There is another interesting story about how Ganesha got a mouse as his vehicle. Once, there lived a demon named Gajmukha. He worshipped Shiva fervently. Once, he performed severe penance and attained many boons from Shiva. But Gajmukhasur did not use them wisely. Instead, he became vain and started tormenting the gods and the sages alike. He used to force them to do 1008 sit-ups each, thrice a day! Fed up, the gods and the sages pleaded with Shiva to save them from Gajmukhasur’s antics. Shiva sent Ganesha to destroy Gajmukhasur. But Ganesha could not destroy the demon, as he had attained a boon that he could not be killed by any weapon. Finally, Ganesha broke off his right tusk to pierce the demon. Gajmukhasur rushed towards Ganesha in the form of a mouse (mushik). Quelling the demon’s ego, Ganesha sat on top of Mushik who could not bear Ganesha’s weight. So the conquered Gajmukhasur apologised to Ganesha, who made him his vahan.
Gajmukhasur Becomes Ganesha’s Mount
