Ganesh stories on template

GANESHA’S BROKEN TUSK

Sage Vyasa approached Lord Ganesha to help him write the Epic,
Mahabharata. Ganesha‘s condition was that Sage Vyasa should continue to
recite without a break. Ganesha said he would stop the moment Vyasa
paused. Vyasa agreed to the condition. Then He came up with his own,
saying that Ganesha should not write anything without understanding the
meaning.
Ganesha agreed too and they began. Sage Vyasa began narrating at a great
speed. Ganesha noted it all down at an equally fast pace.
Soon Ganesha‘s pen broke. It could not keep up with the pace of Vyasa‘s
recital. Ganesha realised that he had been too proud and had
underestimated the sage‘s intellectual powers.
Quietly, Ganesha broke off one of his tusks, dipped it in the ink pot and
began to use it as a pen to continue writing Mahabharata.

Sage Vyasa would dictate a difficult stanza when he got tired. Ganesha
would take a few seconds to understand before writing it down. Sage Vyasa
would get his rest then.

This is how the Mahabharata epic was written down. It took them three
years to write it all down. The poem is 100,000 stanzas long. Several
stanzas are said to be lost in the years.

GANESHA AND GAJASURA

According to the Hindu Mythology, the name Gajasura is given to a demon
(asura) who takes the form of an elephant (Gaja).
Gajasura gets a boon from Lord Shiva that Shiva will stay in Gajasura's
womb. With Shiva not being seen, Parvati goes to Lord Vishnu to save Lord
Shiva like he did before ( as in the case of Bhasmasura). Vishnu realizes that
Shiva is in the womb of Gajasura . So he goes there with a retinue of Gods
in different forms and the Shiva's Nandi. The expedition results in Gajasura
seeing the light. So Lord Shiva gets freed. Thereafter Lord Shiva himself
praises Lord Vishnu. Vishnu has the parting word of advice to Lord Shiva
namely not to entertain "Dushtaas‖, the ones who with crooked thoughts !!
Another story regarding the origins of Ganesha and his elephant head
narrates that, once, there existed an Asura (demon) with all the

characteristics of an elephant, called Gajasura, who was undergoing a
penitence (tapas). Shiva, satisfied by this austerity, decided to grant him, as
a reward, whatever gift he desired. The demon wished that he could
emanate fire continually from his own body so that no one could ever dare
to approach him. The Lord granted him his request. Gajasura continued his
penitence and Shiva, who appeared in front of him from time to time, asked
him once again what he desired. The demon responded: "I desire that You
inhabit my stomach." Shiva agreed.
Parvati sought him everywhere without results. As a last recourse, she went
to her brother Vishnu, asking him to find her husband. He, who knows
everything, reassured her: "Don't worry, dear sister, your husband is Bhola
Shankara and promptly grants to his devotees whatever they ask of him,
without regard for the consequences; for this reason, I think he has gotten
himself into some trouble. I will find out what has happened."
Then Vishnu, the omniscient director of the cosmic game, staged a small
comedy. He transformed Nandi (the bull of Shiva) into a dancing bull and
conducted him in front of Gajasura, assuming, at the same time, the
appearance of a flutist. The enchanting performance of the bull sent the
demon into ecstasies, and he asked the flutist to tell him what he desired.
The musical Vishnu responded: "Can you give me that which I ask?"
Gajasura replied: "Who do you take me for? I can immediately give you
whatever you ask." The flutist then said: "If that's so, liberate Shiva from
your stomach." Gajasura understood then that this must have been no other
than Vishnu himself, the only one who could have known that secret and he
threw himself at his feet. Having liberated Shiva, he asked him for one last
gift: "I have been blessed by you with many gifts; my last request is that
everyone remember me adoring my head when I am dead." Shiva then
brought his own son there and substituted his head with that of Gajasura.
From then on, in India, the tradition is that any action, in order to prosper,
must begin with the adoration of Ganesha. This is the result of the gift of
Shiva to Gajasura.

