How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head

FOLKLORE / AGES 6-9Ganesh, the elephant-headed god, has the body of a chubby little boy and the head of a baby elephant. Known as the god who removes all obstacles, he is one of the most beloved characters in Indian folklore.Ganesh didn't always have an elephant head, but he was never an ordinary boy, either. His mother, Parvati (the great mother goddess), created him from sandalwood paste and magically brought him to life to guard her palace against all intruders. When the boy stopped her husband, Shiva (the fearsome god of destruction), at the door, Shiva did not take kindly to being barred from his own home.Shiva attacks the boy, infuriating Parvati and touching off a cosmic battle between the gods and the goddesses that threatens the balance of the entire universe. When the boy is later transformed into the elephant-headed god, family harmony is restored and the order of the universe renewed.Ganesh's timeless story teaches children about the power of dedication to duty, the awe-inspiring love of a mother for her child, and, finally, how compassion holds the world together. Accompanied by rich, color illustrations prepared according to the traditional Indian wash technique, How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom.HARISH JOHARI has authored many books that bring Eastern spiritual traditions to Western audiences, including Little Krishna, Chakras, and The Monkeys and the Mango Tree. VATSALA SPERLING, fluent in five Indian languages and Sanskrit, learned these traditional stories at her mother's feet. Before marrying and moving to the United States, she was the chief of Clinical Microbiological Services at the largestchildren's hospital in India. She is the coauthor of A Marriage Made in Heaven and lives in Vermont with her husband and son. PIETER WELTEVREDE, who began his artistic studies with Harish Johari in 1977 and also studied with Shri Chandra Bal, is a social scientist by training. He lives in Holland with his wife and two children and travels to India annually. He is also the illustrator of Little Krishna and The Monkeys in the Mango Tree.

The magical story of how Ganesh, the son of Shiva and Parvati, was brought back to life with the head of an elephant- The story of one of the most beloved characters in Indian lore, made accessible for Western children ages 6 to 9- Illustrated throughout with paintings from the classic Indian traditionAny Indian child can tell you how the beloved god Ganesh got his elephant's head--now American children can know as well. For centuries Indian children have grown up hearing Ganesh's story--how his mother, Parvati (an incarnation of the great mother goddess), created a small boy from sandalwood soap and commanded that he guard the palace against all intruders while she took her bath. How her husband, Shiva (the fearsome god of destruction), didn't take kindly to being barred from his own home. How Shiva beheaded the boy during the cosmic war that followed, but then, when he realized that the balance of the entire universe was at stake, brought the boy back to life by grafting an elephant's head onto his body and made him the people's intercessor against the powers of destruction.Ganesh's timeless story teaches children about the steadfast power of dedication to duty, the awe-inspiring power of a mother's love for her child, and the gentle power of compassion, which holds the world together. Accompanied by rich, color illustrations prepared according to the traditional Hindu canon, "How Ganesh Got His Elephant Head" will transport children to a magical world filled with ancient wisdom.