The Story of Ganesha

Once upon a time, in timeless time, long ago- after Shiva loses the dice game and runs off to the Tillai forest, Parvati decides to go back to her boudoir to take a bath and calm down. She was furious, and rightly so, as she was just abandoned on her honeymoon. In the bath, while feeling dejected and scared, Parvati began to rub the mixture of dirt and anointed oils from the wedding off of her skin. She then blew life into the substance and her son, Pillaiyar, was born. Parvati sent her son to guard the door and instructed him not to let anyone enter. When Shiva returns home, he sees Pillaiyar standing at the door and beheads the boy upon his refusal to let him enter. Parvati, excited her husband returned, asks Shiva if he has met their son. Uh oh! In a panic to appease his distraught wife, Shiva sends his ganas (his posse) out to search for a head. Our story takes place in India, so the first head Shiva’s posse sees in an elephant. They bring the elephant head back and Pillaiyar is reborn as Ganesha.

Ganesha adores his father for “gifting” him his head. He loves his big ears for listening, his small eyes for focusing, and his long trunk for picking up his favorite treats, ladoos.

To dive deeper-

My teacher says that the secret of these stories is always in the language.

Pillaiyar=Who is this boy? (It is the question of identity)

Pillaiyar becomes Ganesha.

Ganesha= The remover of obstacles.

Ganas= Shiva’s Posse AND the unruly parts of ourselves.

Shiva and Parvati have four children and each become a pati, a lord of or master of. As the first born, Ganesha is gifted with Shiva’s ganas, therefore he becomes Ganapati, the master of the unruly parts of ourselves.