GANESHA AND ANALASURA

A demon by the name Analasura caused trouble and havoc in the heavens.
This demon emitted fire from his eyes and destroyed everything in his way.
Ganesha‘s help was sought by the terrified demi-gods. He assured the Devas
that he would defeat the demons and bring back peace to the abode.
During the battle, the Asura began to attack Ganesha with fireballs, trying to
gulp him down. At this moment, Lord Ganesha took his original form of the
virat roop and gulped down Analasura.
After this, Ganesha became extremely restless. This was because of the heat
inside his body that was caused by devouring Analasura. Many efforts were
being taken to cool down Lord Ganesha.
The Moon came to help Lord Ganesha by standing on His head. Thus he
received the name, Balachandra. Lord Vishnu gave His lotus to Ganesha to
bring down the heat. Lord Shiva tied his Cobra Snake around the belly of
Lord Ganesha.

In the end, a few sages arrived with twenty one Durva grass blades and
placed it on Lord Ganesha‘s head. The heat vanished.

Thus the Durva grass became a favourite of Lord Ganesha. He declared that
blessings would be granted to those who prayed to Him with the Durva
Grass. No Puja is ever complete without offering the Durva Grass to the
deity.

GANESHA AND THE SNAKE AROUND HIS BELLY

Ganesha was invited to Lord Kubera‘s home for a feast. Lord Ganesha
started to go home and was riding on his Vahana, a mouse. That night was
a full moon. His mouse saw a snake and hid behind a bush. Lord Ganesha
fell to the ground and his stomach split open. The food fell onto the ground.
The moon, who was passing by, saw this and started laughing loudly. The
moon, very handsome, was proud of his appearance. Seeing a big-bellied
Ganesha sitting on a rat amused him.
This angered Lord Ganesha. He cursed the Moon saying ― Oh Moon, your
handsome looks have made you vain. How dare you laugh at me when the
entire world worships me? You shall now receive the fruits of your foolish
pride. Your beauty will vanish because of your vain and ignorance. From
today, who ever sees you on the 4th day of the Bhadrapada month will
suffer because of unjust accusations. You shall always be black and shall
never be seen by anyone again‖.

The moon was frightened by this curse. He begged Lord Ganesha to forgive
him. Lord Ganesha relented and said ― The curse cannot be lifted. You have
realised your fault. Those who have been subjected to such accusations shall
be saved. They will regain their good name when they see you on the
second day of the bright fortnight. You shall be changing from new moon to
full moon and back‖.
Ganesha put the food back in his stomach, took the snake and tied it around
his belly and went home.

GANESHA AND KUBERA

A vain and proud Kubera once invited Lord Shiva for lunch. Lord Shiva,
deciding to teach the king of wealth a lesson, sent his son, Ganesha for the
feast. He warned Kubera of his son‘s enormous appetite. Kubera looked at
the boy with contempt.
At the feast, Lord Ganesha arrived and ate all the dishes that were served to
Him. He was still not satisfied. Soon, He emptied the kitchen and was still
hungry. ―Is this all you can give me?‖ Ganesha asked Kubera. ― I thought
this was a grand feast. I am still hungry‖. Kubera rushed to Kailash and and
appealed to Lord Shiva for help. Shiva responded saying any food served
with love and affection will gain satisfaction.
Kubera borrowed some roasted rice from Goddess Parvathi and offered it to
Lord Ganesha with humility and devotion. Ganesha accepted the food and
stated that he was satisfied. Thus Kubera learnt humility.

