Shani avoided looking at the newborn child of Shiva and Parvati, saying his gaze would harm the child. Parvati did not take Shani’s words seriously. She insisted that Shani should look at the face of his ‘nephew’ and bless him. Finally, Shani gave into Parvati’s insistence. The moment Shani looked at young Ganesha, his head fell off and was turned to ashes! Parvati was shocked with grief. The furious goddess cursed Shani to become lame. Vishnu came to Parvati’s aid. Mounting his vahan, he immediately went to fetch a replacement head for Ganesha. He found the head of a young elephant on the banks of a river and picked it up. Vishnu placed this head onto the lifeless form of Ganesha, who was immediately brought back to life. Shiva and Parvati were overjoyed and very relieved to see their son alive. Thus, the mischievous and ever smiling god Ganesha was born.
Shani’s Gaze Harms Ganesha
