Selected Stories About Hindu Deities
Ganesha |
Ganesha, the Elephant-Headed God
In heaven, Ganesha will establish the predominance of gods,
on earth that of people, in the netherworld that of serpents
and anti-gods"
from theSri Bhagavat Tahva
What exactly is signified by Ganesha, or Ganapati--Lord of the Multitudes
and Lord of the Territory. What is the meaning of the white elephant head
on a red human body? Ganesha
is to this day the god of success and of worldly wisdom.
He is the remover of obstacles, the one who fulfills all desires. He is Lord of
Beginnings, Lord of Learning and worshipped at the beginning of all worship.
His royal consort is called Siddhi meaning success. She is also named
Rhiddhi, or prosperity.
According to legendary sources, Shiva, Ganesha's father beheaded him
while the latter was protecting his mother Parvati. When Shiva discovered
that he had in fact beheaded his own son, having not recognized him at
first, Shiva promised to replace his son's decapitated state with the
first head he encountered. Unfortunately, the first creature Shiva
beheld was an elephant.
Ganesha is regarded with both tenderness and awe since wisdom and all
blessings are within his provenence, Ganesha is said to have given
humans writing, wealth and even the starry universe itself.
Success is his to bestow, obstacles and failures his to remove.
Ganesha is not a god of people who fear gods. He is gentle, calm, and
friendly, a god who loves all humans and is loved by him. A genuine
kindliness and crafty wisdom are written on his benign face. However,
he is not the god of any theological conception. He is direct, simple,
capable of earthiness, and full of primal energy.
Dhruva's Vigil |
The Faith of A Child: The Story of Dhruva
The story of Dhruva is one
which offers a narrative as to of how the Pole-star came to be so steadfast. The Hindu name
for the Pole-star is Dhruvalok, or the place of Dhruva.
Dhruva was a child and a prince, the eldest son of a king and his
chief queen. A secondary wife, however, had gained the special favor Dhruva's
father. Because of her jealousy the younger wife banished Dhruva
the prince and his mother Suniti from the court and they were sent
into exile to live a cottage near a great forest.
When Dhruva was seven years old he asked his mother to reveal the
identity of his father. Upon learning that he is the son of the king,
he asked to meet his father. When they arrive at the palace the
king was happy to see his young son, but amidst the joyous reunion, the
jealous secondary wife enterered sand the king hurriedly withdrew his
attention to the young boy.
Deeply wounded, Dhruva quietly turned away without speaking, and
quietly went away. He had come to his father looking for support, but
found nothing. As young as he was, Dhruva realized that even the love of a worldy king fell
short if it lacked the power and courage to protect a helpless child.
When he reached home again to their home in exile, Dhruva asked his
mother if there was anyone in the world braver and stronger than his
father to which his mother replied that indeed there was one--"the
Lotus-eyed One." When he heard this, Dhruva asked where "the Lotus-Eyed One"
could be found. His mother replied that the Lotus-Eyed One could be
found in the heart of the forest.
That night as the queen slept, the child quietly left their cottage and
headed for the forest to find to find the Lotus-Eyed One. " 0 Lotus-Eyed
One," the child prayed as he departed, "I entrust my mother to you, and I give myself
also to you".
On and on through the dark night-filled forest the little child went
fearlessly with no regard for any of the possible dangers. Without
faltering he trudged on through the night through the impenetrable
darkness. He came suddenly upon the Seven Sages in the midst of
their worship, and he asked them "which is the way to the Lotus-Eyed
One?"
At last Dhruva came to the very heart of the forest. As he stood there
a tiger approached him. Fearlessly Dhruva asked the tiger "are you the Lotus-Eyed
One?" Without a sound, the tiger turned away without harming the
child. Soon a bear came upon the child. Again without fear, Dhruva
stepped up to the bear and asked, "are you the Lotus-Eyed One?" The
bear, too,lowered his head in shame at having thought to harm the
child, and crept away.
Suddenly, as the brave and steadfast Dhruva waited and watched
through the dark and lonely night, a great sage appeared.
It was Narada, the messenger of the gods himself. "Do you know where
I can find the Lotus-Eyed One?" Dhruva asked Narada.In response to Dhruva's question
Narada gave the boy a prayer and told him to sit down right there in
the heart of the forest. "Fix your whole mind on the prayer. Say it
over and over again," Narada said, "and you will most certainly find the Lotus-Eyed One".
And then the messenger of the gods vanished.
Through the long night and a thousand nights after, Dhruva sat in prayer, never moving,
never wavering in his search for the Lotus-Eyed One.
Right there in the darkness of the forest, where we now see the
Polar Star, sits Dhruva saying the prayer through all time. Long ago
he found the Lotus-Eyed One--found the Lotus-Eyed One in his own
heart. So steadfastly did he fix his attention on his prayer that even
when the white ants came and built around him the great mound of
the midnight sky Dhruva never moved. Motionless, wrapped in the
darkness, he still sits with the Lotus-Eyed One.
Yudhishthira and His Dog |
A Story of Devotion: Yudhishthira and His Dog
Among the Pandava brothers, only the eldest, Yudhishthira, was so virtuous
that he was permitted to enter heaven as a mortal. Together with his
faithful companion, a dog, Yudhishthira proceeded up the mountains of the
Himalayas on the heavenward path. All of his family, four brothers, his
mother and wife had made the perilous pilgrimage of death before him.
Suddenly, in a flash of blinding light, as Yudhisthira and his dog made their
way up the steep path on the last earthly journey, they were confronted by
the god Indira in his blazing chariot. Indira called to Yudhisthira to climb
aboard the chariot so that they could make their way to heaven. Without hesitating,
Yudhishthira, however, replied that he would not
join the gods if his mother, brothers and wife who had
preceded him death had not made it to heaven first. Upon hearing this, Indira
assured Yudishthira that his family were already with the gods. Yudishthira
then agreed to step into the chariot, but stood aside to allow his dog to
climb aboard.
Indira, however, strenuously objected. For Hindus, dogs are unholy. It was
impossible to even contemplate the idea of a dog in Heaven. Indira
entreated Yudhishthira therefore, to leave the dog behind. Without a
moment's hesitation, Yudhisthira refused. To him his dog was the
one creature who had been the most devoted, loyal, and loving companion.
The animal had comforted Yudhishthira in times of loss, and had been his most faithful
companion in the hours of solitude. Yudhisthira could not even imagine
happiness, even in Heaven,without the presence of his truest friend.
Indira pleaded and argued to no avail. Each argument, however only
made Yudhishthira stand more firmly. For him, casting off any creature or
person who had been so infinitely faithful would in his view have been a terrible sin.
Again Indira pleaded, "you know that the presence of a dog in heaven would
mean that heaven itself will be defiled." Even a dog's glance on the
sacraments would mean contamination, the great god reasoned, so then,
why would Yudishthira renounce a reunion with his beloved family so
strenuously for a dog? In turn, Yudhishtira again replied that he could
not proceed without his faithful companion.
Suddenly, there was a flash of light and the dog was transformed into a
shining god, Dharma himself, the God of Righteousness. Yudhisthira had
been tested and his steadfast principles earned him a rightful place in heaven.
Seated in the chariot he was acclaimed by shining heavenly multitudes
as he entered Heaven in his pure mortal form.
References:
Loving Ganesha: Hinduism's Endearing Elephant-Faced God, by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami (Himalaya Academy,1996).
The Myth and Gods of India by Alain Danielou (Inner Traditions, 1996).
Myths of the Hindus and Buddhistsby Sister Nivedita (Margaret N. Noble) and Ananda Coomaraswamy (George Harp and Company,1917).
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