THE BIRTH OF LORD GANESHA

It is believed that once while Parvati was bathing, she created a human
figure from some unguent and balm, gave him life and asked him to guard
the door while she bathed. After a long period of meditation on Mountain
Kailash (Lord Shiva‘s abode), Shiva chose that very moment to drop by to
see his better half, but was abruptly stopped by the man-god Parvati had
posted at the door. Outraged by the cheek of this stranger, Shiva cut off his
head only to discover moments later that he had killed Parvati‘s son! For fear
of enraging his wife, Shiva immediately dispatched his ganas (attendants) to
get him the head of the first living creature they could find. Well, the first
living creature happened to be an elephant. As instructed, the head was
chopped off and brought back to Shiva, who placed it on Parvati‘s son‘s
body, bringing him back to life.

This elephant-headed god was welcomed into the first family of the Hindu
heavens and named Ganesha or Ganapati, which literally means the chief of
the ganas, or the attendants of Shiva. Ganesha is the foremost god of the
Hindu pantheon. This brave guardian of the door to Parvati‘s bath is beheld
today as the most auspicious God of new beginnings. He is worshipped
during every festival and before people undertake a journey or embark upon
a new venture. You will also see him carefully guarding entrances to temples
and homes, peeping out of calendars and happily gracing marriages and
other such occasions.

THE ELDER ONE

Ganesha and His brother Lord Subramanya (Kartikya) once had a dispute as
to who was the elder of the two. The matter was referred to Lord Shiva for
final decision. Shiva decided that whoever would make a tour of the whole
world and come back first to the starting point had the right to be the elder.
Subramanya flew off at once on his vehicle, the peacock, to make a circuit of
the world. But the wise Ganesha went, in loving worshipfulness, around His
divine parents and asked for the prize of His victory. Lord Shiva said,
"Beloved and wise Ganesha! But how can I give you the prize; you did not
go around the world?" Ganesha replied, "No, but I have gone around my
parents. My parents represent the entire manifested universe!" Thus the
dispute was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha, who was thereafter
acknowledged as the elder of the two brothers. Mother Parvati also gave
Him a fruit as a prize for this victory.

GAURI AND GANPATI

Ganesh Chaturthi celebrates the arrival of Ganesha on earth. Legend tells us
that Parvati or Gauri, Lord Shiva‘s wife and Ganesha‘s mother, was a
daughter of the mountain king, Himavaan. Earth, was therefore her
homeland, and as the story goes, she came for a visit, leaving her husband
and son behind. Shiva couldn‘t bear to live without his wife, and so he sent
his son right behind her to bring her back. Ganesha thus came down to
earth where he was welcomed with open arms, and his stay extended to 11
days. Finally, remembering the duty on which he had come, he went back,
taking his mother with him.

LORD GANESHA AND RIVER KAVERI

This Lord Ganapathi story is a favorite one among kids. Once upon a time,
Sage Agastya sought the blessings of Lord Brahma and Shiva.
The sage wished to create flowing river in a suitable location to offer water
to the southern lands. The Gods, listening to his prayers, had his kamandalu
filled with sacred water.
The Sage then reached the Coorg Mountains. On his way, he spotted a small
boy and requested him to take good care of his pot containing water as he
needed to go to toilet.
The small boy was none other than Ganesha and he placed the small pot on
the ground as he felt that location was perfect for a river.
Then a crow landed on this pot and Sage Agastya shooed off the bird. The
crow flew off tipping the pot to the ground and spilled off some water.
This water formed River Kaveri and is considered as a sacred river.

LORD GANESHA AND GODDESS PARVATI

This Bal Ganesha story for kids would teach them that they have to take
care of animals in a gentle way. One day child Ganesha was playing with a
cat and was tormenting the animal by pulling his tail and throwing him on
the ground.
He left the cat and went to Mount Kailash to meet his mother Goddess
Parvati. He was shocked to see her wounded. When he asked her about it,
his mother replied that it was his action that caused the wound. As she was
playing with him as cat.
She also said that it is unfair to treat animals cruelly and Ganesha was sorry
for injuring the cat.

