Category: Articles

By Nitya Menon

The Mahabharata, the timeless epic of dharma, is filled with stories of treachery, deceit, and revenge. One such story of revenge was between the guru Dronacharya and king Drupada, father to Draupadi. Their story not only shows the vicious cycle of revenge, but also portraits the extent a vengeful soul can go to achieve its motive. Interestingly, this story of revenge started with a deep bond of friendship. 

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Childhood buddies 

Drona’s father, Bharadwaja, was a sage whereas Drupada’s father, Prishata, was the king of Panchala. The two were dear friends. When Drona and Drupada grew up, they began their studies under the guidance of Bharadwaj. The two boys followed their fathers’ footsteps, a strong friendship blossoming between them. Later, they started studying the science of arms from Rishi Agnivesha. Over the years, they helped each other with their studies and daily routines. Their friendship grew stronger. So deep was their bond that Drupada promised Drona that once he becomes the king, his palace will be Drona’s home and the two will be together forever. Drona felt blessed to have a friend like Drupada and more than his promise, he appreciated his generosity. After their studies, they both parted ways and moved on to have families of their own. 

The seed of revenge

Drona got married and had a son whom he named Ashwathama. He cared deeply about his wife and son. So attached he was to them that he would do anything for their wellbeing. Even though he did not have any materialistic urges, he tried to acquire wealth for them. It was then that he learned about Parashurama, a brahman warrior who was also the sixth incarnation of Vishnu, distributing his wealth among the brahmans. Unfortunately, by the time Drona arrived, Parashurama had already given away all his wealth and was to retire to the forest. Yet Parashurama did not want Drona to go back empty-handed. He offered him the choice of his body and his divine weapons, the only things left with him. Drona opted for the weapons along with the mantras to use them. He was extremely happy and felt blessed to receive it from the great Parashurama himself. Unfortunately, this did not help his financial condition. 

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Around the same time, Drupada had ascended the throne and was now the king of Panchala. On recalling the bond that Drupada and he had shared, Drona approached him for help with great confidence in his friend’s generosity. He assumed that Drupada would welcome his family and be willing to share his newfound wealth. When Drona reached the kingdom of Panchala, things had completely changed. It seemed power and pride had gone to Drupada’s head, who feigned ignorance at their childhood friendship. “How can there ever be a friendship between a king and a wandering beggar? Leave at once.” Hearing these harsh words Drona was heartbroken. He vowed revenge on Drupada and left the palace in anger. 

Drona gets his revenge

Drona’s vow had made him determined to earn fame and fortune and use his skills to prove his worth to the world. He cultivated a tremendous longing to acquire wealth and prove himself to Drupada. Soon, on the bases of his knowledge and fame, Drona became the guru of the cousin clans, the Pandavas and the Kauravas, but only on the condition that his students would avenge his insult as his fee. 

Years passed by. It was soon time for his students to make good on their promise to him. Both the clans attacked the Panchala kingdom, but the Kauravas fled the battlefield fearing the powers of the Panchala army. Meanwhile, the Pandavas fought the army fearlessly, with the Pandava prince Arjuna managing to capture Drupada for his guru with his Gandiva. This was the moment Drona had been waiting for all his life. He said,

“Drupada, you broke your promise and insulted me. Look, my students captured you fulfilling my revenge. Now your entire kingdom belongs to me. I do not wish to live in enmity. Let’s revive our friendship. I will return you half of your kingdom. You need not be ashamed to owe me now because I am a king too.”

Hearing this, Drupada smiled and folded his hands in gratitude. He thanked his friend for being so kind and forgiving. 

Little did Drona know that Drupada’s smile was a mask, one he wore to cover his vindictive motives. In the same breath he ‘thanked’ his erstwhile classmate, he vowed to himself that he would avenge Drona’s affront.

Drupada Retaliates 

Drupada desired a son whose sole purpose in life would be to slay Drona. He sought the blessings of a sage who advised him to perform a Yagya, a sacrificial ritual in front of a sacred fire. Out of the flames rose a young boy followed by a young girl. The brahmans named them Dhrishtadyumna and Draupadi, also revered as Draupada and Panchali, respectively. 

