English
How Ganesha Got His Elephant Head
Source: Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Kumara Khanda
On Kailasa Shiva had many attendants (ganas): Nandi, Bhringi and others. All of them obeyed Shiva. One day Parvati's friends Jaya and Vijaya said, “Friend, these are all Shiva's ganas. You should have a gana of your own, who obeys only you.”
The idea stayed in Parvati's mind. One day, as she was going to bathe, she shaped a handsome, strong boy from the paste rubbed off her body, and gave him life.
Parvati embraced him as her son, placed a staff in his hand and said, “Son, guard my door. Let no one enter without my permission, whoever it may be.”
The boy stood at the door. A little later Lord Shiva himself came and began to go in. The boy blocked the way with his staff: “You cannot enter without my mother's permission.”
Shiva was astonished. “Do you not know who I am? This is my own home.” But the boy did not budge. Shiva sent his ganas to reason with him. The ganas reasoned, threatened, then fought, but the boy alone defeated them all.
The matter grew. The gods came too, and even Lord Vishnu himself, but the boy stood firm on his mother's word, and no one could stand before his courage.
At last Shiva himself stepped forward. There was anger in his eyes and a trident in his hand. Even then, the boy at the door did not move…
With his trident Shiva cut off the boy's head. The battle ended, and Shiva's ganas began to celebrate.
But when the news reached Parvati, she was filled with grief and anger. “My son has been killed!” By her power she brought forth countless shaktis and commanded them to destroy creation. A scene like the end of the world spread all around.
The frightened gods and sages went to Parvati with the sage Narada, praised her and begged forgiveness. Parvati said, “Only if my son lives again, and is given a place of worship among all the gods, will there be peace in the world.”
Shiva agreed. He commanded the gods, “Go north. Bring the head of the first creature you meet.” The first creature the gods found was an elephant with a single tusk. They brought its head.
The head was joined to the boy's body. Water was sprinkled on it with Shiva's remembrance, and the boy came to life and sat up, more radiant than before, with a beautiful elephant face.
Parvati embraced her son with joy. Shiva accepted him as his own son and declared, “He shall be the leader of all my ganas. His name shall be Ganesha, and in every auspicious undertaking he shall be worshipped first.” Brahma, Vishnu and all the gods agreed.
Since then every worship and every auspicious act begins with “Shri Ganeshaya Namah”, and Ganesha is called Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles.
Note that this is the Shiva Purana's account. Other Puranas, such as the Brahmavaivarta Purana, give a different reason for Ganesha's head being severed.
What this story teaches
Ganesha's first quality is unwavering loyalty to duty. The one who holds to their word is given the highest place by God himself.
Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, and the Vinayaka Chaturthi vrat is kept on the Shukla Chaturthi of every month. Durva grass and modak are offered in Ganesha's worship.
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