The gods were worried about Ganesha’s fiery stomach. Some even brought chunks of ice from the peaks of Mount Kailash, but Ganesha was not relieved. A huge hullabaloo took place in heaven. A few goddesses also came forward to help. They brought milk, curd, sandalwood powder paste, cool clay and even turmeric, but nothing helped. Some goddesses tried flower extracts as a remedy for the burning. Legend has it that Indra brought the crescent moon and placed it on Ganesha’s stomach, thus giving him the name Balchandra. Vishnu also came to visit Ganesha and placed his lotus on Ganesha’s stomach, but the suffering did not subside. Ganesha is known as Padmapani after this instance. One of the legends says that at this moment Brahma got his two daughters, Riddhi and Siddhi, married to Ganesha to cool him down. But nothing made a difference to Ganesha’s burning stomach!
Ganesha as Balchandra and Padmapani
