The Divine Race

Once Shiva and Parvati received a divine fruit of knowledge from devas. It was a special fruit, filled with wisdom, knowledge and immortality.

Their great sons, Kartikeya and Ganesh, both seemed worthy. But who was better of the two? Shiva thought of a plan! He asked both sons to circle the world three times, the winner would get the fruit as prize.

Kartikeya’s vaahan (ride) was a swift peacock while Ganesh rode on a little mouse. Off went Kartikeya, sure of being victorious but Ganesh had a better plan. He began to circle Shiva and Parvati. After circling them thrice, the wise Ganesh said to his dear parents – “For me, you are my whole world. The entire universe resides in you. Any other world is superficial.”

The doting parents hugged him and champion Ganesh received the divine fruit!

This is a famous story from the life of Lord Ganesh. Thank you Priceless Joy and Lavanya for this picture prompt on the auspicious day of Maha Shivaratri.

(This my entry to the flash fiction challenge, Flash Fiction for Aspiring Writers hosted by the amazing Priceless Joy. We are given a photo prompt and approximately 75-175 words with which to create our stories. This challenge is open to all who would like to participate. Thank you Lavanya for the image. Please CLICK HERE for more.)