Chapter 27 - Pārvatī Enraged: The Origin of Gaṇeśa

[Sanskrit text for this chapter is available]

Nārada said:

1. Then along with the goddess the Lord entered the abode that had been directly built by Īśāna and was matchlessly divine. It was splendid and was set with all sorts of gems and jewels.

2. There, the destroyer of the vision of Bhaga^[1] sported with the goddess on the Mandara mountain, in the palace and in the park. He was delighted in his mind.

3. In the meantime Devas had been excessively harassed by Tāraka, urged to a great extent by me who was desirous of bringing about a quarrel.

4-6. They came to Lord Bhava and eulogized him with many hymns. In the meantime the goddess cleansed her person and applied perfumes and unguents over her body. With the dirt of the cleansing therefrom she created a human body with elephantine face.^[2] On being moved with compassion by the holy eulogies of Devas the goddess spoke to him addressing “O son” with delighted mind. In the meantime Śarva came there and spoke these words:

7-10. “O daughter of the Mountain, listen; of what nature would he be? By means of his exploits, prowess and compassion he will be on a par with me. Your son will be just like me in qualities. Those sinners of evil conduct who hate the Vedas and Virtue (Dharma) will be harassed by him with obstacles throughout their lives till death. Those who do not honour me or Viṣṇu, the preceptor of the universe, will be hindered by Vighnarāja (Gaṇapati). They will enter great darkness. There will be perpetual quarrel in their houses. It will never subside.

11-14. By the obstacles caused by your son, everything connected with them will perish to the very root.

He will cause obstacles to those by whom persons worthy of adoration are not respected duly, those who are excessively prone to anger and untruth and those who are terribly venturesome.

He will remove the obstacles of those persons who abide by the Dharma of Śrutis (i.e. holy rites laid down in the Śrutis) and those who keep up the customs and conventions of their kinsmen and society, those who are merciful and those who are devoid of anger.

O splendid lady, without his worship all pious deeds and holy rites of various kinds will be hindered and obstructed.”

On hearing this Umā said to Śaṅkara, “Let it be so.”

15. His body increased in size and he brightened the quarters. Thereupon, Śarva gave him to Suras along with Gaṇas (saying), “This is your Lord till the advent of the slayer of Tāraka.”

16. Since then, Vighnapati (‘Lord of obstacles’), the destroyer of the agony of those who bow down, was eulogized by Devas. He made their activities obstacle-free and put obstacles in the activities of Daityas.

17. Afterwards goddess Pārvatī adopted a sapling of Aśoka as her own son and nurtured it with waters brought by herself.

18. She invited the Seven Sages and made them perform the auspicious and consecratory rites of the tree. Then the Sages spoke to that lady of slender body:

19. “O goddess, it behoves you to fix a rule for the path pointed out by you alone. What will be the benefit in adopting trees as sons?”

The goddess said:

20-23. If a learned man digs a well in a village without water, he will rejoice in heaven as long as there is water in that well.

A tank is on a par with ten wells. A lake is on a par with ten tanks. A girl is on a par with ten lakes. A sacrifice is on a par with ten girls (daughters). A son is on a par with ten sacrifices and a tree is on a par with ten sons. This is ray rule. It is invariable and it sanctifies the worlds. When the ruins are repaired the benefit is considered to be twofold.

Thus the origin of Gaṇeśa (has been recounted).

24-27. Thereafter, once, the Lord was sporting with Umā on the Mandara mountain. In a splendid silver mansion that delighted (everyone) both of them sported and had pleasant and meritorious talks. Flowers had been scattered here and there. Hence bees were humming and hovering round in great numbers for the sake of the fragrance of those flowers. The middle portion (of the mansion) reverberated with the loud songs of Kinnaras. There was also the pleasant sound of peacocks kept as pets for the sake of sports, as well as of swans. The windows were made and beautified with different kinds of pearls and gems and jewels. While they were thus engaged, a loud sound was heard. It filled the entire sky.

28. On hearing it the goddess became curious. The goddess of splendid body asked Śaṅkara with great surprise, “What is this?”

29. Giriśa spoke to the goddess, “They have already been seen by you. These are my Gaṇas, O splendid lady. They play about on this mountain. They are fond of you.

30. They had been excellent men on the earth and I had been propitiated by them by means of penance, vow of celibacy, various kinds of physical sufferings in visiting holy spots etc.

