Ganesha Teaches the ABC's

As you may have noticed, I tend to find inspiration in quotes, pictures, stories from various religions and folklore, artists and more.  I enjoyed this story when I heard it many years ago, during a course in college.  This retelling of the story is my version of the story, it stays true to the lessons and the overall feel, but I did change the language a bit to make it a little more modern.

For those who are not familiar with Ganesha (sometimes called Ganesh), here is a little bit of background.  Parvati the Mother Goddess in Hindu mythology had two sons.  Ganesha, one of the sons, ended up winning a contest and was appointed the lord of all beings. 

Ganesha is most commonly recognized by his elephant head and can be found in many Indian cultures. Per Hindu mythology, Ganesha is the “vigana harta” or “Remover of Obstacles.”

The story that I’m sharing today is one where Ganesha as a young child tries to teach a cat the ABC’s and ends up angry at the cat for not learning well enough.  It reminds me of my own children when they were young and used to play school.

I also find this story to be a great lesson to be kind and to recognize that everyone has value and should be treated with respect, even when you think it may not matter as much.  Ultimately, we should simply be kind to the people, creatures, and plants around us. 

I hope you enjoy the story!

Ganesha Teaches the ABC's

Ganesha, the son of the Mother Goddess named Parvati, was sent to school like all children so that he could become smart and clever. 

On the first day of school, he learned the first three letters of the alphabet: A, B, C. He ran home from school excitedly and rushed in to his mom asking her to play with him.  But she was busy and asked him to play in the garden by himself for awhile.

Obediently, Ganesha went to the garden and saw the neighbor’s cat lying lazily in the sun.  Ganesha demanded that the cat play with him.  “We are going to play school.  I am the teacher and you are my student. Today you will learn the alphabet,” explained Ganesha.

With all the care of a young child, Ganesha wrote A B C on the board in crooked letters.  Then he pointed at the A and told the cat to repeat after him. The cat just said, “Meow.” 

Ganesha sternly replied, “Cat, you are not being very clever.  You must repeat after me, A, B…”  The cat simply meowed again.  Ganesha began to get annoyed with the cat and snapped, “Cat, you must learn the alphabet properly or I will be angry with you!”

Carefully, Ganesha repeated A B C again.  The cat meowed three times.  Angrily, Ganesha waved his finger at the cat and yelled at it.  The cat did not like this and ran away from the garden feeling very sad. 

Ganesha decided to return home only to find his mom looking very sad.  “Why are you so sad?” asked Ganesha.  Parvati, Ganesha’s mother, replied, “What were you doing just now?”

“I was just playing with a cat in the garden,” said Ganesha.  His mom asked gently, “Were you angry with the cat?”  “Yes, just a little,” responded Ganesha.

The Mother Goddess said seriously, “Listen to me, my son, and listen carefully.  I am about to teach you the most important lesson you will learn in your life.  I am the Mother Goddess and as the mother of the whole universe, I live in everything.  It is me who lives in that cat, so when you are angry with anyone or anything, you are angry with me.  Do you understand why I feel sad now?”

Needless to say, Ganesha did understand now.  God is in all living things, so if we hurt or harm anything, we are hurting God.  From this day on, Ganesha will always be kind to all living creatures.

Just like Ganesha, Hindus must not hurt or harm anyone or anything, because God is a part of everyone and everything. This is why many Hindus greet each other by putting their hands together, giving a bow, and saying “Namaste,” which means “There is God in you.”