The Story of Ganesa: 22. A yaga is saved | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The Story of Ganesa: 22. A yaga is saved | INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

INDIAN MYTHOLOGY

The Story of Ganesa: 22. A yaga is saved

     Indra, the King of Gods, once captured the horse sent out by King Sagara prior to holding the Aswamedha yaga. The horse was expected to traverse from one kingdom to another without let or hindrance, and the rulers who allowed the horse to pass through their kingdoms would be considered as accepting the suzereinty of Sagara.

Years later, Abhinanda, who was born in the same dynasty as that of Sagara, began a yaga without inviting Indra. He was angry and wanted to disturb the yaga and approached the god of Death, Yama. After pleasing him, Indra requested Yama to take the life of Abhinanda. Yama, who held the control of Kala or Time, and decided how long one should enjoy life, was known as Kalayama.

Now, Kalayama entered the body of Abhinanda while he was presiding over the yagna, and turned into a huge giant. As he rose from the fire and assumed mountainous proportions, the priests who were conducting the yaga ran away from the place. On seeing them fleeing, thousands of people who had gathered to witness the yaga also left the place. The yaga was thus abandoned.

The king’s guru, Visishtha, told him that he had, in apprehension of such an eventuality, installed a clay image of Lord Vighneswara in front of the yaga fireplace. He advised Abhinanda to worship the Lord with turmeric powder. The king meditated on the Lord for a long time. He then heard the primordial sound of ‘Om’ rising from the image. Soon, the sound produced thousands of rats who surrounded the hideous figure and began biting it all over. The ghostly figure could not tolerate the unexpected attack on it, and soon disappeared.

Now Kalayama threw away the rope in his hand with which he was hoping to take the life of King Abhinanda. The rope fell down with a loud noise. Abhinanda tried to cut it into pieces to take away its power. However, even the pieces acquired the power of the original rope and they began to take away lives indiscriminately. They all ran to the Creator, Lord Brahma, who consoled them by saying, “You cannot escape the rope wielded by Kalayama because Time is in his hands. Lord Vighneswara alone can save you, and so you should worship Vighneswara.”

Pleased with their intense worship, Lord Vighneswara appeared before them. The Lord had a more powerful rope in His hands. He threw it at the rope in the hands of Kalayama who now assumed the feasome figure of Vighnasura. There ensued a fight between Vighneswara and Vighnasura. The Lord aimed his hook at Vighnasura, who fell down when the hook pierced his body.

Kalayama now left the body of Vighnasura and paid his oblations to the Lord. “O Ganesa! My rope is nothing in your presence and your power. In fact, what is Earth, or the sunrise or the sunset in front of you! Even a mountain will be just an atom before your mount, the rat. Please forgive me, O Lord!”

Kalayama then expressed his apologies and said, “O Vighneswara! I still don’t know what happened to me. I was only obeying the orders of Lord Indra.”

Vighneswara helped him to rise on his feet and said, “Why should you oblige others? You have your duties set for you, and you have only to follow them.”

When Kalayama disappeared from the scene, King Abhinanda and everybody else got up as if they were waking up from a trance. There was a shower of flowers from the skies and the yaga fire came alive once again. They were all praise for Lord Vighneswara. From that day, every ceremony or ritual began with a worship of Lord Vighneswara.