According to Hindu mythology, Lord Ganesha, the Elephant God, is not only the Lord of Beginnings and Remover of Obstacles but also a teacher. His anecdotal examples, also known as Ekdant, are a part of Hindu mythology and teach his followers valuable life lessons. These stories teach us all important lessons about life.

1. Duty is Above All Else

According to legend, Lord Ganesha was made from turmeric paste and brought to life by Goddess Parvati in order to guard the door while she bathed since Shiva was away. Lord Shiva returned from his journey and asked to Parvati’s bathing chamber, which Ganesha defended on his mother’s instructions. A battle between Shiva and his son ensued, and Ganesha was beheaded as a result. Shiva later reincarnated Ganesha with the head of an elephant.

A lesson learned from this story is that even gods have to fulfill their duties, and no virtue is greater than being faithful to a parent. Despite knowing that Lord Shiva would have a mighty hand, Lord Ganesha refused to give up, even if it meant losing his life.

2. Nobody is More Important than One’s Parents

Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati once offered a miraculous fruit of knowledge to their son Kartikeya and Lord Ganesha respectively, but only one of them could receive it. Lord Shiva asked them to circumnavigate the world three times to decide who deserved it more. Lord Shiva asked Kartikeya, the elder son, and Lord Ganesha, the younger son, to race around the world. Lord Ganesha was confused as to how he could ever win the race on his rat vehicle. To his surprise, Lord Kartikeya returned home first, for he had ambitiously circumnavigated the world three times.

He, instead of focusing on the earth, had focused on Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, who he saw as his world. As a result, he was blessed with the fruit of knowledge and became the Lord of Knowledge.

In this story, we learn that parents are always important, even if you are a god. This lesson has the power to change millions of abandoned parents’ lives.

3. You should Finish Every Task You Take-up

According to Legend, Mahabharata was composed by sage Vyasa, who asked Lord Ganesha to write it down as he recited the verse. Lord Ganesha agreed to write on one condition: Vyasa had to recite the verses nonstop and Lord Ganesha had to keep writing without interruption. They began to write one of the world’s greatest epics, but something unexpected occurred–Lord Ganesha’s pen broke while he was still writing. Lord Ganesha broke a tusk while writing, but he continued writing the epic.

We would all be closer to success if we could imbibe this lesson from Lord Ganesha. He sacrificed his own tusk to finish a task meant for the greater good.

 4. Always Stand up for your Self-respect

Lord Ganesha was tricked into looking after Swargalok, the divine realm when Lord Vishnu was getting married to Goddess Laxmi. Because his appearance and eating habits were embarrassing, the other deities sent Lord Ganesha to Swargalok. When he learned the truth, Lord Ganesha planned his revenge by devising a clever strategy to make them realize his importance. To avenge himself, Lord Ganesha sent his rat vehicle, Gajasur, to dig up the roads leading to Goddess Laxmi’s residence. The deities couldn’t move on without help, so they called for help. A farmer who was passing by chose to help the deities, and he succeeded in pulling the carriage from the road. Lord Ganesha’s name inspired the farmer to lift the carriage since he is the Remover of Obstacles. The deities realized that only Lord Ganesha’s name could have provided the strength to pull the carriage since he is the Remover of Obstacles.

The story of Lord Ganesha reminds us to never let anyone’s judgment of us be clouded by our physical appearance or abilities.

5. Be Humble

King Kubera is the lord of wealth. He was very proud of his wealth and looked down on Lord Shiva for living in the mountains like a sage. Kuber once invited Shiva to his capital, but Shiva declined and sent Ganesha instead. Ganesha ate not only all of the food prepared for the feast but also everything available in Kubera’s city. Kubera felt ashamed, admitted his error, and begged forgiveness for his pride.

Insecurities are louder than confidence. Humility is a very endearing quality that is becoming increasingly difficult to find. No one likes people who constantly brag about their accomplishments. Humbleness can assist you in developing genuine and richer relationships with those with whom you work.

These are some of Lord Ganesha’s important life lessons that you can impart to your children, this Ganesh Chaturthi to inspire them to be better versions of themselves. 

Let’s learn from the God of Wisdom himself, 

Tutrrd wishes you an auspicious and  Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!