LORD GANESHA AND LORD SHIVA

When Lord Ganesha was born, Lord Shiva made a rule that Lord Ganesha
must be worshiped first to ensure success in any endeavor.
However, Lord Shiva forgot about his own rule and left for a war with the
demons in Tripura. He did not worship Lord Ganesha before doing so!
While he was on his way in his carriage, the wheel peg got damaged.
It was only then Lord Shiva remembered that he forgot to offer prayers to
Lord Ganesh before departing for the war.
He offered his prayers to Ganesha and proceeded to the battle ground. Lord
Shiva won the war!

LORD GANESHA AND LORD VISHNU

One day, Lord Vishnu‘s Valampuri Shankh (conch) was missing, which
annoyed him greatly.
Later he heard the sound of his conch at a distance and it was coming from
Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva.
He sought the help of Lord Shiva and requested him to ask his son Lord
Ganesh to give back his conch.
Lord Shiva asked Vishnu to perform a puja to please Lord Ganesha.
Lord Vishnu performed the puja immediately and Ganesha was happy with it
and returned back his conch.
After this incident, Lord Ganesha was known as Valampuri Ganesh which
means Ganesha with a trunk facing the right side.

A VAHANA FOR GANESHA

Bal Ganesha or baby Ganesha was a naughty child, unlike the
quiet Kartikeya. Little Ganesha was always up to mischief, doing things he
should not be doing and driving his mother Parvati crazy.
She was constantly running around Mount Kailash in search of her son, who
she would find hiding behind a snow covered tree or hill. The angry mother
would drag the little one back home. Then she would make him sit beside
her while she completed her chores. Her eyes would frequently stray to her
elephant-headed son.

Bal Ganesha was fond of sweets, especially laddoos. Whenever Parvati
prepared a special meal for her family, she would keep a strict watch over
her son who would happily eat up most of the laddoos from the large
platters, leaving very few for his father and brother.

Quiet Kartikeya was no trouble. He was an obedient child. He seldom
needed supervision. Sitting astride his peacock, Kartikeya travelled
everywhere, often taking his father‘s messages to the gods.

―I too want a vahana (vehicle),‖ Ganesha tugged at his mother‘s sari. This
had been his frequent request for the past one month.

―You are not ready for it Ganesha,‖ his mother answered. A vahana for
Ganesha would mean more work for her. She would end up looking after her
baby and whichever creature he chose as his vahana. It had been no
problem getting the self-reliant Kartikeya a vahana, for he looked after
himself and his peacock.

―I will get you a vahana when you grow a little older. You have to take care
of your vahana,‖ she explained, cradling her son in her lap.

Stomping his foot, little Ganesha pouted. ―No, I will not wait. I want a
vahana right now,‖ he said loudly, shattering the peace and disturbing his
father who was meditating.

Shiva opened his eyes. Kartikeya and Parvati shivered. An angry Shiva was a
fierce sight. Mother and son stared at Shiva in shock. Seeing the fear in their
eyes, hesmiled.
―Come here,‖ he beckoned little Ganesha, who trotted up to his father on
chubby legs, munching a large peda. Gathering his son close, Shiva ruffled
Ganesha‘s hair.

―I have the perfect vahana for you,‖ he said, winking at his wife and
Kartikeya. They were stunned.

Over the last week, Shiva‘s meditation had been disturbed by the constant
squeaks of a scampering mouse. Not just that, the mouse had chewed up
his meditation mat! Ganesha too was proving troublesome. It was time to
bring two naughty creatures together, decided Shiva.

With his cosmic eye, Shiva saw the little mouse hiding in a corner of the
room. With a brisk snap of his fingers, he brought the mouse out. The tiny
creature obeyed Shiva‘s silent command and scurried towards him.

Lifting the mouse, Shiva dropped it into baby Ganesha‘s hands. ―Henceforth
this will be your vahana,‖ he said.

Thrilled with his vahana, Ganesha went down on his haunches and stared
delightedly at the furry little mouse.

