The festive time of Lord Ganesha is all about welcoming the most beloved God with a lot of zeal and fervor. Though the time of the year marks the religious worships with a delicate treat for the tastebuds, there are so many legends and stories that children need to know about Lord Ganapati, the God of wisdom. It’snot just about celebrating the love and devotion towards the God but children can learn a lot many life lessons and values from Lord Ganesha.
Lord Ganesha is considered the God of intellect, good luck, and prosperity and not only that but he is also believed to be the Remover of Obstacles and the Lord of Beginnings, according to Hindu mythology. The Elephant God, Ganapati, has a large belly, four hands, and an elephant’s head. Lord Ganesha represents the power of the Supreme and is believed to remove obstacles and bring victory to his followers. There are so many anecdotes and tales in Hindu mythology that tells about Lord Ganesha and imparts great life lessons for everyone, particularly the growing children who should learn those values from the God.
Being Resourceful and Innovative:
The well-known tale of the miracle fruit is a good example of Lord Ganesha’s thoughtful and clever way of handling problems in life, even with limited resources. When Lord Shiva asked Ganesha and his brother to circle the world thrice to get the Fruit, Ganesha was aware of his limitations in traveling the world on his tiny mouse, and took adifferent approach to tackle the situation. He circled his parents, mentioning they were his ultimate ‘world’, and subsequently got the fruit ahead of his brother. His way of handling the situation shows how resourceful Lord Ganesha was. When he faced a crisis, how he acted quick enough to come up with a plausible solution with his presence of mind.
Being a Good Listener:
Lord Ganesha was a seeker of knowledge and wisdom. And that is whyhe is found to have large ears. This symbolizes that one should listen attentively to become knowledgeable and to communicate effectively. Being a good listener is a great virtue that helps oneself analyze situations and gain information more efficiently to make better decisions in life. When children are able to listen attentively, they would grow up wiser and smarter.
Respecting Parents:
Lord Ganesha is the epitome of devotion and respect towards parents. The act of circling his parents as a mark of them being his world shows his love and respect for his parents. No one in the world can be the embodiment of God and ‘world’ than one’s parents. Knowing about Lord Ganesha can help children learn about his love and concerns for his parents and how to love and respect them.
Being Dutiful:
Lord Ganesha is known for his duteous attitude towards parents. The tale of him fulfilling his mother’s order and facing the repercussions of his father, Lord Shiva, is a well-known example of being dutiful, despite all theconsequences. There is no greater virtue than obeying one’s parents, and that is what Lord Ganesha did to finallyend up beheaded by his own fatherwhen he refused to budge. However, later his head was replaced by that of an elephant by Lord Shiva himself on knowing he was only bound to his duty. Though Lord Ganesha was well-aware that his actions would costhis own life, he stood on fulfilling his duty as a son to obey his mother’s words. This very story is a life lesson for children to understand being dutiful and how much they should be bound to fulfill their responsibilities.
Being Humble and Respectful:
Though Lord Ganesha has a huge physique, he is more humble than any other deities. He rides a puny mouse that symbolizes the fact that he is humble and reverent even towards a tiny creature. Being humble and being respectful to those smaller than us is a quality that needs to be learned from Lord Ganesha. One should be aware of their own strengths and weaknesses and must learn humility and politeness.
Every religion has its own legends to teach life lessons. And it is very important for growing children to learn the valuable morals and virtuesfrom such figures to lead a quality life. AtK.R. Mangalam School, one of the best schools in Greater Kailash,we always strive to let our pupils learn all the good virtues of every religion, legends, and tales. We also teach them to respect and value each and every religion and faith.
On the occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi, we organized Ganesh Pooja at school where the students at K.R. Mangalam School graced the campus as Bal Ganeshas, as a tribute to Lord Ganesha. Children were taught about the historical and religious significance of the day to aid them to learn the good values from Lord Ganesha. We believe that only when our younger generation develops respect and docility for different faiths irrespective of the religious borders, can we look ahead to peace and harmony in the true sense, and this is exactly what we aim at achieving.