Curse & boon stories : Ganesh's Childhood Adventures, The Story of Mayureshwar

 Ganesh's Childhood Adventures, The Story of Mayureshwar

Story of little Ganesha in English. mythology story for little Ganesha. indian mythology stories for lord Ganesha stories.Curse & boon stories: indian mythology curse and boon stories. Ganesh's Childhood Adventures, The Story of Mayureshwar

Brahma was narrating the delightful stories of Ganesh's childhood to Vyasa. He continued, "Once, gathering all the Rishi's children together, Ganesh said, 'If you are hungry, come with me. I will give you some sweets to eat.' The children immediately agreed. Taking them all along, he quietly entered Rishi Gautam's ashram. Seeing that Ahalya was not paying attention, he stole a pot of rice pudding from the kitchen. Together with his friends, they devoured the pudding. When Gautam and Ahalya realized what had happened, they complained to Parvati. An angry Parvati scolded Ganesh in front of them, gave him a few smacks, and then tied him to a pillar with a rope inside the house. A little while later, when she went outside to check, she saw Ganesh engrossed in play. When she grabbed him again, he said, 'Why are you holding me? I am not your Ganesh!' Hearing this, she went back inside and saw Ganesh still tied to the pillar. Witnessing this miracle, her anger vanished. She untied Ganesh and lovingly hugged him to her heart.

This happened when Ganesh was six years old. Once, Vishwakarma came to the ashram to see him. He met with Shankar and Parvati and lovingly called the playing Ganesh to him. Praising him, Vishwakarma offered him the noose, axe, goad, and lotus. Accepting these, Ganesh casually asked, 'Where did you get these weapons from?' In response, Vishwakarma said, 'I married my beautiful daughter Sangya to Surya. At that time, he was rugged and much more radiant than he is today. Sangya could not bear his brilliance, so she returned to her parental home. Following her, Surya also arrived. Seeing him, Sangya took the form of a mare and hid in the forest. I explained the situation to Surya and requested him to reduce his radiance. Agreeing to my request, he mounted the chariot and...

Afterward, various rituals were performed, and Ganesh was formally taught the Gayatri Mantra. At that time, Kashyapa and Aditi were also present. Along with Brahma and all the other gods, they gave offerings to Ganesh. When Kashyapa and Aditi worshipped the young Brahmin, Ganesh appeared to them in his Vinayaka (Mahotkata) form. Overcome with motherly affection, Aditi lovingly embraced him and said, 'Dear Vinayaka, do not forget us!' Ganesh replied, 'Mother, I reside within everyone’s heart. In that sense, am I not always close to you? I had promised to meet you again. Today, I have fulfilled that promise.' Listening to these stories from Brahma, Vyasa asked, 'Lord, how did Ganesh come to be known as "Mayureshwar?"'

Brahma continued, "Long ago, Kadru, the mother of serpents, was gravely insulted by Vinata, her co-wife. To avenge this insult, Kadru instructed her sons, Shesha, Vasuki, Ananta, and others, to capture Vinata. Angered by the disrespect shown to their mother, Shesha ordered Vasuki to seize Vinata. Vasuki surrounded Vinata's ashram and captured her, presenting her before Shesha. In her distress, Vinata called upon Garuda, who arrived with Sampati and Jatayu. Upon hearing Vinata's plight, Garuda fought the serpents. However, seeing the battle turn against them, Garuda, in a subtle form, fled with Vinata. Upon returning home, Vinata recounted the incident to her husband, Kashyapa. He reassured her, saying, 'Do not worry, Vinata. The next time you conceive, it will be a large egg. When Gajanana breaks that egg, the bird that emerges will have a voice powerful enough to defeat the serpents.' This prediction comforted Vinata. Eventually, she laid an egg, wrapped it in soft cloth, and buried it in a safe place in the earth.

When Ganesh's sacred thread ceremony took place, his friends expressed a desire to study and learn the Vedas. To fulfill their wish, Ganesh blessed them with knowledge, and they began to recite the Vedas in unison, much to everyone's amazement. At that moment, a demon in the form of a ferocious animal attacked the children. Ganesh bound the demon with his noose and strangled it to death.

Meanwhile, Vinata was guarding the buried egg nearby. Seizing a moment when she was distracted, Gajanana, with a mischievous intent, dug up the egg and broke it. From the egg emerged a gigantic bird, which immediately attacked Ganesh. Ganesh attempted to subdue the bird with his weapons—the noose, axe, goad, and others—but the bird evaded the attacks and soared into the sky, swooping down on Ganesh. However, Ganesh, skilled in swift movements, avoided being captured and instead leaped onto the bird's back. Witnessing this, Vinata recognized Ganesh's divine nature. She humbly appealed to him, saying, 'My husband Kashyapa had foretold that this bird would be your vehicle and would liberate my captive sons by destroying the serpents. Please, O Lord, grant that with your aid, my son fulfills this prophecy, and let the people know you by his name.' Ganesh agreed, naming the bird 'Mayur' and declaring that from then on, he should be called 'Mayureshwar.' Mounted on the peacock, Ganesh returned to his ashram."

As Brahma described Ganesh's feats to Vyasa, he said, "When Ganesh was nine years old, he went to a pond near the ashram. There, a demon in the form of a horse started troubling him. Ganesh, mounting the horse, realized the demon's malicious intent when it suddenly leaped into the pond, trying to drown him. Quick to act, Ganesh pressed the demon underwater, causing it to suffocate and die, its monstrous body floating on the water's surface. During this time, some serpent maidens who had come to play in the water were mesmerized by Ganesh's sight and took him to the netherworld (Patal). With plans in mind, Ganesh agreed to go with them.

Meanwhile, as Ganesh disappeared into Patal with the serpent maidens, his friends, who had been waiting for him, were returning home disappointed. On their way, they were swallowed by the demon Bhagāsur. Ganesh, aware of this, entered the demon's body in a subtle form, tore it apart from within, and rescued his friends from the life-threatening situation. To reassure their parents, he took on the forms of his friends and visited each home, putting his friends into a deep sleep through yogic powers.

In Patal, the serpent maidens presented Ganesh to the serpent king, Vasuki, who sat on his throne. Ganesh took the divine gem from Vasuki's head and, accompanied by Vasuki, prepared to leave. His actions caused panic in the serpent realm. When the news reached Shesha, he advanced towards Ganesh, known as Mayureshwar, with a formidable army of serpents. In the ensuing battle, Ganesh displayed immense bravery, decimating the serpent forces, with his peacock mount, Mayur, also slaying many serpents. In the end, Shesha conceded defeat to Mayureshwar and praised him. He also freed Vinata's sons, Jatayu, Sampati, and Shyena, from captivity. Emerging from Patal with Mayur, Ganesh reunited Vinata with her sons, bringing her immense joy.

Afterward, Ganesh awakened his friends from their yogic sleep and returned to the ashram. The ashram residents were astonished to see the children, who they thought were still in their huts, returning with Ganesh. The sages, overwhelmed with reverence, bowed to Ganesh, exclaiming, 'Ganesh, how can we describe your greatness?'