Astha SangrahASTHA SANGRAHhttps://asthasangrah.comThe Legend of Ganesh's Birth
The legend of Ganesh's birth tells how Goddess Parvati fashioned the boy Ganesh from her own bathing unguent, and how his unwavering devotion to his duty as a doorkeeper led him into battle with Lord Shiva, a story from which Ganesh received the elephant face and the title of being worshipped first.
Chapter 1 · Parvati's Creation of Ganesh, and the Battle with Shiva
Once, before bathing, Goddess Parvati wished that no one should disturb her privacy, but at that moment there was no suitable guard available at Kailash. So she gathered the turmeric paste she had applied to her body and shaped it into the figure of a beautiful boy, breathing life into him with her divine power. She regarded him as her own son and instructed him that until she had finished bathing, he was to let no one enter.
Meanwhile, Lord Shiva returned to Kailash and began to walk inside. The unfamiliar boy stopped him, politely but firmly, saying that Goddess Parvati was bathing and that he could not enter. Shiva was both astonished and angered to hear this, since he himself was the lord of that abode, and yet this boy was blocking him. He first sent his own attendants, the ganas, to reason with the boy and move him aside, but the boy, faithfully obeying his mother's command, defeated all of them in battle.
Enraged at his attendants' defeat, Lord Shiva himself advanced to fight the boy. The boy bravely faced him too, resolving not to abandon his post at any cost. In the midst of the fierce battle, Shiva, overcome with fury, severed the boy's head from his body with his trident, and then entered within.
Read the Shiv Aarti →Chapter 2 · The Elephant's Head, and the Title of Ganapati
When Goddess Parvati came out after her bath and saw her son lying headless, she was overcome with grief and rage. Weeping, she told Shiva that this boy had been no ordinary guard, but her own son, created from her own body. Her fury, born of a mother's grief, grew so intense that she threatened to destroy all of creation, throwing the three worlds into panic.
Realizing his mistake, Lord Shiva promised to pacify Parvati, and at once commanded his attendants to bring the severed head of the first living creature they found sleeping with its head facing north. The first such creature the attendants found was a baby elephant, and so they brought its head. Lord Shiva joined the elephant's head to the boy's body and, with his divine power, revived him. From that day, the boy came to be called Gajanan, the one with an elephant's face.
All the gods, along with Goddess Parvati, blessed the boy with joy. Lord Shiva declared him 'Ganapati,' the lord of all his attendants, and granted him the boon that he would be worshipped first at the start of any auspicious task, puja, or yajna. Because of the unwavering devotion he had shown to his duty of guarding the door, he was also given the name 'Vighnaharta,' the remover of obstacles. It is in memory of this legend that Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated on the fourth day of Bhadrapada's bright fortnight.
Read the Ganesh Aarti →About The Legend of Ganesh's Birth
This legend is told across two chapters. The first tells how Goddess Parvati created Ganesh, appointed him as doorkeeper, and how he came to battle Lord Shiva. The second describes how he received an elephant's head, was revived, and was given the titles of Ganapati and Vighnaharta.
This legend is connected to the festival of Ganesh Chaturthi. This page presents both chapters' full text in plain Hindi, with adjustable text size and print support.
About The Shiva Purana
The legend of Ganesh's birth has no single authoritative printed 'katha text', it is a well-known and widely recited Puranic legend from the Rudra Samhita of the Shiva Purana and the Skanda Purana. The wording here has been composed independently, so it is not a word-for-word copy of any single website's or publication's text, though the sequence of events follows the Puranas' well-established tradition faithfully.
Frequently asked questions
How did Goddess Parvati create Ganesh?
Wanting privacy before her bath and having no suitable guard, Goddess Parvati gathered the turmeric paste from her own body, shaped it into the figure of a boy, and breathed life into him with her divine power.
Why did Lord Shiva sever the boy's head?
Obeying his mother's command, the boy stopped the unfamiliar Shiva from entering. Angered at being blocked in his own home, Shiva first sent his attendants, then fought the boy himself and severed his head.
How did Ganesh receive an elephant's head?
To pacify Parvati's fury, Shiva sent his attendants to bring the head of the first creature found sleeping with its head facing north. They found a baby elephant, and Shiva joined its head to the boy's body, reviving him.
Why is Ganesh worshipped first?
Pleased with the unwavering devotion he showed to his duty of guarding the door, Lord Shiva declared him 'Ganapati,' lord of all his attendants, and granted the boon that he would be worshipped first at the start of any auspicious undertaking.