Lord Ganesh is worshipped as the symbol of piousness, intellect, prosperity and wisdom in India. Known by many names like Bappa, Sidhivinayak, Gajanan, Ganapati, and many more, lord Ganesh is revered as a giver, protector, and benefactor by worshippers. Therefore, most Hindu rituals commence by paying respects to the lord. Ganesh Chaturthi marks the birthday of Lord Ganesh, which is celebrated with full grandeur and devotion. This 10-day festival is a treat to watch as big stalls with creative decorations and cultural performances with folk music simply add to the religious fervour. During this festive time, your child must be curious about the full story of Lord Ganesh and his birth and how this iconic divinity came into being to bless the world. This mythological story in English will be a fascinating piece to read for kids. Stay tuned!!
Lord Ganesh’s Birth Story
The story of Ganesh Chaturthi has its origin in mythology, as it is also the story of how Lord Ganesh was born. The mention of lord Ganesh’s birth story is found in the Puranas too. Ganesh is the son of Shiva and goddess Parvati, who were both living in this world in their human form. Their son, Ganesh has the head of an elephant. The reason for this is explained in his birth story, or you can say, his creation.
Story Type
This is a mythological tale with a moral and covers the details related to the birth of lord Ganesh.
Story Characters
The story primarily revolves around lord Shiva (father), goddess Parvati (mother), and Lord Ganesh (son of Shiva and Parvati). The secondary characters are lord Shiva’s assistants, Lord Brahma, and other deities at the end to bless lord Ganesha.
Lord Ganesh’s Birth Story For Children
Mount Kailash served as the home of lord Shiva and goddess Parvati. For most of the time, Shiva would typically be away from home attending to other duties while Parvati was alone at the mountain. On one such day, when Parvati had to take a bath and didn’t want anyone to bother her, she created a statue of a little child out of turmeric and blessed him with life. He was utterly devoted to her. While she took a bath, she requested him to watch over the house. Just a few minutes later, Shiva returned home and wished to go inside the home. The little boy stopped him from entering the house. When questioned, he answered that his mother was bathing inside and has instructed him not to let anyone in. At that time, the boy didn’t know that Shiva was his father. He was only following his mother’s orders.
Shiva, too, was unaware of the boy’s identity and turned furious about being stopped from entering his own home. Shiva asked his forces to kill the boy; however, Ganesha overcame Shiva’s army owing to the powers Parvati gave him. In a rage, Shiva speared the head of the boy and entered the house.
At this time, goddess Parvati stepped out and saw the dead body of her child. She told Shiva about the identity of the boy and demanded that he revive him; otherwise, she would destroy the universe. Hearing the same, lord Brahma got scared and appeared on the scene and requested Parvati not to destroy the universe. Lord Shiva felt bad too and apologised to Parvati for his impulsive deed. He agreed to bring the boy to life but said that it was not possible to get him back to his original state. So, he ordered his troops, including Nandi, his bull, to find a new head for the boy. He asked to pick only that creature who was not with their mother. Incidentally, they could only find an elephant calf and brought back his head. Lord Shiva placed the head on the boy and gave him a new life. Lord shiva named him Ganesh. Parvati was happy to see her son alive but had apprehensions about his appearance. She thought he would be mocked for his distinct face and would never find the same respect as other gods.
To subside her fears, lord Shiva called all the Gods and asked them to bless the boy. All the Gods gave him so many blessings and boons. One of the biggest blessings he got was that his name will always be taken first, before any other god, when starting any auspicious work like a business, marriage, any kind of ritual or ceremony. He was also blessed to be the god of wisdom and intellect.
Story Summary
The summary of the story of Lord Ganesh’s birth is given below.
Goddess Parvati created lord Ganesh to guard her in the absence of lord Shiva. She gave him the task of watching the home door while she bathed. In the meantime, Shiva returned home, and Ganesh, unaware of Shiva’s identity, stopped him. His audacity angered Shiva, and he severed Ganesh’s head. Parvati got enraged when she saw the boy’s body. Lord Shiva, in turn, promised to get Ganesh back to life. He sent his assistants, including Nandi, his bull, to search for a head, but they could only find an elephant calf’s head. Shiva fixed the elephant’s head on the child’s body, which is how Ganesha returned to life in a new form. He got blessed by all the gods.
Moral Of The Story
It is a mythological story that also has an underlined moral to understand. “The moral of the story is anger can cause harm to our near and dear ones and sometimes create an unwanted situation that we may or may not reverse”. It also says we should rectify our mistakes as soon as possible to avoid further damage.
How Can Children Apply The Moral Of The Story In Their Real Life?
Apart from bringing kids closer to their religious and mythological roots, this story of lord Ganesh’s birth teaches a crucial lesson about being sensible and calm in challenging and unwanted situations. Lord Shiva and Ganesha didn’t analyse the situation in the story and acted impulsively. However, if we find ourselves in such situations, we should first understand the whole scenario and act accordingly. In the story, Shiva is a god who could fix the problem in the end, but in real life, we may or may not be able to reverse our actions. In today’s world, this story can represent the dark side of unthinkable actions and act as a model for preaching a sensible path and calmness. Kids and adults can equally be inspired by the story. Parents and teachers can also narate this tale as a short story to keep it crisp and interesting for kids. You also can purchase picture books with the story for kids. It is seen that a story with pictures has a farther-reaching impact than a plain text book.
When we read mythological tales like lord Ganesh’s birth story, we grasp much more than we think. Such stories have a significant impact on our minds and soul. Apart from being a fascinating read, it takes us to an era different from our times. Kids learn a great deal about their religious and mythological roots by reading such stories and sometimes learn something more valuable, like a lesson for life. In this case: the importance of anger management.
