Myth Behind Ekadanta: Ganesh Chaturthi Special

Have you ever wondered why Lord Ganesha has only one tusk? May be most of us haven't even noticed this all the while. Well if you are still wondering why there's only one tusk on the idol, then read on for some interesting stories behind Ganesha having one tusk.

Ekadanta is a form of Lord Ganesha where He is shown having a single tusk. This form of Ganapati finds mention in the Mudgala Purana of Hinduism. 'Ekadanta' means 'single tooth'. It is believed that Ekadanta is Lord Ganesha's 22nd form out of His 32 forms. The Lord took this form to eradicate Madasura, the demon of arrogance.

There are a few popular mythical stories behind the origin of the Ekadanta form of Lord Ganesha. Let's have a look at each one of them:

According to the Padma Purana, once Lord Shiva's ardent devotee, Parashuram went to meet Him in Kailash. Since, Lord Shiva was busy meditating, Lord Ganesha prevented Parashuram from entering the abode. Parshuram is known for his anger in Hindu mythology. So, when Lord Ganesha stopped him at the gate, Parashuram became furious and attacked the Lord with his axe.

Seeing the axe, Lord Ganesha realised that it was gifted to Parashuram by Lord Shiva. So, He refrained from blocking the attack of the axe and allowed it to chop off one of his tusks. Thus, Ganesha came to be known as Ekadanta. Later Parashuram realised his fault and asked for forgiveness from Lord Shiva, Goddess Parvati and Lord Ganesha.

Another myth about Ekadanta goes like this. Once Lord Ganesha was returning from a feast, where He had consumed a large number of laddoos and modaks. While He was returning on His mount, the mouse named Krauncha, a snake came their way. On seeing the snake, the mouse dropped Lord Ganesha and fled away.

As a result, Ganesha's belly burst open and all the sweets came out. But Ganesha gathered all the sweets and put them back in His belly. Then He tied the snake around His belly to hold it together. Seeing this incident, the moon (Chandra) burst out laughing.

Lord Ganesha became angry on seeing the moon laughing. So, he broke one of His tusks and hurdled it at the moon and cursed it that the moon will never be able to shine in its full glory. Later the moon asked for forgiveness and Lord Ganesha removed the curse from the moon. So, this is how He came to be known as the Ekadanta. This incident is also the reason why people refrain from seeing the moon on the night of Ganesh Chaturthi.

There is yet another story which says that Lord Ganesha used one of His tusks as a pen to write down the epic of Mahabharata when He acted as a scribe for Ved Vyasa.

The Ekadanta Ganapati is portrayed with a large, stomach, dark complexion, four arms and a broken tusk. It is said that if you worship Ekadanta form of Ganesha, you can achieve success in whatever work you do and improve concentration in your work. The broken tusk of the Lord signifies that He will sacrifice anything to grant the wishes of His devotees.

So, worship the Ekadanta with pure devotion and He will fulfill all your wishes.