Ganesh
being the elder son, was full of patience and wisdom. Karthik, on the
other hand, was impish and playful. But both of them were intelligent
and powerful.
The two brothers had much difference in their
physique. While Ganesh had a massive body with a big belly and an
elephant’s head, young Karthik was a beautiful boy with strong limbs.
They were kind to everybody and were loved by all.
Lord Shiva and
Goddess Parvathi loved their two children and they in turn were devoted
to their parents. The Devas (deities) were pleased with the lovely
divine children and they worshipped them.
But one day, as the Devas talked about the qualities of the brothers, a doubt arose in the mind of one of them.
“Who is the wiser of the two brothers?” he asked the others “Ganesh or Karthik?”
Soon
this doubt spread to all the Devas. All
of them were talking and expressing their opinion about the matter. But
no one could surely decide upon the matter. As they racked their brains
to solve the issue, suddenly, a Deva got an idea.
?I know whom
to ask!?, said he. As others looked at him curiously, he continued,
“Lord Brahma. He is the Creator of the world. He should know the answer,
so let’s ask him! He can surely solve this doubt.”
Without any more
delay, the Devas rushed to Brahma and asked their Creator about their
doubt. Brahma was surprised to see all the deities, together.
“Such a pleasant surprise! What brings you here?”
The Devas told Brahma about their doubt. “O lord Brahma, who is the wiser brother?”, asked they, “Ganesh or Karthik?”
“Alas,
I do not know!” replied Brahma. “I am the creator of mankind, not
divine beings. Ganesh and Karthik were born to the celestial gods Shiva
and Parvathi.”
The Devas were disappointed. Even the Brahma did not
know! Then they would not be able to have an answer, after all.
Looking
at their glum faces, Lord Brahma decided to help them. “It is true that
I do not know who is the wiser of the two young Gods”, he thought. “But
I can probably find it out with the help of my son Narada”.
Narada,
the son of Lord Brahma, was a mischievous sage who was famous for
creating disputes. Wherever he went, he created trouble.
But if
he got away with all his pranks and without getting cursed it was only
because the trouble he caused usually ended on a happy note.
“Narada, help the Devas. Find the answer to their question,” said Brahma after explaining the problem.
“Certainly, Father,” replied Narada, and his eyes twinkled naughtily, smelling an opportunity to play a prank.
Using
his magical powers Narada swiftly flew over the white mountains of
Kailash and, in no time, arrived at the divine abode of Shiva and
Parvathi. He was warmly
welcomed by the heavenly couple.
“0
Shive, Saviour of the Universe!, O Devi Parvathi !” Narada praised the
lord. “I thank you for your warm welcome. It is indeed a pleasant joy
and an honour to see you both together as the Divine couple”.
Everyone
knew about Narada’s mischievous nature. Shiva understood that Narada
was up to some mischief. “Now tell us the truth. I can sense some
mischief brewing in your mind. What is the prank you are planning to
play on us?” he said jokingly.
Narada pretended to be hurt. “You
greatly insult me, Lord Shiva! I have just come here to give you a
gift,” he said in a sorrowful voice.
“No, stop!” cried
Narada. “What are you doing?”
Lord Shiva looked at Narada
curiously. “Why? Do you want me to eat it without letting Parvathi taste
it? I am going to share it with her”. Saying so, he turned to share the
fruit with his wife, Goddess Parvathi.
Narada shook his head in
disagreement. “That cannot be done, Lord Shiva. It is a magical fruit,
blessed by the sages and Devas. It is not possible to cut the mango into
pieces. It should be eaten by a
single person as a whole fruit”.
The
divine couple looked at each other. They were confused. Then Lord Shiva
shrugged. “If that is the case, let my better half have this fruit.
Here Parvathi, you can have this whole mango,” he said, offering the
mango to his wife.
Parvathi was surprised. “Oh no, I don’t want
it! You are my husband. How can I eat it without you having a taste of
it?” she refused.
Both Lord Shiva and Narada requested her to eat
the fruit but Parvathi steadily declined. “Instead, let one of our
children have the fruit,” she suggested.
“But, how is that
possible?” asked Narada slyly. “There is one fruit and two children. Who
should be given the fruit - Ganesh or Karthik?”
While the
elders were talking, Ganesh and
Karthik appeared in Kailash. They saw that their parents and Sage
Narada were having some serious talk on something. Then Karthik noticed
something yellow and round in Narada’s hand.
?What is Uncle Narada having in his hand ?? Karthik asked to Ganesh. Ganesh was equally curious.
?
This is a magical mango, Karthik, “Narada replied, as he heard
Karthik’s question. “I gave it to your Father but he wanted your
Mother to eat it. But she won’t have it. She wants to give it to one of you”.
“A magical mango? I
love mangoes!”, shouted
Karthik, “I want it! I want it!”.
“No,
no, it should come to me. I love mangoes too! I’m the eldest son and
the right one to eat the fruit of knowledge,” argued Ganesh. Soon the
brothers started fighting.
The divine parents were perplexed.
This is nothing but a mountain out of a molehill. Lord Shiva looked at
Narada. “So this is why you came to Kailash! I knew it! I knew there was
something in your mind. Well done Narada, you have finally played the
trick. This is why you came here. But now that you have created trouble,
please solve it. You decide to whom the mango should go to,” he said
firmly.
Narada was delighted that his plan was working so well.
“Why don’t we could have a competition to settle the matter?” he said
with a twinkle in his eye.
“The children agreed to Narada?s suggestion. Lord Shiva thought over the matter.
“All right, then.” said he, “We’ll have a
contest. Whoever of you goes around the world three times and returns first will get the fruit ,” he said to his children.
Hearing
this, Karthik immediately mounted his vehicle, the peacock. His brother
Ganesh was slow and fat. Karthik laughed to himself in glee. He was
very certain that he would win.
Ganesh too, understood that his
vehicle, the mouse, could not compete with the peacock’s speed. So he
thought for a moment. Suddenly, he got an idea. Ganesh smiled to
himself.
Karthik flew around the world stopping at all temples
and sacred spots on the way and offering his prayers. To his
astonishment, he found Ganesh at every major stop. Karthik was puzzled.
How did Ganesh manage to be so fast?
The reason was the
razor-sharp intelligence and the great wisdom of Ganesh. Back in
Kailash, Ganesh remembered that his parents Shiva and Parvathi
represented the entire universe. Without delay, the young
elephant-headed god walked
around his parents with great devotion, folding his hands.
“Why are you circling us Ganesh?” asked Lord Shiva.
“I’m your son and to me, you two make up my whole world. Why should I go further to win the contest?” replied Ganesh.
Shiva was pleased with his elder son’s smart answer and gave the magical fruit to him.
When
Karthik returned after his voyage, he understood what had happened and
accepted the superiority of his clever brother Ganesh. The Devas found
the answer to their doubt. They praised and blessed Ganesh.
