The Curse of Rishi Kashyapa and the Origin of Gajanana
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The curse of Rishi Kashyapa and The Origin of Gajanana
I had shared two posts on Ganesha, and I plan to share a few more.
This post is based on the Brahma Vaivarta Purana – which talks about the elephant whose head was placed on Paravati’s son.
I had read about this in the Ramayana of Krittibas and was wondering where the reference was from. To clarify, the Ramayana of Krittibas says the head of the elephant that was used, was that of Airavata. This is not found in the Ramayana of Valmiki.
What the Bengali Ramayana says
Dasharatha once was told that there was famine in his kingdom because Shani had looked into Rohini. He decided to confront Shani. When Shani looked at him, he fell but was saved by a giant bird, Jatayu. Jatayu and Dasharatha then pledged friendship. Dasharatha went back to Shani and that was when Shani told him the story of how Parvati’s son had lost his head because of Shani’s gaze. The Ramayana then says Airavata’s head was used to replace the boy’s head. Brahma Vaivarta Purana has a back-story and I will share that here. The incident when Rishi Kashyapa curses Shiva is in Chapter 18 and the incident related to Airavata is in Chapter 20 of Ganapati Khanda of the Purana.
Shiva cursed by Rishi Kashyapa
The Rakshasas Mali and Sumali were great devotees of Shiva. Once they were worshipping him for getting boons when Surya went to them, the intention of slaying them. Seeing this, Shiva got angry. How could Surya attack his devotees? A fight broke out between Shiva and Surya, and Surya struck Surya with his trident. Surya fell down senseless. Seeing his son, Surya, lying down, Rishi Kashyapa held the lifeless body in his arms and broke down. In the absence of Surya, the world was covered in darkness. The rishi then cursed Shiva and said, ‘The way you pierced my son with your trident, your son will lose his head. These are my words and this will happen.’
Shiva, who was also called Ashutosha, revived Surya. The Rakshasas Mali and Sumali contracted leprosy and they were told that the only way they would get relief was, if they worshipped Surya at the holy site of Pushkara.
How Ganesha became Gajanana
Once Indra wanted to spend time in a beautiful place. He saw a beautiful garden in a secluded spot on the banks of the river Pushabhadra. This was inside a forest and anyone who was not familiar with the area would not know about its existence. Indra began roaming around enjoying the place. While he was there, the apsara, Rambha, also came there. Her walk, her dress, her looks – everything about her was very sensuous. Indra was attracted towards her and he approached her. Rambha too felt attracted towards Indra and they then began making love to each other in that garden.
Rishi Durva was travelling from Vaikunta to Kailasha along with his disciples. This garden was on the way. Indra, seeing the rishi, left Rambha aside and went to greet the rishi. The rishi gave Indra a Parijata flower, which had been given to the rishi by Narayana himself. After giving the flower, the rishi explained the greatness of that flower. He said, ‘This flower removes any kind of obstacles. Whoever places the flower respectfully on their head will never face any obstacles and will be able to help others. That person will be worshipped first before any deva or devi is worshipped. The flower will provide knowledge, intelligence courage and strength. That person will surpass everyone and will be equal to Hari. If any person, who has been offered this flower, does not place the flower on their head, Lakshmi will leave them and they will be shunned by their people.’
Saying that, Durvasa, who was an incarnation of Shiva, left the place. As soon as the rishi had left, Indra placed the flower on the head of Airavata, his elephant, and caught hold of Rambha. As soon as this happened, Indra lost his prosperity. Lakshmi left him and went elsewhere. Seeing this, Rambha too left Indra and went elsewhere.
Airavata also left Indra and began wandering in the forest. There he saw a female elephant and becoming excited, he ravished her. As a result of that, many offspring were born. It was Airavata, whose head Vishnu had cut off, when Parvati’s son had lost his head, and this was the reason Ganesha was also called Gajanana.
This was what I wanted to share in this post. As per Shiva Purana, the head that was placed on Ganesha was that of an elephant with one tusk.
Brahma Vaivarta Purana, has a different story. I will share that in the next post.
Glossary of terms
| Word | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Airavata | An elephant that serves as the mount of Indra. |
| Ashutosha | Another name for Shiva, meaning "one who is easily pleased". |
| Gajanana | Another name of Ganesha, meaning "the one with the face/head of an elephant". |
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