Ganesha and the Moon

Today I shared a story…

Ganesha and Chandra, the Moon

One day Ganesha and his mouse, Musika, wandered into the town where the women made the most delicious sweets. The sweets were spread out to cool all over the ground and the air was fragrant with their aroma. Ganesha could not resist and ate just one sweet. Of course, this led to his eating several more until he lost control and devoured all of them.
 
Once he finished he was embarrassed and wanted to get away as quickly as possible, but was so full he could barely move. Musika urged him to hop on his back so he could carry Ganesha away. Ganesha stepped onto Musika’s back, and Musika began to stagger toward the woods.
 
Just then a serpent rose up in front of them and, startled, Musika jumped, causing Ganesha to fall off his back, and the sweets to tumble out of Ganesha’s stomach. Ganesha picked up the serpent and tied it around his waist as a belt to hold in the sweets, and as he was about to step back onto Musika, he heard laughter coming from above him.
 
He looked up and saw Chandra the Moon looking down at him, laughing at his plight. Furious at being caught and mocked, Ganesha angrily hurled his broken tusk at Chandra and cursed him, saying that his beauty would be diminished from then on and that Chandra would dwindle to almost nothing.
 
All of the gods and animals were worried about this disruption of the natural order of things, and Chandra begged them to ask Ganesha to for mercy. While the curse could not be removed, Ganesha was able to lessen it, so that throughout each month, Chandra would wax and wane, resembling, at one point during the month, the slender crescent shape of Ganesha’s curved tusk.
 
It is for this reason during the annual fall festival of Ganesha called Ganesh Chaturthi that one is not supposed to look at the moon.

Contemplation:

• The story of Ganesha and Chandra is one of the myths that explains the phases of the moon. Consider how many ways in which we are phasic beings. Our energy rises and falls with each day and night as well as with the seasons and in the greater scope of our lives.

• In what areas of your life do you notice these regular phasic or recursive patterns? What is your relationship with them?

A shorter version of the Ganesha and Chandra story can be found in the book Yoga 365 !