The Story of Ganesa: 13. Krishna and Vinayaka Chathurthi | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

 

The Story of Ganesa: 13. Krishna and Vinayaka Chathurthi | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The Story of Ganesa: 13. Krishna and Vinayaka Chathurthi

Vighneswara was taking a stroll one night when his attention was drawn to the bright moon in the sky. It was the fourth day (Chathurthi) after the new moon. He compared the whiteness of the moon with the white colour of his tusks. He did not notice the stone lying in his path. He knocked against it and fell down.

As he fell flat on his stomach, he was hurt and his stomach sustained a tear, spilling all the food he had eaten. The crescent shaped moon, which was watching the incident, could not help laughing loud and long.

Some of the devas, who were also witness to the incident, rushed to the help of Vighneswara.They gathered him on their lap and set right the tear on his stomach with a piece of snake skin.

Vighneswara’s affectionate mother, Parvati, could not bear the sight of her suffering son and was angry with the moon for causing the accident to her dear son. She cursed the moon and said whoever were to look at him on Chathurthi would become the butt of shame and insult for no reason whatsoever. From that day, women took great care to ensure that their children avoided looking at the moon on what came to be known as ‘Vinayaka Chathurthi day.’

The Dwaparayuga had already started, and Krishna, born to Devaki and Vasudeva, was growing up in the house of his foster-mother Yashoda in Gokulam. He had by then brought about the end of demoness Poothana and demons like Sakadasura and Trinavarta.

It was Vinayaka Chathurthi. Little Krishna, in a playful mood, had climbed on to the back of Yashoda who was on all fours. Krishna had a pot of milk in his hands and was looking at the moon reflected in the milk. “Did you say there is moon in the milk, my child?” Yashoda queried. “Are you blaming the moon?

“What’ll happen, mother, if I said so?” said Krishna nonchalantly.

“Nothing, except that people will call you a thief, having caught the moon and put it in a pot!” cautioned Yashoda.

“Not to worry, mother, I shall swallow the moon and drink the milk and empty the pot!” said Krishna, lightly.

“You naughty fellow!” Yashoda chided Krishna. “Do you expect the universe to break up if you were to swallow the moon?” she gave him an affectionate pinch.

“As if you’ve seen the entire universe!” Krishna continued his banter.

“I might not have,” said Yashoda, drawing him into her hands and giving him a hug.

“Will you then allow me to look at the moon?” asked Krishna innocently.

“I won’t advise you to do that, especially now when you’re growing,”said Yashoda. She then prayed to Vighneswara, silently: “O Vinayaka! Please bear with this little fellow. He has only seen the reflection of the moon in the milk!”

The next day, Balarama ran up to Yashoda. “What’s the matter, my son?” she enquired. Fear was writ large on her face.

“Mother, I saw Krishna eating mud!” he said, excitedly. “I’m not lying. You can come and see for yourself!”

Balarama then led Yashoda to where Krishna was still at his mischief. He was about to put a lump of mud into his mouth when Yashoda caught hold of his hand and screwed his ear. “You naughty fellow! Open your mouth!” she ordered.

“Evidently somebody has been carrying tales to you, mother!” Krishna protested.  “Yes,  I remember, it was only yesterday you were warning me that people might accuse me of misbehaviour! I’m only making laddus out of mud and eating them.”

“Maybe, but I want you to open your mouth,” Yashoda insisted. She once again  prayed  to Vighneswara. “O Vinayaka! Please forgive my child! Don’t take his words seriously, please!”

“I’m sure Vighneswara will forgive me,” said Krishna. “Mother, you must prepare sweets and offer them to Vighneswara when Vinayaka Chathurthi comes next. Let me see how much he will eat!”

“Krishna, you forgot that I had asked you to open your mouth!” Yashoda reminded him and forced open his mouth, only to faint after she saw the whole universe, the entire solar system, the sun, the moon, and the stars, oceans and seas, and long mountain ranges! She also saw herself milking a cow and little Krishna fondly embracing her from behind.

Was she dreaming? Yashoda wondered. Krishna patted her cheek. “Mother, are you satisfied?” Yashoda shook herself and looked into his mouth which he had now kept wide open. Yashoda could see the devas; also Krishna playing the flute and dancing on the hood of Kaliya the serpent. She once again swooned, and when she regained consciousness, she saw some gopikas around her. “What happened to me?” she asked them.

“We don’t know what had happened to you, mother,” the girls said, “but we saw your beloved son and his friends stealing milk, curd, and butter from our houses!”

Yashoda was angry with them. “Take it from me that none of your milk, or curd or butter is in my house!You may go away from here!”

Krishna slowly went closer to Yashoda and asked casually, “What happened, mother?”

“Whatever I was apprehending has happened,” said Yashoda, putting out a sad face. “People are finding fault with you; they come out with several complaints!”

“Mother, don’t worry,” responded Krishna, “the complaints are true!”

Yashoda was now really cross with Krishna. She led him by his hand to a mortar lying in the yard, and tied him to it with a rope. The moment she went away, little Krishna dragged the mortar in between two trees which now got uprooted. From out of the base of the trees came out two gundharvas who had been under a curse. They bowed to Krishna and rose up into the skies singing his praise.

It was Vinayaka Chathurthi once again. Nanda, the foster-father of Krishna residing in Gokulam, made an image of Vighneswara, while Yashoda prepared varieties of sweets and placed them before the idol kept in the puja room. She closed the door behind her and came away, expecting the Lord to partake of the sweets on that auspicious day.

Meanwhile, Krishna found his way to the puja room. He sat in front of the idol of Vighneswara. “Brother, please eat all these delicacies. Today is an auspicious day.”

Vighneswara now picked up the sweetmeat with his trunk and began eating them one after the other. “Krishna, you must share these with me and eat whatever I give you. This will be hailed as a glorious occasion!”