Both Karttikey and Ganesha agreed to Shiva’s challenge. Soon, the race started. Karttikey rode his mount, the peacock, and immediately set off for the journey. Ganesha thought, ‘My mount is smaller and will not be able to match the speed of Karttikey’s peacock. This way I may end up losing, so I have to think of another way!’ Suddenly, an idea struck Ganesha. He smiled with confidence. He remembered an incident from his childhood. As a child, Ganesha had once beaten a cat who was trying to hunt his mouse. He threw the cat so harshly on a rock that it got severely bruised. After doing so, Ganesha returned home. There he saw that his mother was severely hurt and was applying turmeric paste on her bruises. He ran towards her and asked her how she got hurt. To this, Parvati answered, “Ganesha, you are responsible for these bruises. I was that cat!” She added, “Son, I am present in every creature. I am the mother of all the creatures and I experience their pain and hurt, equally.”
Little Ganesha Learns a Lesson