31. They have come near me in my world, O lady of excellent face. They are capable of creating and annihilating the universe consisting of mobile and immobile beings.

32. Without them I am not at all happy. I do not feel joy without these. I am they and they are me. O Pārvatī, see them.”

33. On being told thus, the goddess became surprised. The goddess with her eyes resembling lotus petals and addressed thus by Mahādeva, saw them through the window.

34. Some of them were lean, some short, some tall. Some of them were very stout with large bellies. They had the faces of tiger, elephant, sheep and goat. They had the faces of different kinds of living beings.

35. Some wore the hides of tigers. Others were naked. Others had faces with flames coming out of their mouths. Some had the ears of cows and some (had those) of elephants. They had many feet, faces and eyes.

36. Some had very strange vehicles. They wielded various kinds of weapons. Some were conversant with the principles of vocal music and instrumental music. They were fond of sweet songs of all living beings.

37. On seeing them Pārvatī said, “How many are these and what are their names?”

Śrī Śaṅkara said:

38. O gentle lady, these are innumerable. They have innumerable names as well. The entire universe is filled with these terrible beings of great strength.

39-40. These enter Siddha-kṣetras (i.e. holy places of Siddhas), streets, dilapidated parks, houses, the bodies of Dānavas, children, maddened persons etc. They rejoice with different kinds of food and sports. Some are heat-imbibers, some foam-imbibers, some smoke-imbibers and some honey-imbibers. The diet of some is ichor. Others eat everything and some eat no food at all.

41. They engage themselves in singing and dancing and other simple activities. They are fond of the sound of different kinds of musical instruments. They are infinite in number. Their qualities cannot be described.

The goddess (Śrī Devī) said:

42. Who is this one who has coated his face with powdered red arsenic, who has the form of the Sun in refulgence and who resembles you in features.

43. On hearing your great qualities sung about by the Gaṇas, O Lord, he repeatedly dances and makes humorous gestures.

44. In great excitement, he repeats ‘Sadāśiva’, ‘Śiva’. Blessed indeed is he because he has so much devotion to you, O Maheśvara.

45a. I wish to know him. What is the name of this Gaṇa of yours?

Śrī Śaṅkara replied:

45b-47. O gentle lady, daughter of the Mountain, he is Vīraka, a permanent favourite of mine. He has many mysterious features and good qualities. O Aṃbikā, he is considered to be my gatekeeper.

Devī said:

O Slayer of the Puras, I have great yearning and craving for a son like him. When will I get a son. like him, the bestower of delight?

Śarva said:

Let him alone be your son till there is another one like him.

48. On being told thus, she told Vijayā, “Bring Vīraka quickly.” Vijayā went to Vīraka and spoke these words:

49. “Come on, Vīraka, the splendid goddess is pleased with you. That goddess calls you with the permission of Bhava himself.”

50. On being told thus, he became greatly agitated. He wiped his face with his hand. Slowly he came near the goddess followed by Vijayā.

51. On seeing him, the daughter of the Mountain said in a sweet voice, “Come, Come, dear Son. You are given to me by Bhava as my son.”

52. On being told thus, he prostrated before the goddess falling down like a staff. Then he stood up as before. The mother then embraced him and placed Vīraka in her lap.

53. She kissed him in the cheek and stroked his limbs. She herself adorned him with different kinds of ornaments,

54. After considering him as her son and after fondling him for a long time, Umā said, “So, go and play along with the Gaṇas.”

55. Thereupon, that son of Pārvatī played amidst the Gaṇas eulogizing the devotion to Śaṅkara repeatedly in his mind.

56. ‘I bow down unto all living beings and request them to do something very difficult to do. Worship Īśāna with devotion. This is the benefit of that devotion.’

57. When Vīraka went out to play, goddess Pārvatī sported with (the Lord) wearing matted locks of hair, recounting various kinds of stories.

58. Then Maheśvara placed his arms round the neck of the daughter of the Mountain. In order to make her perform a special penance, he made the following witty remarks to the

goddess:

59. Indeed Śarva had a white-complexioned body. He shone particularly like the moon. The goddess had the complexion of blue lotus, coloured (as it were) by the night.

Śarva said:

60. On my white body, O slender-bodied lady, you with your black colour shine like a black serpent maiden coiling round a fair sandalwood tree.