The moment the mouse was placed on the ground it darted away to safety.
Ganesha, who taken by surprise, chased the pesky creature all over the
house. Parvati smiled. Her clever husband had once again solved her
problem. Now her little Ganesha would not trouble her, as he would be too
busy keeping his mischievous vahana under control. It would take Ganesha
years to learn to control his mouse, and by then he would have outgrown his
mischief!

THE FIRST PRAYERS

Saivite saint Sundarar, while visiting Seraman Perumal Nayanar, a devotee
of Lord Siva, sang of his desire to sever worldly ties.
And Lord Siva responded to the cries of His devotee at once. He sent a white
elephant to fetch Sundarar to His abode, Kailasa, and the saint departed
immediately for Kailasa, said K. Sambandan.
Hearing that his friend had left for Kailasa, Seraman Perumal Nayanar too
left at once on a horse-back. But how would he be able to reach Kailasa?
Seraman Perumal Nayanar whispered ―Om Namah Sivaya‖ in the ears of the
horse and it started flying towards Kailasa.
Poetess Avvaiyar, through her gnana, sensed that the two men were leaving
for Kailasa. She too wanted to accompany them. So she said her prayers in

a hurry. Lord Ganesha told her not to rush through her worship of Him. He
would make sure that she reached Kailasa even before the other two did.

Avvaiyar followed Lord Ganesha‘s directive and did her usual worship in an
unhurried manner.

Pleased with her worship, Lord Ganesha lifted her with his trunk and put her
in Kailasa, well before Sundarar and Seraman Perumal Nayanar reached the
holy abode of Lord Siva.

Thus by worshipping Lord Ganesha, Avvaiyar could fulfil her wish speedily.
This showed that worshipping Lord Ganesha first and foremost would lead
one to success in all ventures.

Avvaiyar sang 72 lines in praise of Lord Ganesha to show her gratitude.
Though her work was not lengthy, it was significant in its meaning. Just as a
banyan tree, which can shelter an army, could grow from a small seed, the
small work of Avvaiyar had within it many facets of bhakti and philosophy.

Avvaiyar praised Lord Ganesha as the One who rids us of the results of our
actions and quells our pride.

She pointed out that He makes us realise that we should ponder
philosophical truths, use the knowledge gained to dispel doubts and we
must resort to meditation.

Also, making us realise the path to salvation, He liberates us from births and
deaths.

MOOLADHARA & MANGAL (PLANET MARS)

Shri Ganesha resides in the Mooladhara (or Muladhara) Chakra. It is the
base centre of the subtle system. Mula means root or origin – a reference to
the Kundalini, which is the Root of the Tree of Life, and the origin of the
Creation. Dhara means support, thus Shri Ganesha is the supporter of the
Kundalini, His Mother. This indicates that Innocence, the quality of Lord
Ganesha, is necessary for spiritual ascent.
The red planet corresponds to the Mooladhara Chakra in the subtle system,
wherein Shri Ganesha resides. Mars gets its reddish hue from iron oxide, a
mineral associated with Ganesha Swyambhu sites around the world.
Astrologers often refer to Mars as a ‗malefic‘ (unlucky) planet, because of
the obstacles they have observed in connection with it, over the centuries.
However, in India, Mars is given the name Mangala, which means
‗auspicious‘. The reason for this apparent contradiction is that Shri Ganesha
is the Lord of Obstacles – He removes them for the Innocent, but lays them
in the path of those whose motives are selfish or impure.

