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| The legends about the birth and exploits of Ganesha are many. On the heights of Mount Kailasa, the divine household of Shiva and Parvati stood divided, for Shiva came and went as he pleased and Parvati was irked by his intrusions into her privacy. To protect her, Parvati need a Gana who would owe allegiance to her alone. Out of herself she fashioned a boy who was handsome and strong. He called her mother. When she went to bath she would ask him to guard her door and not lent anyone enter. Shiva came to see Parvati, but the boy refused him entry and even physically rebuffed him. Shiva was incensed and sent his Ganas to fight the boy , but he fought them off, and once again took his post at the door. |
| Taken back Shiva went to Brahma and asked him to have the boy allow Shiva to pass into his own house to see Parvati, the boy would not allow it. He yelled at Brahma "I will never fail my mother". Now Shiva sent for his Devas and Ganas to start a war with the impudent boy. They gathered their armies and fell upon the boy from every direction. When she heard Parvati created two Shaktis, Kali and Durga to protect him, and the boy was victorious. |
| This infuriated Shiva who then decided he must kill the boy with his own hands and proceded to come up behind the boy and cut off his head. The valient boy had fallen. At that moment Shiva realized that the boy, made of Parvati, was his son. Parvati demanded that all the Devas the Ganas die for the unfair death of her child, the Shaktis set about to carry out her command. Brahma and Vishnu were terrified and pled with Parvati to have mercy. She said she would consider it, if her son was brought back to life. Whereupon Shiva order that his men take the head of the first creature they came across and attached it to the fallen boys body. It was a single tusked elephant that met them. They brought the head back and fitted it to the boy's body, and he sat upright -- alive. When they brought the boy to Parvati, she was only partially appeased. She demanded that he be given status. Shiva bowed before Parvati, asked forgiveness and said this valient youth shall be his son. He would be their Ganesha, ruler of all Shiva's Ganas. |