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.
