Shiva beheads Ganesh

How did the God Shiva and his wife Goddess Parvati end up with a son with the head of an elephant? I have often wondered at the deeper meaning of this story and I recently came across an explanation in the book entitled 'Ganapati' by R.L. Kashyap.

First, the basics of the story.

While Shiva is lost in meditation on Mount Kailash, Parvati wishes to bathe and so she creates from the rubbings of her skin, a son. He serves his Mother Parvati as a doorkeeper with strict instructions to allow no one to enter.

When Parvati is taking her bath her husband Shiva comes home. Ganesh refuses to allow Shiva to enter and Shiva cuts off his head. Parvati on discovering the death of her son is very upset and so Shiva sends out one of his attendants (Ganas) to bring back a head of the first being that they find. They bring back the head of an elephant and it is attached to the beheaded son and thus Ganesh/Ganapati is born.

So why did Shiva not just reattach the head he had sliced off before?

Kashyap in his book reminds us that Parvati the Mother Goddess represents Prakriti or Nature and Shiva represents Purusha, the Supreme Soul. The son of Parvati is therefore incomplete as he is made only of Prakriti and has no Purusha. By replacing his head with a new one he will be comprised of both Prakriti and Purusha.

Why an elephant? The sanskrit word for elephant is 'Gaja', which is comprised of two root words 'Ga', meaning heaven and 'Ja' meaning born, thus, 'heaven-born'.



The elephant can be used in many symbolic ways, for example, the large ears are equated with Ganesh's ability to hear prayers, the trunk can be used to make sound (mantra, om, nada brahma) and can form a shape similar to Om.



Ganesh is worshipped as 'Remover of Obstacles' and this one of the strengths of the elephant.



Jai Shri Ganesh!