The Birth and Re-Birth of lord Ganesha

A story of a mother’s Love and son’s Loyalty

Today I will be telling you a story of a mother’s love and a son’s loyalty.

Parvati already had two children a daughter and a son. But both were away: her son was training hard, and her daughter was deep in tapasya. She was alone, feeling the quiet of her home.

She wanted another son, one just for herself. So, with turmeric paste from her own hands, she made a boy. She breathed life into him, and that boy was Ganesha.

A few years later, when the boy was about ten years of age, Shiva returned with his ganas. Parvati was having a bath, and she had told the little boy, “Make sure no one comes this way.” The boy had never seen Shiva, so when he came, the boy stopped him.

But Ganesha stood his ground and said, “My mother is so beautiful look at her yourself. You can’t be my father. You must not come in.”

Nandi and many gods tried to convince Ganesha. “He is your father,” they said. “Let him in.” But Ganesha didn’t listen.

When Indra, the king of gods, the ruler of heaven came forward and ordered Ganesha to let Shiva pass, Ganesha looked him straight in the eye and said, “You sit on your throne in heaven like a child afraid someone might take it away. If you’re so scared, how can you expect me to respect your order?”

The gods fell silent, ashamed.

This made Shiva very angry not with pride, but with pure rage. His own son was disrespecting the gods. Without thinking, Shiva raised his trident and struck, cutting off Ganesha’s head and went inside.

Parvati’s grief and fury shook the heavens. The gods were afraid her anger would destroy everything. “Born from the dirt of your turmeric, and his mind was also impure.”

To save the world and bring Ganesha back, the gods searched for a solution. They found an elephant, the gaja, who had been blessed by Shiva after he was happy from his hard tapasya. The blessing meant the elephant would live with Shiva his whole life.

They took a gana’s head and placed it on Ganesha’s body. Ganesha came back to life stronger and wiser.

Ganesha became the remover of obstacles and the god who listens to all prayers.

This story reminds me that love and loyalty can stand against rage and misunderstanding, and that even loss can bring new beginnings.

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Author’s Note:

This story has been shortened to fit the format of a blog post. There is much more to the rich and beautiful tale of Ganesha, and I encourage you to explore it further to appreciate all its depth and meaning. And also Ganesha did not became the remover of obstacles from that day on it was a time after that a competition one might say.