Ganesha’s Brides

The Parijata Forest

A happy Ganesha was riding on his mouse through a forest of parijata trees. The fragrance of the orange and white blossoms pervaded the air, making him feel as if he was in heaven even though he was on earth. The moon shone brilliantly in the skies—a silvery, unblemished orb. The world was celebrating Ganesha Chathurthi, in honour of the elephant-headed son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. It was the season of music and dance, of feasting and rejoicing, for Ganesha, worshipped by 108 different names, was beloved in all the realms. His devotees on earth loved the merry young god who was easy to please. They brought him fruit and his favourite modakas, dumplings stuffed with dry fruits, grated jaggery and coconut. In the heavens, the devas worshipped him with red hibiscus and white conch flowers.

Parvati’s young son was happy, his stomach full with all the modakas he had eaten, his heart filled with joy as he went along merrily on his path. But just then, a snake slithered across his path, and the startled mouse dropped the young god in its haste to escape. Ganesha, heavy with all the food he had eaten, was unable to get up for a moment. He muttered angrily, snatched up the bothersome snake and bound it tightly around his stomach as if to ensure that the modakas within would not spill out. As he did so, he heard a laugh from above. Soma, the moon, had watched him fall and had dared to laugh at him.

Ganesha’s big ears flapped in agitation and he hurriedly rose to his feet. He broke off a piece of his tusk and hurled it at the full moon. ‘You will suffer for your insolence, Soma!’ he said. ‘Your light will fade gradually and you will become dark in fifteen days.’ The tusk shattered the moon’s surface and created a crater, and Soma scudded in fear to hide behind some clouds.

Still angry, Parvati’s son pulled out a plantain tree by its roots and flung it on the ground. ‘Everyone laughs at my big belly and elephant head!’ he muttered. ‘If only I were as handsome as my brother Karthikeya . . .’ His eyes fell on the uprooted plantain tree. ‘Oh my Kola Bou, my banana wife! Forgive me!’ he exclaimed as he stroked its lush green leaves.

Then he heard the laugh again. Ganesha’s ears turned towards the sound. Had Soma returned even after he had been cursed? There was a flash of red and Ganesha dashed forward to capture the culprit. As his hands grasped hold of an arm, he closed his eyes in ecstasy, his nostrils filling with an ambrosial scent. His hands stroked the silky soft arms that were now straining against his grip.

‘Let me go!’ whispered a girl’s voice as she struggled to free herself.

‘Soma, come back and show me your light!’ he shouted, holding her tighter. By the light of the broken moon, he saw a charming maiden clad in red, looking up at him with a mixture of fear and excitement.

‘Who are you?’ he asked her, his anger turning into fascination as he saw her enchanting eyes and her sylphlike form.

‘I am Riddhi. You must have heard of Brahma’s beautiful daughter!’ she said proudly. ‘I study at Sage Kapila’s ashram nearby.’

‘Yes, of course I have,’ he said, wanting to please her and keep the conversation going. He gazed at her, spellbound, unwilling to let her go. She stared back at him for a moment and then pulled free.

‘I know who you are too!’ she exclaimed. ‘Everyone knows about Parvati’s golden son, Gajamukha, with the head of an elephant. Now tell me, why did you call the plantain tree your bride?’

Watching the expressions chasing one another across her vivacious face, Ganesha took a moment to answer. Riddhi’s eyes danced with pleasure as she noted the effect that she had on him.

‘One day, I saw my mother Durga eating her food with all ten hands!’ Ganesha said. ‘When I asked her why, she told me that when I married, my bride would not allow her to eat in peace. So she would eat to her heart’s content before that happened.’ Riddhi’s eyes widened as she imagined the sight. ‘In order to reassure her, I promised her that I would marry only a plantain tree since it would not be able to harass her!’

‘You are such a loving son, though you appear to be a little crazy!’ laughed Riddhi. ‘And what a wonderful idea—to marry a tree! I have an idea too, so please wait here for just a moment.’

She darted away, with not a doubt in her mind that he would be there when she returned. There was hardly a man or god who would not wait for her, entranced by her beauty. She returned soon, laden with various objects in her hands. First, she washed the stem and leaves of the plantain tree with some water she had brought from the river Ganga that flowed nearby, and smeared vermilion on its leaves. Then she draped the tree in a white sari with a red border, bringing one end of the sari over its top to make it look like a veiled bride.

Riddhi then clapped her hands in delight. Before her was the tree that now looked like a shy newlywed, with its drooping leaves moving gently in the breeze. She disappeared again and returned to place a decorated pedestal on the ground and arranged some flowers and incense sticks before it. Then she conducted a bemused Ganesha to the seat and placed the plantain tree on his right. The god’s eyes twinkled as he conjured up garlands for himself and his bride.

He looked at Riddhi’s happy face and then shook his head with a smile. ‘My Kola Bou is beautiful, no doubt,’ he said. ‘But I do not wish to be married and be caught in a web of troubles!’ He gestured with his hand and at once the plantain tree was restored to its original state with its roots in the ground.

‘Really?’ asked Riddhi, tossing her hair. ‘Why do you say that?’

‘Do you know what my father Shiva said to my uncle Vishnu?’ he asked in return. ‘He said that love destroys your peace of mind like a Brahmastra in the hands of Kama. And that a woman’s beauty is the cause of all delusion, tempting you with nectar that conceals the poison beneath!’

‘Do you really believe that?’ retorted Riddhi, her eyes blazing fire. ‘Why would Shiva say such a thing when he himself is married and has two sons besides?’

Why indeed? Read on by buying the book in a bookstore or online by clicking on one of the links on the Home tab! Read two more exciting stories in addition to this one in ‘Prem Purana.’