In the great war of Mahabharata, which was fought for eighteen days, Drona fought for the Kauravas and Drupada and Dhrishtadyumna fought for the Pandavas. On the fourteenth day, Drona killed Drupada. Grief-stricken by his father’s death, Dhristadyumna pledged to kill Drona at the earliest, eventually slaying the mighty guru while he was meditating, something that was technically against the established rules of war at the time. Unfortunately for Dhristadyumna, Drona’s son, Ashwathama, felt the same way about his father’s death, tracking down Dhristadyumna on the 18th night of the great war, and slaying him, showing no mercy. Thus ended the blood feud between Drona and Drupada, a bloody cycle of violence because of one man’s haughtiness and another man’s pride.

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After eleven days of celebrating and worshipping everyone’s beloved Lord Ganesha, preparations for his return to his own abode begin. For many, it is a time of bittersweet emotions as they bid Ganesha farewell and entreat him to come back quickly the next year. The idols of Ganesha are transported, amidst much dance and celebration, to the nearest body of water where they are then ceremonially immersed. This is known as visarjan: the act of returning an object used for worship back to nature. 

People perform the visarjan for their Ganesha idols on the first, third, fifth, or seventh day after bringing them home. While not everyone keeps their idols of Ganesha for the entire duration that the celebrations last, the biggest and most popular idols around Mumbai bid farewell to their Ganpatis on the eleventh day which falls on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi, a festival dedicated to Lord Vishnu. On this day, enormous processions of celebrating devotees make the journey to the Arabian Sea where the Ganpati idols are then transported farther into sea by boats and immersed. 

The final day of the celebrations devoted to Lord Ganesha sees as much pomp and splendour as the day of his arrival. Devotees turn up by the hundreds, flinging coloured powder into the air and colouring each other’s cheeks with it while troupes of drummers carrying the huge dhols play them with fervent energy for hours, never seeming to tire. The devotees in attendance break out into energetic dances, chanting Ganesha’s name along with songs devoted to him that urge his quick return. The general atmosphere across the city turns electric, hordes of people accompanying the lord’s procession, and hundreds of others running up to the roofs to watch them go by. 

The largest of the idols are loaded into the backs of trucks or lorries large enough to accommodate them, with the whole vehicle decorated and draped in flowers and garlands. Priests travel with the idols after performing a ceremonial aarti that flags off the idol’s journey to its visarjan. Owing to the size and fragility of these idols, the trucks drive on at a slow pace, allowing the idol to remain safe while also letting the devotees following the procession to follow at a manageable pace.  

In the more recent years, there are hundreds of volunteers at every procession tasked with handing out bottles of water and small refreshments for those following the processions. Law and order agents and traffic policemen are kept busy trying to direct and redirect the processions along with the ubiquitous traffic across the city. The rhythmic beat set by the dhols lasts well into the night as the processions make their way through the streets. 

The best known and most visited sites for visarjan are Juhu Chowpatty, Khar Danda, Shivaji Park Chowpatty, Versova Beach, and Girgaon Chowpatty. The beaches are usually filled with still-celebrating devotees until early next morning which is when the last of the grand Ganesha idols make their way into the sparkling sea. 

Curious to learn more about Lord Ganesha? Click here to dive into the fascinating stories and rich history surrounding this beloved deity.

With Ganesh Chaturti right around the corner, here is a little story about everyone’s beloved Lord Ganesha and his consorts as told over the years. 

As with countless other gods and their stories, Lord Ganesha and stories related to him too are widely debated. One such story associated with our beloved elephant-headed god is the matter of his marital status! While a lot of people believe that Lord Ganesha is unmarried, and a staunch brahmachari, Ganesha is widely worshipped along with his two consorts, Riddhi and Siddhi. 

It is said that the young Lord Ganesha wanted a wife but could not find one because of his elephant head. Upset by this, the mischievous god would often disrupt and disturb the wedding ceremonies of the other gods and devas, much to their despair. Helpless and not knowing whom else to turn to, the devas approached Lord Brahma. Upon hearing of their woes, Lord Brahma smiled and created two beautiful maidens, Riddhi and Siddhi, and offered them to Lord Ganesha as his wives. Pleased with Brahma’s offer, Lord Ganesha accepted, and finally let the other devas and deities get married in peace. 

Lord Ganesh is worshipped for being the remover of obstacles from the paths of his devotees, especially those who are starting a new venture. Old grandmothers’ tales used to lovingly depict Ganesha using his trunk to pluck hurdles out of the paths of those who worshipped him. Aside from this, Ganesha is said to be the granter of knowledge and wisdom, as well as of prosperity and success.  

