How Ganesha Got His Head

Parvati made a son from sandalwood paste. What happened when Shiva came home?

Parvati shapes a boy from sandalwood paste and gives him life so she has someone of her own. He guards her door bravely when Shiva returns, and a terrible misunderstanding leads to a promise, a journey north, and the elephant head that gives Ganesha his beloved face.

A Mother Alone on Mount Kailash

High up on a snowy mountain called Kailash, Parvati sat by herself. The wind was cold. The pine trees were quiet. Her husband, Shiva, had gone away to meditate, and nobody knew when he would come back.

Parvati looked around her empty home. There was nobody to talk to. Nobody to hug. Nobody to call her Amma.

She wanted a child. Her very own child. Someone who belonged only to her.

So she had an idea. A very Parvati kind of idea.

The Boy Made of Sandalwood

Parvati took a small bowl. She poured some water in it. Then she rubbed a piece of sandalwood against a stone, the way our grandmothers still do, until the wood became a soft, golden paste. The whole room started to smell sweet.

She took the paste in her hands and began to shape it. A little nose. Two little ears. Ten tiny fingers. Ten tiny toes.

When she was done, she had made the most beautiful boy you can imagine.

Then Parvati closed her eyes and breathed gently on him.

The boy opened his eyes.

He sat up. He looked at Parvati and smiled. "Amma," he said.

Parvati hugged him so tight she nearly squeezed the breath back out of him. She finally had her own child. A son who belonged only to her.

"Guard the Door, My Son"

After a while, Parvati wanted to take a bath. On Mount Kailash, in those days, there was nobody around to keep watch. So she turned to her brand-new son.

"My brave boy," she said. "I am going to bathe. Stand at the door. Don't let anyone come in. Not anyone. Promise me."

The boy stood up tall. He picked up a stick like a little soldier. "I promise, Amma."

Parvati smiled and went inside.

The boy stood at the door, very serious. The wind blew. The clouds drifted past Kailash. He did not move.