61. You are like the dark night mixed with the moonlight. You give me the defect of vision like the night in the dark half (of the lunar month).

62. On being addressed thus, the daughter of the Mountain got her neck released from (the grip of) Śarva. With the eyes reddened due to anger and with the face deformed by the knitting of the eyebrows she said:

63. “O Crescent-bearing one, that all the people are assailed by other people is because of their own deeds. A suppliant of necessity meets with frustration?

64. I sought you with various kinds of severe austerities and brilliant activities. (Unfortunately) at every step that holy observance of mine is being insulted.

65. O Śarva, I am not crooked nor am I adverse and odd and deformed, O Dhūrjaṭī. You have attained forbearance, because of your own faults as well as of the faults of the splendour of Doṣākara (i.e. the Moon, also one who is a mine of defects).

66. I do not deprive (others) of eyes. You alone are a destroyer of eyes (eye-sight). Bhaga knows this (aspect) of yours. So also the entire three worlds.

67. You create a headache in me reviling me with your own defects. For you called me Kṛṣṇā (black) but you are called Mahākāla (‘extremely black or a great annihilator’).

68. I am going to the mountain in order to abandon myself by means of penance. I have nothing to do with my being continuously alive because I have been insulted by a rogue.”

69. On hearing her words which had been very sharp on account of anger, Bhava, Hara whose conduct was inscrutable said in great excitement:

70. ‘O daughter of the Mountain, you are not conversant with the reality. I am not censuring or reviling you. With the intention of uttering some coaxing words I engaged myself in this diversion of amusing words.

71. It was a mistake on my part (to have thought) that the daughter of the Mountain had a dean mind about her being my beloved. Generally the way of thinking of persons in great prosperity is peculiar (i.e. other than the ordinary).

72. O lady of dark limbs, the words of people like us act (i.e. imply) otherwise. If you are angry, O timid lady, I will not say like this again to you.

73. I shall be a sycophant—a flatterer saying amusing words. O lady of pure smiles, give up your anger; I bow down my head before you. I pray to you with the palms joined in reverence.

74. I do not undergo any perturbation even though I am censured with mean insult. It is better that I am extremely humble. Still, O goddess, you do not thereby become endowed with good qualities.”

75. Although she was advised and urged by means of many words of flattery and good words by the Lord, the chaste lady did not give up her intense anger, because she had been wounded in a vulnerable spot.

76. She shook off her feet held by the hands of Śaṅkara. With her forelocks thrown back, the daughter of the Mountain wished to go away in a hurry.

77. As she went off in fury, the Slayer of the Puras (Śiva) said, “It is true that the daughter is on a par with her father in her limbs.

78. Your mind is like the peak of Himācala encircled and obscured by the clusters of clouds. Your mind is very difficult to be fathomed.

79. You have acquired hardness from the forests of Himācala, crookedness from the rivers and impossibility of being resorted to from the snow.

80. All these things, O goddess have come over to you from Himācala.”

On being told thus, the daughter of the Mountain said to Giriśa once again:

81. With her face fuming and shaking with anger and the lips throbbing she said: “O Śarva, do not censure people with good qualities. You are viewing everyone in comparison with, you.

82. Because of your contact with the wicked ones, everything has come over to you: Ths stats of being many-tongued from the serpents, the lack of Sneha (affection, glossiness) from the ash (which you apply to your psrson).

83. (You have got) turbidness of the heart from the moon; Durbodhatva (inability to understand) from the bull. Or enough of speaking too much. Why should I talk and strain myself?

84. You were a resident of cremation ground. You have no sense of shame because of your nudity. You are devoid of mercy because you are a skull-bearer. Who can (enumerate your faults)?”

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Vide Mbh, Sauptika 18.22. KP (1.15.62-63) states that Vīrabhadra plucked out Bhaga’s eye but the exploit is attributed to Śiva here.

[2]:

VV 4-22 recount the origin of the elephant-headed god Gaṇeśa. But according to other Purāṇas the elephant-head of this god is a substitution for the original head which fell down due to the evil eye of Śani (BsP). God Śiva is said to have beheaded him when he did not allow him to see his mother (Pārvatī) in the bathroom (SP). For other explanatory legends vide Chitrāv’s PCK. p. 303.