Once, all the gods in heaven held a competition to find out who should be the leader of the world. The competition was that they would all circumnavigate the earth and the winning destination would be Shiva’s residence, Mount Kailash. The one who reached the peak of Mount Kailash first would be considered the winner. All of the gods geared up for the competition and an auspicious time was decided. During the entire process, Ganesha kept quiet, sitting at one side with his head drooping. He did not take part in the race and gave up beforehand. While he was about to return, Sage Narad approached him and asked the reason for not participating in the race. Ganesha said, “My mount is too small in front of the other gods’ mounts. I will never win the race. It is better not to take part, rather than losing!” Narad was disappointed to know this, and decided to find a way to help Ganesha.
Who Should Be the Leader?
