Ganesh Chaturthi 2023: Story Of Adi Ganesha, Know The Significance Behind This Legend

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Ganesh Chaturthi 2023 is here and it is undoubtedly one of the most prominent and most celebrated festivals of India. This day is extremely auspicious as it celebrates the birth anniversary of Lord Ganesha. He is believed to have been born during Shukla Paksha of Bhadrapada month and there is an interesting story behind it.

The folktales and legends surrounding Indian deities are intriguing, full of miracles, wisdom, and moral lessons and Lord Ganesha's story is no different. He is known as the elephant-headed God of Hinduism and the son of Lord Shiva and his consort Goddess Parvati. He is known as the remover of obstacles and blesses people with wisdom and prosperity. Let us know about the story of Adi Ganesha and its significance.

Ganesh Chaturthi 2023: Story Of Adi Ganesha, Significance
The story of Lord Ganesha's birth is also known as the story of Aadi Ganesha. It explains the origin of Lord Ganesha's elephant head. However, there are several variations of this story.

Once upon a time, Goddess Parvati, the consort of Lord Shiva, decided to take a bath. She wanted to maintain her privacy while cleansing herself and ensuring that no one would enter while she was bathing. To guard the entrance, she decided to create a son from the dirt from her body and then she molded it into the form of a young boy.

Goddess Parvati then named this boy Ganesha and gave him the task of guarding the entrance while she bathed. She strictly instructed Ganesha not to let anyone enter, not even Lord Shiva himself, as she wanted to ensure her privacy.

Meanwhile, Lord Shiva returned to the abode after many years and tried to enter the chamber where Parvati was bathing. Ganesha couldn't recognize him and was faithful to his mother's instructions. So he stopped Lord Shiva from entering Goddess Parvati's chamber. Annoyed by the young boy's refusal and unaware of his true identity, Shiva's anger flared, and this resulted in a fierce battle between the two.

During the battle, Lord Shiva, who is known for his destructive power, severed Ganesha's head with his trident (Trishul). When Parvati emerged from her bath and saw what had happened, she became extremely devastated and filled with grief.

To console her and make amends for his mistake, Lord Shiva promised to bring Ganesha back to life. He instructed his attendants to find the head of the first living being they came across and bring it to him. The attendants found an elephant and brought its head to Lord Shiva. He affixed the elephant's head onto Ganesha's body, giving him a unique appearance. With the elephant head, Ganesha was reborn, and he became even more powerful and wise than before.

Then Lord Shiva also declared that before any other deity, Lord Ganesha would be worshipped on all auspicious occasions, and this boon made him the 'Vighnaharta' or remover of obstacles.

This story symbolizes the importance of body consciousness and soul consciousness and that only when one gets true knowledge of their true inner qualities, they become wise and remove any obstacle from their path. This also results in successful endeavors.

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