So, it is only logical that Ganesha’s two consorts are representative of the most important virtues that he himself is known, loved and worshipped for. While Riddhi depicts wealth and prosperity, Siddhi depicts intellect and spirituality. Together, Riddhi and Siddhi represent the holy balance between material wealth and intellectual wisdom that people must aim to attain. 

Children learn through life lessons and Lord Ganesha was no exception. A notorious troublemaker as a child, Ganesha regularly tormented Lord Shiva’s Ganas and all those at Mount Kailasha who were helpless before the little prankster’s charm. This is a small folktale where little Ganesha learns the importance of kindness to all life forms. 

Ganesha was out playing with his friends, with his mouse, Mooshak, in tow. As the children played, Ganesha saw Mooshak jump back in fear and set off, startled, into the distance at a run. Wondering what had managed to scare the mouse into running away, Ganesha went to investigate. What he stumbled upon was a harmless cat, minding its own business as it groomed itself. 

Now, Ganesha was not cruel, but he was, after all, a child. Like all children faced with a small animal, Ganesha too was intrigued and, more than anything else, wanted to play! So, he bent down and picked up the cat only to have the little creature jump out of his grip and hurry away. Instinctively, Ganesha ran after it, delighted at the opportunity to give chase and indulge in some lighthearted teasing. 

He found the cat hiding under a rock and attempted to coax it out. The cat, however, simply curled in around itself and stayed steadfastly out of reach. Not one to give up so easily, Ganesha crouched down, grabbed the poor cat’s tail and proceeded to pull it out by its tail! 

The cat yowled in pain, completely beyond affronted at this careless treatment. Scrabbling for purchase with its claws, it tried to wriggle free, succeeding for a fleeting moment before Ganesha tightened his grip on its tail and yanked it back towards him. The poor cat didn’t know what to do! Meowing and hissing, it tried to escape. 

Ganesha was thoroughly entertained by now. Like any other naughty child, he was enjoying himself immensely as he rough-housed with the cat, gamboling around with it in the dirt. The cat, however, was not happy at all. It was in pain, and it was covered in dirt and it really, really wanted to be as far out of Ganesha’s reach as was possible. 

Thankfully, it managed to slip free of Ganesha’s chubby little fingers and it streaked off to the nearest tree and climbed as high as it could get. Hungry and quite satisfied with his play session, Ganesha wandered back home, idly wondering what his mother would have in store for him to eat. 

At home, Ganesha called out to Mother Parvati, asking for something to eat. When she appeared, food in hand, Ganesha was aghast. His mother, in all her lovely clothes, looked completely worse for the wear; she was covered in dirt and was limping in obvious pain. Her lovely face was smeared with mud and her hair was in disarray, tangled around her head. 

Terribly worried and anxious about her welfare, Ganesha demanded to know who had left Parvati in such a state. Parvati sighed and looked at him with her eyes full of loving reproach. She gently informed him that it was Ganesha himself who was responsible. 

She, Parvati, was the mother of all life in existence, she explained to him, and every life form is her, in essence. The cat that Ganesha had bullied and tossed around too had Parvati’s life in it. She said that the way Ganesha treated all innocent life forms was, essentially, the way he treated his mother. 

Chastised and wiser for it, Ganesha promised never to be unkind to any other living being again, even if it was just in play. Thus, like all children, little Ganesha too learned the importance of kindness and care. 

Curious to learn more about Lord Ganesha? Click here to dive into the fascinating stories and rich history surrounding this beloved deity.

Lord Ganesha owns the heart and devotion of all those who worship him. Each year, we wait with bated breath for Ganesh Chaturti, and on the day of his arrival, we celebrate with much pomp and splendour, along with dozens of his favourite dishes. The beloved elephant-headed god blesses us by ridding our path of obstacles and granting us happiness and prosperity. There are numerous stories of him and how he takes care of his devotees. One of the lesser heard stories of Lord Ganesha is that of Him and Lord Vishnu’s prized conch shell. 

Lord Ganesha has a playful, mischievous side to him that doesn’t spare anybody – not even Lord Vishnu! 

A little folktale says that Lord Vishnu found his precious conch to be missing one day. Along with his Sudarshana Chakra, the conch is one of Lord Vishnu’s most well-known and prized possessions. So naturally, Lord Vishnu was most puzzled and worried when he couldn’t locate it. After searching for it high and low all over Vaikuntha (Lord Vishnu’s abode), and after having all his attendants conduct a search for it to no avail, Lord Vishnu was well and truly stumped with the disappearance of the conch. 

