Ganesh Chaturthi Katha: How Ganesha Got His Head

The story in brief

Ganesh Chaturthi is the birthday of Lord Ganesha, kept on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi. The Puranas tell his birth in several ways, so what follows is the most widely told version, and your family may tell it differently.

Goddess Parvati wished for privacy while she bathed, because Shiva's attendants came and went as they pleased. She shaped a boy from a paste of turmeric and sandalwood (some tellings say clay or the dirt of her body), gave him life and named him Ganesha. She told him to guard the door and let no one in.

When Shiva returned, the boy did not know him and refused him entry. Shiva's attendants tried to move the boy, and they could not. In the struggle that followed, Shiva cut off the boy's head.

Parvati was overcome with grief and rage, and she threatened to undo creation unless her son was restored. Shiva sent his attendants to bring the head of the first living being they found facing north. They returned with the head of an elephant, and Shiva set it on the boy's body and gave him life again.

Shiva named him Ganapati (= leader of the ganas, Shiva's attendants) and blessed him to be worshipped first, before any other deity, at the start of any task. That is why he is called the remover of obstacles. Some tellings differ on how the head was lost and how the new head was found.

Another story is often told on this day: the Syamantaka jewel. In it Krishna was falsely accused of stealing a precious jewel, and he cleared his name by finding the jewel. Many families link this story to the belief that seeing the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi evening can bring a false accusation. They avoid looking at the moon that night and hear the story. Do not worry if you glimpse the moon by accident. Customs vary on this.

What it teaches

• A mother's love and a family restored. The story ends with the family whole again.
• Anger and pride cause harm. Shiva's act, even when it follows a misunderstanding, brings grief to everyone.
• Obedience and duty. The boy keeps his post at the door until the end.
• Beginnings. Ganesha is honored first so that a task starts with care and a clear mind.

The tradition speaks of blessings for those who worship Ganesha. This site does not promise results.

How the vrat is kept

Many families do not keep a strict fast, though some fast until the main puja is done. People with health conditions, pregnant or nursing women, children and the elderly should follow their doctor's advice and may keep a lighter fast.

• Bring home a clay idol, preferably free of plaster of Paris and harmful paint, before the main puja. Many families install it at midday.
• Perform the invocation, then offer durva grass (traditionally 21 blades), red flowers, modak and fruit.
• Chant "ॐ गं गणपतये नमः" (Om Gam Ganapataye Namah). Ask a priest or elder to guide pronunciation.
• Do aarti, morning and evening, for as long as the idol stays. Families keep it for one and a half, three, five, seven or ten days.
• On the last day, offer a farewell puja and the visarjan. In the USA, public lakes and rivers are often off limits for immersion. Many families dissolve the clay at home in a tub or bucket and pour the water on garden plants.