Let’s begin with the Lord of Beginnings, Shree Ganesha. This elephant- headed son of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati is the most lovable of all gods of the Hindu pantheon. The devout invoke his name before they begin anything; a journey, an exam, a new home.
Unlike the other gods, Ganesha is easy to please and will come to aid of his devotees without much ado. All you need to do his offer him a bit of Durva grass every day. Want to know why? Then listen to this story: In the abode of Yama, the God of Dharma and Death there was born a demon by the name of Analasura. Like all wicked asuras, he went about wreaking havoc and destruction everywhere.
Indra, the King of Devas tried to battle him several times but he was no match for the powerful asura. Along with the sages and other gods, he went to Mount Kailash to seek the help of Lord Shiva.
Lord Maheshwara listened to them patiently and called his son Ganesha who was playing nearby. “Son, these people need your help. There’s an asura who is up to no good and you alone can defeat him. “ “Sure, father” said Ganesha and immediately set out to find the wicked asura.
When Analsura saw the chubby little boy with the elephant’s head approach, he started roaring with laughter. A smiling Ganesha began to grow in size and soon he towered over the surprised asura who was, as you know, a very tall fellow.
Then in one big gulp, Ganesha swallowed the asura whole! No sooner did he swallow the demon, Ganesha’s stomach began to burn as if he had eaten a whole plate of very hot chillies. Poor Ganesha was in great discomfort.
Varuna, the Lord of the Waters rained all the waters from the oceans to cool down the fire but it didn’t help. Indra then got the moon to adorn the sweating forehead of the hapless Ganesha but that didn’t do much to help either. A worried Shiva tied a thousand-headed serpent around his son’s tummy to offer comfort, but that too didn’t make a difference.
Then a group of sages arrived with 21 blades of Durva grass each, which they had collected from the Kailash and offered it to Ganesha. As soon as he ate them, the burning in his stomach stopped.
“Ahhh, that feels much better!” Ganesha’s face broke into a smile. “Thank you so m u c h , wise rishis! Know that from now on, nothing in the world will please me more than a blade of thi s durva grass.” The sages were indeed wise.
Do you know that this grass is actually used as a cure for indigestion in ayurveda?