A SCHOLAR DEITY

Once Ravana performed a sadhana and received as reward
a jyotirlinga from Shiva himself. Shiva told Ravana to carry the jyotirlinga to
his land with the caveat that wherever Ravana would place it, it would
remain stuck there forever.
So Ravana carried the jyotirlinga with great care. He held back every
physical urge such as eating or attending to calls of nature and walked
almost 4,000 kilometres from Kailash to a place called Gokarna in Karnataka.
Since he had been walking without food or rest, he felt weak and he wanted
to ease himself. Unable to eat any food, he must have sustained himself on
water alone and his bladder must have been bursting. But he would not
keep the jyotirlinga down either. And he would not be able to make water —
an unclean act — while holding the jyotirlinga with his hands.
Presently, he saw a cute and innocent-looking cowherd boy. Ravana said to
the boy, ―Hey you, come here.‖ The boy came. Ravana said, ―If you hold
this for five minutes, I‘ll give you a pearl necklace. Just hold it, don‘t keep it
down. Understand?‖ The boy agreed. Ravana gave the jyotirlinga to the boy
and turned around to ease himself. His call of nature done, he turned

around to look. What did he see? The boy had kept the jyotirlinga down
and, of course, it had sunk into the earth as per the caveat. Then Ravana
looked up. In place of the cowherd, it was Ganapati standing there, in his
true form with a grin on his face.

Ganapati did not want Ravana to take the jyotirlinga to Lanka, because if he
did, he would have become superhuman. Even today if you visit Gokarna,
you will see a small hole in the rock through which you have to put your
finger and feel the jyotirlinga. Ravana got so furious he knocked Ganapati on
the head so hard that his head was dented. That is why you will also find a
Ganapati statue with a depression in his skull at Gokarna.

For these thousands of years that day of Ravana-Ganapati encounter has
come down to us as Ganesh Chaturthi. Ganapati, one of the most popular
gods from India, is the one who mastered all the knowledge that was in the
land. Even today when a child commences his education, the first thing
parents do is invoke Ganapati, the scholar-deity. He is believed to like food.
Usually scholars are skinny, but Ganapati is a well-fed, smart scholar, who
outwitted Ravana.

GOD GANESH VS. PARSHURAM – A DIVINE BATTLE

Another legend involves sage Parshuram (meaning ‗Rama with an axe‘) who
is considered to be one of the many incarnations of Lord Vishnu.
It is said that Parshuram had once embarked on a journey to Mount Kailash
to visit and pay respect to Lord Shiva who he revered as his holy teacher.
Parshuram always carried with him an axe which was a divine weapon that
had been given to him by Lord Shiva. As Parshuram adamantly tried to reach
Lord Shiva, his path was blocked by Ganesh who said that Lord Shiva had
not given anybody permission to enter Mount Kailash.
Offended by Ganesh‘s actions, Parshuram angrily asked to be let through but
Ganesh refused. Soon, a fight ensued between the two and Parshuram
attacked Ganesh with his axe. The axe severed one of Ganesh‘s two teeth as
he was unable to defend himself against the weapon which had been
blessed by his father Lord Shiva himself.

At this point Goddess Parvati noticed her son‘s severed tooth and in a fit of
rage took the form of Goddess Durga to punish Parshuram. Realizing what
had happened, Lord Shiva decided to intervene and restore peace between
Ganesh and Parshuram while calming his wife Goddess Parvati.

GANESHA AND TULSI

Tulsi is the daughter of Dharmaraja (god of righteousness). In her youthful
days she was a great devotee of narayana (lord vishnu). Once she was
walking along the banks of ganges. She came across beautiful ganesha
sitting in deep meditation to lord krishna. Being son of ma parvati, ganesha
is very beautiful. Moreover any person in deep meditation state looks more
beautiful. So you can visualize the beauty of Lord Ganesha in that meditative
state. Like tulsi ma, ganesha was also in his prime and of marriageable age
plus both were devoted to forms of lord vishnu. So tulsi ma immediately fell
in love with lord ganesha, she asked Ganesha to marry her.
at that time lord ganesha was a bachelour (brahamchari) which is natural for
any meditator. Because in meditation one has to be aloof and meditator tries
to explore oneself rather than going in a relationship. So lord ganesha was
not looking for marrying anyone. Moreover he only wanted to marry
someone who possesses the same divine qualities like her mother parvati.
so Ganesha politely refused tulsi ma for marriage. This broke her heart. tulsi
took this as an insult and she became very angry. In her anger tulsi ma
cursed ganesha that one day he will get married against his wish of not
getting married.

