "What do you want?" the boy asked. Without moving from where he stood. "I am very thirsty", replied Ravana. "Please hold this Linga for just a minute. Do not put it down. I wish to go to the river for a drink of water. I shall not take long". "All right!", said Ganesha, "but the Linga seems very heavy; if my hands get tired I shall call you three times. If you don't come immediately back, then I shall put it down!" he warned. "Don't worry!", Ravana said, "I shall be quick". With a great relief he handed over the linga to the boy. Then he hurried to the river. And as soon as Ravana reached the river, the boy called out. "Ravana, Ravana, Ravana!" and quickly put the linga down. Immediately it stuck there. When Ravana came back from the river, there was no sign of the boy. And the linga had stuck to the ground. Ravana tried to pull it. But it did not move a bit. Yet, because of Ravana's great strength it lost the shape. It now resembles the ear of a cow. That is why it is known as Gokarna. The place became a famous place of pilgrimage. Even to-day we know it as Gokarna Mahabaleshwar.[/JUSTIFY]
Agasthyar - Cauvery [JUSTIFY]During the wedding of Siva with Parvathi in the Mount Kailas, the entire population, Devas and Rishis had gathered & hence the Northern land dipped down, unable to bear the weight. Lord Siva asked Sage Agasthiar to go to the Podhigai ranges in the Southern land in order to balance the weight. (Agasthiar was very short in stature but his might was so great). Agasthiar was sad that he could not stay & witness the Lord's wedding. Siva granted that he would still be able to see the wedding from the South. From within his matted locks, he took river Cauvery & filled it in Agasthiar's kamandalam (spouted pot), bidding Cauvery to flow wherever Agasthiar pointed. Agasthiar reached the south & travelled to various Siva Sthalams. Surapaduman was an asura, who had immense power. Indra had run away in fear from his Indralogam, reached Sirgazhi in the southern regions of India & prayed to Lord Siva. He created a beautiful garden & worshiped Lord Siva with the flowers from his garden. But soon, Lord Varuna in fear of Surapaduman did not shower rains & Indran's garden & in fact the whole land suffered from lack of water. Sage Narada, told Indran of the river Cauvery that Lord Siva had once filled in Agasthiar's kamandalam. Indran prayed to Lord Ganesha for his help. Ganesha took the form of a crow & sat on Agasthiar's kamandalam & toppled it. Agasthiar lifted his hands to shoo off the crow. River Cauvery, took it as a signal for her & began to flow. The crow took the form of a small boy. Agasthiar started chasing the boy trying to strike him on his head with his knuckles. Ganesha took his original form. Agasthiar was saddened that he had tried to strike Lord Ganesha. He started striking his forehead with his knuckles. Ganesha stopped him & granted that everybody who worshipped him in this manner would be blessed with wisdom. Another version of the same story - Ponni, as Cauvery was originally called, was disrespectful to Agasthiar when he came down south. To teach her a lesson, Agasthiar imprisoned the entire river in his kamandalam. Ganesha on sage Narada's request came in the form of a crow and toppled the kamandalam & set the river free. Ponni was then given a new name, Cauvery (Kaveri).[/JUSTIFY]
Vinayagar wrote the Mahabharatham [JUSTIFY]Sage Vyasa was meditating in the Himalayas. Lord Brahma appeared before him and asked him to write the Mahabharatham for the benefit of all. Sage Vyasa said that he could not compose the verse and write it down too and therefore asked for the help of someone wise, who would write down as he sang. Brahma asked sage Vyasa to pray to Lord Ganesha to help him. Ganesha told Vyasa that he had enormous work to do and hence he would write it down, only if Vyasa was quick in singing it. For his turn, Sage Vyasa requested that Ganesha should understand the meaning of the verse and only then put it down in writing. Vyasa started singing. Whenever he felt Ganesha was writing too fast for him, he would come with a difficult verse, thus by the time Ganesha could decipher the meaning, he would have composed several more verses in his mind. In this way, Vyasa completed the Bharatham in 60 lakhs granthams. This comprises the Kandapuranam, Ramayanam, Savithri Puranam, Nala Puranam and so on. Lord Ganesha wrote on Mount Meru using his tusk. Of these 60 lakh granthams, 30 lakhs are supposed to be in the Deva Logam, 15 lakhs in Yatcha Logam and 14 lakhs in Asura Logam. Only the remaining 1 lakh granthams is assumed to be on the earth. Sage Vyasa is supposed to have sung 8,800 granthams, which were difficult for Ganesha to decipher. He has himself stated that Ganesha, Sage Vyasa himself and his Sugan are probably the only ones who know the meaning of those 8,800 granthams. The Mahabharatham is considered the fifth Veda. [/JUSTIFY]
