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Ganesha
and His brother Lord Subramanya (Kartikya) once had a dispute as to who
was the elder of the two. The matter was referred to Lord Shiva for final
decision. Shiva decided that whoever would make a tour of the whole world
and come back first to the starting point had the right to be the elder.
Subramanya flew off at once on his vehicle, the peacock, to make a circuit
of the world. But the wise Ganesha went, in loving worshipfulness, around
His divine parents and asked for the prize of His victory.
Lord Shiva said,
“Beloved and wise Ganesha! But how can I give you the prize; you
did not go around the world?”
Ganesha replied,
“No, but I have gone around my parents. My parents represent the
entire manifested universe!”
Thus the dispute
was settled in favour of Lord Ganesha, who was thereafter acknowledged
as the elder of the two brothers. Mother Parvati also gave Him a fruit
as a prize for this victory.
In the Ganapathi
Upanishad, Ganesha is identified with the Supreme Self. The legends
that are connected with Lord Ganesha are recorded in the Ganesha Khanda
of the Brahma Vivartha Purana.
As
Retold By Swami Sivananda
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