Ganesha Curses the Moon: A Mythological Short Story for Kids in English

We all love reading short stories, don’t we? They are a warehouse of knowledge presented in an exciting and captivating way. In addition, the habit of reading short stories teaches us invaluable moral, intellectual, and social lessons. One of the best places where you can find excellent tales in Indian mythology. Do you know that in Indian mythology, there is a tale where Lord Ganesa curses the moon? It is a story that teaches us to be benevolent towards others and not mock anyone.

Origin of the Ganesha Curses the Moon

We can trace the origin of Ganesha Curses the Moon story to Khanda 4 and Chapter 6 of Mudgala Purana, which is a Hindu religious text dedicated to the deity Ganesha. Although there is no consensus regarding the timeframe of Mudgala Purana’s origin, experts believe that it is an old and multi-laid load whose revisions continued until the 17th and 18th centuries. Apart from the Ganesh Chaturthi Moon Story, the Mudgala Purana contains rituals related to Lord Ganesha and extensively talks about eight of His most essential incarnations.

Summary of the Ganesh Chaturthi Moon Story

Apart from being a patron of the arts and an avid learner Himself, Lord Ganesha had a voracious appetite. He loved eating and enjoyed the food a lot. One day, when Lord Ganesha was a teenager, a big feast was organised to which all Gods and Goddesses were invited. To show extra love and devotion to Lord Ganesha, His favourite sweets and dishes were prepared. Lord Ganesha was elated and relished every morsel at the feast. He ate and ate until everything prepared for Him was over. The overeating made Lord Ganesha’s stomach bloat and belly become very prominent.

Lord Ganesha became very embarrassed seeing the condition of His swollen belly. To overcome his embarrassment, Ganesha wrapped a snake around his stomach as jewellery to cover up the bloating. However, even after multiple attempts, the huge and bouncy belly of Lord Ganesha was starkly visible. Therefore, to avoid interaction with others, He decided to wait until the night and then leave so that nobody could see him in the dark.

When night descended, Ganesha ventured out of the party quietly. On His way, Ganesha heard a snort of loud laughter behind Him. He felt conscious and looked around to see if anyone had seen his bloated stomach. However, to His surprise, there was no one. Then, Lord Ganesha lifted up his head and saw the shining moon laughing at him.

The moon’s mockery made Lord Ganesha fluster with embarrassment. Then, Lord Ganesha decided to put his foot down and cursed the moon to remain invisible forever from that day onwards. He also added the moon would become oblivion and no one would worship him. Hearing this, the moon was shocked and begged for pardon the Ganesha. After some moments, Ganesha cooled down and felt guilty about cursing the moon.

Lord Ganesha wanted to forgive the moon, but a curse is irreversible. Therefore, Ganesha came up with a plan to minimise the effects of the curse. He proclaimed that the moon would grow thinner each day and remain invisible for one day every month. We call that day Amavasya, which is considered inauspicious in the Hindu tradition. So, now we know why did Ganesha curse the moon.

Do you know that it is because of this legend that we are told to refrain from looking at the moon during Bradrapada Chaturthi!

Lord Ganesha Cursing the Moon

Moral of the Ganesh Chaturthi Moon Story

The Ganesha Curses the Moon Story in English has a lot to teach us. The most important thing we learn is that laughing at others puts us into deep trouble. Just as the moon’s vanity and insensitivity forced him into an untoward situation, we, too, will face the consequences someday for mocking the weakness of other people. In addition, the story also advises us to be kind and forgiving. Despite being hurt and humiliated, Lord Ganesha decided to mitigate the effects of His curse. In the same way, we should also be forgiving.

Note to Parents

Mythological stories can be of excellent use to teach young readers about the history and culture of Indian society. For instance, the Ganesha Curses the Moon story in English represents a tale from one of the ancient Indian scriptures. It contains invaluable lessons on what is right and wrong. In addition, the story can also pique interest among children about the phases of the moon. Therefore, it is essential for parents to provide young minds with good-quality mythological stories.