Lord Ganesh is worshipped first among all the Gods in Hindu mythology. He is known as God of prosperity, wisdom and is believed to remove all obstacles and bestow happiness and spread peace among his followers (or ‘bhakts’).

“Vakratunda Mahakaya Surya Koti Samaprabha
Nirvighnam Kuru Me Dev Sarv-Kaaryeshu Sarvadaa”

The above is the famous sloka for lord Ganesh. This translates in English as

“O Lord Ganesha, one with a huge body, a curved elephant trunk and whose brilliance is
equal to billions of Suns, May you always remove all obstacles from my endeavors.”

Lord Ganesha is unique among all the Hindu deities as he has the head of an elephant and travels around with a mouse as his ‘vahana’. ‘Vahana’ literally means the one that carries, denoting typically an animal or a mythical entity used as a vehicle. Do you know how he got an elephant’s head and who is the mouse who carries Lord Ganesha around?

The anecdote goes as…One day, Yama, the Lord of Birth (‘Yanma’) and Death (‘Marana’), was on a stroll in heaved. Alongside was his assistant Chitragupta. As they looked downward on earth, Lord Yama spotted Lord Kartika and Lord Ganesha playing in the gardens of Kailasha in the Himalayas. Yama asked “Who are these boys? Who is that boy with an elephant head?

Chitragupta replied “Kartika and Ganesha are the two sons of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parbati. When Ganesha was born, Lord Shiva was in meditation. Therefore, he was no aware of his birth. One day, when Nandi bull, the guard of Kailasha was away, Goddess Parvati asked Ganesh to guard the door. At this moment, Lord Shiva came out of his meditation and returned to Kailasha, little Ganesha did not allow him to enter. He was unaware that Lord Shiva was his father, so was Lord Shiva unaware that he was his son. Lord Shiva entered into a fight with little Ganesha who was powerful enough to prevent him from entering Kailasha. At this, Lord Shiva was furious and used his Trishul (triple headed spear) to sever Ganesha’s head. When Parvati learned of this, she was enraged and sad at the same time. Learning that Ganesha was their son, Lord Shiva send out his ‘Dutas’ (messengers) with orders to bring back the head of the first creature that is lying with its head facing North. At this , the messengers soon returned with the head of a strong and powerful elephant named Gajasura. Lord Brahma, the creator of the universe, placed the elephant head to the boy’s body bringing him back to life. Therefore, Ganesha is also called Gajanana (or Elephant face). Soon he got the status of being foremost among the gods, and leader of all the ‘ganas’ (classes of beings), Ganapati.”

Leaning about Lord Ganesha’s courage, Yama tried to trap and capture Lord Ganesha, so that he can use him as his vahana. But Lord Ganesha overpowered Yama and trapped him under his feet. Lord Ganesha uttered ‘Musika Bhaba’ (meaning ‘be a mouse’), at which Yama transformed into a mouse. Ever since, Yama has been serving as the ‘vahana’ of Lord Ganesh. The word Yama also comes from ‘Sanjama’ ( or self-control). Self-control is a key aspect of wisdom. This is why both Lord Ganesha and his vahana, Yama are worshipped by students and the wise alike.