Ganesha went to Gautam’s hermitage and started living there. He became friendly with everyone there. One day, he told Jaya, Parvati’s companion, to assume the form of a cow and eat up all the grain in Gautam’s fields. Ganesha said, “When the sages will find you eating the grain, they will try to get you out of the hermitage. The moment they hit you, please pretend to be dead.” Gautam tried to shoo away the cow who was eating the grain of his field. No sooner had he struck the cow with a blade of grass than the cow fell to the ground. Ganesha and all other sages rushed to the spot to see what had happened. They saw that Gautam had caused a cow to die. Everybody left the hermitage, as they thought that Gautam had committed a sin. Gautam tried to dissuade the sages from leaving. “I will do anything to liberate myself from this curse. Please tell me what I should do,” he lamented.
Ganesha Visits Gautam’s Hermitage
