Ganesha: Epic Characters of Puranas

By Sri Hari

Known by various names, Ganesha is a divine force, a remover of all hurdles and one who is worshipped before doing any good work. The story of Ganesha here is based on Brahmavaivartha Purana. Lord Sri Krishna was born as Ganesha to Siva and Parvathi after she completed the Punyaka vratha, the king of all vrathas. As dakshina, Sanatkumara asked Parvathi for her husband if she wanted to enjoy the fruits of the vratha completely.

It is said that Shaneshwara who was under his wife's curse was forced to look at baby Ganesha when the baby's head got severed from his body. Lord Vishnu got an elephant's head, stuck it to the baby's body and breathed life into it. Once when Parasurama came to have a darshan of Siva and Parvathi, Ganesha refused to allow him inside as his parents were resting. Incensed, the sage cut off one of Ganesha's tusks with his axe. Ganesha and Tulasi once had a duel during which Tulasi offered to marry Ganesha and when he declined she cursed him saying that he would be married one day. He in turn cursed her but felt sorry and comforted her saying that as a plant, she would be a favourite of Lord Sri Hari.

Ganesha beat his brother Karthikeya in a competition when they were asked to go round the world to visit holy places in order to win the divine modaka and the promise of getting married. While Karthikeya actually went round the world, Ganesha went round his parents as he believed that everything holy lay at his parents' feet. He was then married to Siddhi and Buddhi. Ganesha was once abandoned in a forest. Sage Parashara recognized the divine being in the baby and took it home. Due to sage Saubhari's curse, Krauncha was cursed to become a rat, but one that would enjoy the status of being Ganesha'a vehicle. The legend of the Moon laughing at Ganesha and the latter cursing the Moon is quite well known. One must note that it was because of Ganesha's wisdom and blessings that he was chosen to be Vedavyasa's scribe and thus the world got a great epic, the Mahabharatha.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana
• Release date: May 24, 2019
• ISBN: 9789389020526

Book preview

EPIC CHARACTERS OF PURĀNAS

Ganesha

Written by

Sri Hari

Editorial Scholar, Bharatha Darshana, Bangalore

Translated by

Prof. G. S. Mudambadithaya

© Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana, Bengaluru. All rights reserved.

Published by:

Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana

C/o. Bharatha Darshana,

163, Manjunatha Road, 2nd Block,

Thyagarajanagar, Bangalure 560 028,

Ph: [phone], [phone]

bharathasamskruthi.com

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ll Sri Ranga Sadguruve Namah ll

We joyfully invoke the blessings of the Lord, Purana Purusha to the sacred fourth blossom of Sri Bharatha Darsana and Bharatha Samskruthi Prakashana.

The two pioneer publishing organizations have so far brought out the Epic Characters of the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha and the ten Great Maharshis the makers our immortal culture, in the form of ten small books each with the sole object of introducing our young boys and girls to veritable storehouse of Indian cultural heritage and by doing so the publishers have endeared themselves to the reading public. Now they have taken up the laudable task of introducing great characters from another branch of literature relating to our culture, called the Puranas.

A purana is a form of literature which delineates vedic principles in the form of history, stories, examples, plays and images, in a simple but interesting style so that even common men can understand and enjoy them. The principles are not presented in a mandatory form, but in a simple form just like the advice given by a friend and that is why it is called Mithrasammitha. Great men are of the opinion that a thorough knowledge of the Puranas is essential to explain the meaning of the Vedas. Ithihasa puranabhyam. Vedam samupa Brhmayeth ॥

The puranic literature besides telling us about the original creation, the later subsidiary creation, family history, it also describes the evolution of our great culture.

We get references to puranas in the vedas. We also see parts of some of these puranas in the Ramayana and the Mahabharatha. Though they were written at different times, they were collected and edited by sage Vedavyasa and this collected work come to be called Purana Samhita. There are eighteen puranas and the same number of upapuranas. The Purana literature is as wide as an ocean and this great flow has come down to us in three great forms namely Satvik, Rajas and Tamas. Here only a few models have been presented to the reading public. The word Purana has the generally accepted meaning ‘old’ ’Purana prathna, prathna, purathana chiranthana". Though it is very old, it ever fresh presents to us truths which are universal in nature and these truths are presented to us in a