Reading the elephant god

Ganesha is easily the first Hindu God, toddlers get attracted to. Animation filmmakers, too, have figured this out, and so films on the portly, lovable God can be found in the children’s section of most DVD stores.

Once kids start reading, they graduate to Amar Chitra Katha, devouring stories that narrate Ganesha’s many escapades.

And if the love for Ganesha follows into adolescence and then adulthood, it may lead the ‘fan’ to a search for more serious, literary works on Ganesha. These fans should head to the nearest library or a bookstore as there are numerous books on the elephant-headed God that do a great job of delving deep into the myths and legends surrounding Ganesha.

They could begin with The Book of Ganesha by Royina Grewal, part of a Penguin series on mythological and religious figures. The book deconstructs the myths of Ganesha in a scholarly but readable manner.

Particularly interesting is the chapter — Origins, which discusses the various myths surrounding Ganesha’s birth, from a story in the Ganesha Upanishad of the Ganapataya which establishes Ganesha’s supremacy over all other gods in the pantheon, to the many legends that surround Ganesha’s elephant head.

The most popular story is — Parvati created Ganesha from the fragrant essences and herbs she had rubbed into her body and asked him to guard her while she was bathing. Shiva returned from his wanderings and was stopped by Ganesha. In a fit of anger, Shiva chopped off the boy’s head. When Parvati saw the fate of her beloved son, she threatened to destroy all of creation. The gods pacified her and decreed that Shiva’s hordes or ganas bring the head of the first living creature they find, which,  turned out to be an elephant.

Most books on Ganesha refer to this story, including Ganesha: The Auspicious… The Beginning by Shakuntala Jagannathan and Nanditha Krishna with beautiful coloured illustrations. Of particularly interest are the chapters on Ganesha imagery and iconography which calls the “short, pot-bellied, large-headed” God “a veritable Puck of Hindu mythology”. 

The Broken Tusk: Stories of the Hindu God Ganesha by Uma Krishnaswami, possibly targeted at foreign readers, is also a treasure-trove of Ganesha stories retold in a fictionalised manner. Tales such as “Ganesha’s Head,” “The Broken Tusk,” and ‘Why Ganesha Never Married’ come mainly from Puranic mythology though there are references to Buddhist versions in tales from Mongolia.

In fact, most books on Ganesha make references to the God’s presence in the mythologies of other countries such as Thailand and Indonesia because the Ganesha legend has intertwined itself in Buddhist lore.

Ganesha is becoming a global figure, with iconography on display in art-books, magazines and even Broadway plays. This explains books such as Loving Ganesa by Satguru Sivaya Subramuniyaswami written to familiarise Western readers with Ganesha’s myths.

Several Western authors have undertaken the study of Puranic legends surrounding Ganesha. Manuela Dunn Mascetti’s Ganesha — Remover of Obstacles includes instructions on conducting a Ganesh Puja.

Elephant Prince: The Story of Ganesh will appeal to children and adults alike. The author, Amy Novesky, is a well-known author, and the book is illustrated in the Indian miniature style. This book recounts how, during a ceremony to celebrate Ganesha’s birth, Parvati insists on Shani to look upon her son, forgetting that whatever he looks upon is destroyed. When the baby’s head turns to ash, Vishnu restores him to life by replacing the head with that of an elephant.

Harish Johari and Vatsala Sperling’s How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head is based on the other version of this tale, in which Parvati creates Ganesh to guard her privacy, and has a lengthier narrative more suited for mature readers.

Parents, who want to supplement bedtime stories such as Little Red Riding Hood and Snow White with enchanting, and no less captivating, tales from our own myths will find this book useful.