Lord Ganesha also in turn cursed tulsi that she will be married to an asura
(demon) and then under the blessings from the sages (or gods) will become
a plant.

VAKRADHUNDA VINAYAGAR

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.

GANESHA AND GAJMUKHA



STORY OF GANESHA AS GAJANANA AND LOBHASURA

Gajanana is one of the eight avatars of Ganesha as per the Mudgala Purana.
It is stated in the Mudgala Purana that one of the mission of the Gajanana
Avatar was to annihilate Lobhasura – the demon greed. Kubera, the
treasurer of wealth, once visited Shiva and Goddess Parvati. Pleased with
the devotion of Kubera, Shiva blessed him with the vision of the divine
couple whenever he wanted. After the blessing Kubera made it a point to
have the vision of divine couple daily. Soon Kubera was enamored by the
beauty of Goddess Parvati and he gazed Her with lustful thoughts. Goddess
Parvati who realized this gave an angry look at Kubera. Kubera was
trembling in fear at the look of the Goddess and from the fear was born the
demon named Lobhasura. Lobhasura did penance and propitiated Shiva. He
was granted the boon of fearlessness. The spiritual strength and lack of fear
made Lobhasura powerful and he became to the ruler of the three worlds.
Power made the asura corrupt and he led a demonic life killing and looting
innocents. Fed up with Lobhasura, people approached Sage Raibhya. He
instructed them to offer prayers to Ganesha in Gajanana form. Gajanana

was pleased with the devotion of the people and decided to annihilate the
demon. Ganesha did not want war and destruction.

So He asked Vishnu to apprise Lobhasura of the strength of Gajanana.
Vishnu was able to convince Lobhasura about Gajanana‘s strength and the
futility of opposing him. Lobhasura who also had a spiritual side realized that
he did not have the power to stand before Ganesha. The demon
surrendered before Gajanana without a fight. Symbolically, the story
indicates that those who are overpowered by the demon of greediness can
overcome it by surrendering before Gajanana.

LORD GANESHA’S MARRIAGE

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 Kartikeyan /
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.

WHY VIGNESHWARA ?

Ganesha is known as Vigneshwara because his devotees believes Ganesha
roots out obstacles and difficulties from their lives and ensure success.

Eshwara is the embodiment of all riches – physical beauty and strength,

knowledge, wisdom, material wealth, spiritual

enlightenment. Vighna translates as an unforeseen obstacle or impediment.

Abhinandan, king started a Yagya in order to fulfill his goal of becoming the
Indra ( or King of Heaven). When the news of the yagya spread, Lord
Brahma tried to block King Abhinandan‘s overweening ambition of ruling the
heavens and decided to create obstacles in the his path. He summoned
Kalapurush and asked him to destroy the Yagya. After killing Abhinandan
and destroying the yagya Kalapurush acquired the name Vighnasura, the
creator of obstacles.

But Vighnasura, ran amok himself and and destroyed all Vedic practices on
earth. He could be thwarted by none, except Ganesha who in those days
was at the ashram of Sage Parashar.

Gajanan took birth as Parshwaputra and Deepvatsala son and fought
valiantly with Vighnasura, who had to except defeat. He abdicated himself to
the Lord and asked to be blessed. Ganesha spared Vighnasura‘s life, on the
condition that the demon would not appear in any place where Ganesha was
worshipped. Before disappearing, the demon extracted a promise from
Ganesha, that he incorporates his name with that of the Lord. Thus,
Ganesha acquired the name Vighneswara or Destroyer of Obstacles. Legend
also has it that the very same Devtas installed an image of Vigneshwara at
Ozar on Ganesh Chaturti and offered worship.

GANESHA RESTORES CHINTAMANI

Gananayaka is the lord of Ganas or one who defeats Ganas. A nice 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 finish 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, Ganesha killed Gana 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'.