Just as he was about to give up all hope, Lord Vishnu heard the unmistakable sound of the conch being blown. The high, echoing waves of sound emanated from far away, but Vishnu correctly identified it at once. To his mounting perplexity, when he followed the sounds, he found himself on Mount Kailasha, the abode of Lord Shiva! And there, to his amazement, he found Lord Ganesha, with a mischievous twinkle in his eye, blowing the conch shell as though it was his plaything. 

Quickly assessing the situation as one beyond his control, Lord Vishnu approached Ganesha’s father, Lord Shiva. When Mahadev heard Lord Vishnu’s appeal, he regretfully informed him that even he couldn’t chastise Ganesha or take away something he had. Lord Ganesha truly was beyond anybody else’s control and the playful troublemaker was more than happy to demonstrate!  

Shiva advised Vishnu to pray to Lord Ganesha with sincere devotion. After agreeing wholeheartedly, Lord Vishnu, master of the universe and everything beyond, humbly performed a puja with fragrant offerings to Lord Ganesha, putting his heart and soul into the prayers. Lord Ganesha is never one to disappoint his devotees, and Lord Vishnu was no exception. Pleased with Vishnu’s humble and sincere prayers, Lord Ganesha appeared before him and happily returned his conch shell to him with a smile. 

Even Lord Vishnu set aside his formidable prowess to bow humbly before Lord Ganesha. What pleases Lord Vinayak more than anything else is the humility and honest devotion that people make their offerings with. This Ganesh Chaturti, set your prayers and offerings before Lord Ganesha with sincerity and honesty…and maybe an extra modak or two! 

If you are have taken part in Hindu rituals and prayers, you would have noticed that, on every occasion, the first offering is made to the adorable elephant god, Ganesha. He is remembered before the commencement of any new venture or ritual. Ganesha is regarded as the god of auspicious beginnings. But do you know why Ganesha is always the first god that offerings are made to? There is not one but two reasons for this. 

The Birth of Ganesha

One day, before Parvati goes in for a bath, she posts Shiva’s attendant, Nandi, at the door, instructing him to not let anyone enter. However, when Shiva comes along, Nandi doesn’t stop him, wondering how she can stop someone from entering his own home. Furious, Parvati decides to create an attendant who is loyal only to her. From the saffron paste of her body, she moulds a boy and blesses him with life. She is so overwhelmed by her creation, she sees the boy as her own son. 

Later, Parvati orders her son to not let anybody into the palace while is she having a bath. When Shiva shows up, the boy stops the god from entering, true to his mother’s word. Shiva, enraged by the boy’s actions, wages a full-blown war with the boy, eventually cutting off his head. When Parvati learns this, she is inconsolable. She orders Shiva to bring her child back to life, threatening the future of all the three worlds otherwise. As per Brahma’s advice, Shiva sends his armies northwards, telling them to bring back the head of the first creature they see. Accordingly, the head of an elephant is brought back, which he places on the boy’s neck. Lord Brahma blesses him with life, and names him Ganesha. Ganesha is then blessed with many weapons and powers. It is at this time that Shiva proclaims Ganesha as the lord of new beginnings, with the power to remove all obstacles from the path of success.

The Celestial Race 

One day, when a group of holy men were conducting a puja, each god started boasting as to who the offering would be made to first. Soon it turned into an ugly argument.

With the debate reaching a deadlock, Narada intervenes and asks the gods to seek Shiva’s help. Shiva decides to determine the most important god through a celestial race. The quickest to finish three full rounds of the world would be the winner and thus, gain authority over every offering ever. 

All the gods start off in a tearing hurry to complete the race. Meanwhile, Ganesha is busy devouring laddus. When his mother Parvati asks him the reason for his absence from the race, Ganesha smiles and said he is yet to begin. The other gods finish one round and start on the second, while Ganesha continues to eat laddus. As the other gods head out on the third round, Ganesha walks to where Shiva and Parvati are seated, folds his hands, and takes not three but seven rounds of his parents.

 When asked to explain his actions, Ganesha replies that his parents are not just his world but his entire universe! Pleased by his wit and admiration, Shiva declares him the winner, and the other gods have no choice but to bow down to the elephant god’s quick thinking! 

So the next time you offer laddus to tubby Ganesha, do whisper in his ears that you know the reason why he is always first!