Ganesha is among the most popular of the Hindu gods. He’s cheerful, he’s naughty, he loves modaks… what’s not to like? But how did Ganesha get his elephant head? There are many versions of this story… Here’s one of them!
There was once an asura called Gajasura who had the head of an elephant. This asura was a big devotee of Lord Shiva and he sat in penance for many years to make the lord appear before him. When Shiva appeared before him at last and asked the delighted Gajasura what he wanted, the asura replied that he wanted his body to emanate fire so nobody could come near him! Gajasura was a very powerful asura and he had many enemies. His fearsome looks could only improve with the blazing fire coming out of him! Shiva granted Gajasura the boon and went his way. But Gajasura was not done yet. He sat in penance once more for many years.
This time, when Shiva appeared before him, Gajasura told him that he’d like Shiva to live in his stomach from then on! Shiva didn’t find this a palatable idea but he couldn’t refuse. And so, Shiva ended up living in Gajasura’s rather spacious stomach. In the meantime Parvati was searching for Shiva everywhere but there was no sign of him. Where had he gone? When would he return? Worried, she went to Vishnu and asked for his help.
Vishnu smiled when he heard Parvati’s complaints. He knew that Shiva had a habit of granting boons to his devotees, unmindful of how absurd these boons happened to be. Could he have got into some trouble because of this? Assuring Parvati that he would do his best to find Shiva, Vishnu decided to travel to the earth in the guise of a flutist. Nandi, Shiva’s loyal bull, accompanied him, dancing along the way to make Vishnu’s garb of a travelling artist look believable.
When Vishnu heard that Gajasura had been in penance for many years, he suspected that he was close to finding the answer to Shiva’s whereabouts. Vishnu and Nandi went to Gajasura’s abode, where they found him seated under a tree, looking very peaceful and happy despite the fire coming out of him! When he saw Nandi, he welcomed Vishnu and told him that he’d love to see the dancing bull’s show. Vishnu and Nandi put up a great performance and Gajasura was delighted with their act. He clapped and applauded wildly, rubbing his stomach as he did so. Vishnu did not fail to notice this.
When the show came to an end Gajasura asked Vishnu what he wanted as a gift. Without losing a moment, Vishnu said, ‘Set free Shiva who is in your stomach!’ Gajasura was stunned. How did this ordinary flutist know his great secret? But as he looked at Vishnu closely, he realised who he really was. He set Shiva free and apologised to both the gods for his unreasonable request. Shiva laughed and seeing his devotee’s sad face, granted him another boon! Vishnu could only shake his head in frustration.
This time Gajasura thought for a long while and said, ‘I have lived a long life and I don’t want to go on any more. All my life, people have been afraid of my strange elephant head. But after my death I want them to adore me.’ Shiva knew what to do. When Gajasura died, he substituted his son Ganesha’s, head for the asura’s! And now, it is true that we all love that elephant head, isn’t it?