Versions Of The Ganesha Birth Story

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Hindu mythology is basically an oral tradition. The mythical stories about Hindu gods and goddesses have been told and re-told several times even before there was a script to pen them down. That is why, it is common to have many versions of the same mythical story. The Lord Ganesha birth story is not very different in this regard. There are several versions of Lord Ganesha birth story.

The core of the story remains the same but it has been re-told by changing a few details many times. Here are the three different versions in which the birth of Ganesha has been described in Hindu mythology to mark the holy occasion of Ganesha Chaturthi.

Story 1

The most common version of the birth of Ganesha goes something like this. Goddess Parvati was very lonely in Kailash (Shiva's abode). So she created a statue of a boy with the dirt from her body and installed life into it. She named the boy Ganesha and left him to guard the door while she went to bathe.

When Lord Shiva arrived at the gates of Kailash, Ganesha barred his way. Unknown to news that Ganesha was his son, Shiva chopped off his head in anger. When Devi Parvati came to know if this, she was extremely upset. Distraught, she went into a fit of rage. In all the confusion, Ganesha's head was lost. Lord Shiva ordered his followers to cut the head of the first animal they see in the forest so that Ganesha's life can be restored. They happened to find a white elephant's head and thus, Ganesha has the head of an elephant.

Story 2

The second story of the birth of Ganesha is more or less similar except for two differences. Firstly, Devi Parvati creates the boy Ganesha with sandalwood paste instead of the dirt from her body. And secondly, it takes an entire army of Gods to wage a war against Ganesha who is endowed with all the 10 Shaktis of Goddess Parvati.

Story 3

The most recent version of the story comes from novel series 'Immortals of Meluha'. Author Amrish has given a different twist to this mythical tale of birth of Ganesha. Here Ganesha is a son born to Lady Sati from her first marriage. But because he was 'deformed' or rather born with birth defects, Sati's father banished him to the Land of 'Nagas'. So Ganesha was bought up by his mother's Naga sister, Kali. This story of Ganesha's birth stresses on the fact that he was not the biological son of Lord Shiva.

These are the three different versions of the story of Ganesha's birth. If you know any other versions of this mythical tale, please do share it with us.