Vakradhunda Vinayagar [JUSTIFY]When Basmasuran was killed by Siva & Vishnu (Vishnu in the form of Mohini), Duraasadan, Basmasuran's son was angry and upset. He did tapas & got boons from Siva that he should never die and that all the devas should be under his control, etc. As usual Siva gave him the varam & there was total chaos for some time. All the Devas ran into hiding & even Brahma & Vishnu ran out of their Brahma Logam & Vaikundam. All of them rushed to Kasi which was ruled by Viswanathar. On hearing of this Duraasadan came to Kasi. All the Gods and Devas rushed away to Kedaram, because the time was not yet right to kill Duraasadan. Soon, on the prayers of the Devas, an avataram of Lord Ganesha came out of Uma Devi's face. (with five faces, 10 hands, Jada magudam with moon). Uma Devi named him Vakradhundar and gave him her Simha Vahanam (lion). There ensued a heavy fight between Vakradhundar & Duraasadan. Finally Ganesha took a huge form (Viswa roopam) & placed his feet on Duraasandan's head. Since Ganesha is the form of Gnanam, all evil thoughts & the effects of his evil deeds rushed out of Duraasadan. Lord Ganesha gave him the job of destroying all evil in Kasi. He remains under Vakradhundar's feet doing his duty.[/JUSTIFY]
Kubera's pride takes a fall [JUSTIFY]We should never take undue pride in our material or spiritual accomplishments. The old saying "Pride always leads to a fall." is proved true in the following story. Kubera (the God of wealth) invited Shiva and Parvati to dinner wishing to show off his riches. But, the couple denied Kubera's request and said that he could feed Ganesha instead. Kubera laughed and said 'I can feed thousands of children like this." Ganesha went to his palace and sat down to eat. He started eating all the food placed in front of him. As was the custom, more and more food was served to him, as he did not say that he had enough. Soon there was no more food in the palace and so Kubera ordered his troops to get more food from the surrounding villages. But Ganesha continued eating and there was no more food to be found. Still very hungry, Ganesha started eating all the furniture. Kubera became very frightened. Ganesha told him, " You promised my parents you will feed me. Now, I have to eat you up as I am still very hungry ". Kubera ran away and pleaded with Shiva to save him from Ganesha. Shiva asked Kubera to give up his pride and serve Ganesha a handful of rice. Kubera went back to his palace. By this time, Ganesha's stomach had become very huge but the child was still hungry. When Kubera served a cup of rice with humility, Ganesha's hunger was satisfied. This teaches the lesson that handful of puffed rice given with love and eaten with devotion is more important and filling than all the wealth of kubera flaunted to impress the world and all the gods.[/JUSTIFY]
Ganesha defeats Gana [JUSTIFY]Vinakaya or Gananayaka is another name for Ganesha. Gananayaka is the lord of Ganas or one who defeats Gana. A beautiful son named Gana was born to the King Abhijit and queen Gunavati. He was very bright and strong. He was a great devotee of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva, pleased with his devotion granted him some boons. However, this increased Gana's ego. He soon fell into bad company. One day he visited sage Kapila's ashram. Kapila had a gem called Chintamani that was wish fulfilling and could provide food for thousands. When Gana saw this, he wanted to possess the gem. Kapila did not want to give it to him. But Gana forcibly took it away from him. Kapila prayed to Lord Ganesha. Ganesha appeared in Gana's dream and cut off his head. Gana, on waking up, did not repent but became angry and took his army to kill Kapila. Gana's father, Abhijit, pleaded with Gana to give Kapila back his gem but Gana did not heed the advice. However, on reaching Kapila's ashram he found that Ganesha had assembled an army. In a fierce fight, Gana was killed by Ganesha and Ganesha restored the " Chintamani " to Kapila. Kapila, however, gave it back to Ganesha saying that even a small gem like this could cause trouble, as wealth is the root of many problems in this world. Kapila requested Ganesha to stay back. From then on, this place (Theur near Pune) was called 'Chintamani Vinayaka'.[/JUSTIFY]
Ganesha Kills Demon Gajamugasuram [JUSTIFY]There was an asura called Gajamugasuran. He did deep penance and worshipped Lord Siva, who granted him several boons, by which he became extremely powerful. He put the Devas and rishis to great trouble. He forced the Devas to do 1008 Thoeppukaranams in the morning, 1008 in the afternoon and 1008 in the evening. (Thoepukaranam means to sit down and stand up holding one's ears with crossed hands, left ear with right hand & right ear with left hand). The Devas prayed to Lord Siva to rescue them from this evil asura. Lord Siva sent Lord Vinayaga to overcome Gajamugasuran. Vinayagar went with several weapons such as bow & arrow, sword, axe, etc. However, since Gajamugasuran had been granted the boon that he be destroyed by no weapon, none of these weapons used by Lord Vinayaga were effective. Vinayagar broke off his right tusk and used it to kill Gajamugasuran. Gajamugasuran still rushed at Vinayaga in the form of a mooshikam (small mouse). Vinayagar crushed the ego and vanity of Gajamugasuran and sat on the mooshikam. The humbled Gajamugasuran bowed before Vinayagar, who accepted the mooshikam as his vahana. Lord Vinayaka is the source of everlasting wisdom. He crushed ego and vanity and reduced it to the size of a mooshikam and used it as his vahana. Lord Vinayagar can be pleased by doing Thoepukaranam.[/JUSTIFY]
