STAY BLESSED

“Om Gan Ganpati Namo

Namah,

Shri Siddhivinayak Namo Namah,

Ashtavinayak Namo Namah,

Ganpati Bappa

Morya!” o you know that there is a legend behind the origin of River Kaveri, which is related to Lord Ganesha and Sage Agastya? According to the legend, sage Agastya was unhappy to see the barren southern region of India. He prayed to Lord Brahma for a solution, and the lord advised him to seek the help of Lord Shiva. Pleased by the sacraments of Sage Agastya, Lord Siva relents and pours sanctified water into the sage’s kamandala, instructing him to use it at a suitable place in the south.

Journeying to the southern regions of India to find a suitable place to create a high flow river, the sage reached Kudaku (Coorg) Mountains. There, he realises it was time for him to meditate for which he needed to freshen up. Just then, he saw a boy on the way, who he asked to guard his pot that contained the water until he returned from his ablutions.

The boy, however, was Lord Ganesha in disguise, who had wanted to help the sage by discharging the kamandala of water at the sacred place meant for the river. With this intent, little Ganesha placed the vessel on the auspicious spot and left. When Sage Agastaya returned, the boy was nowhere to be seen; instead, he saw a crow sitting on the edge of the kamandala. As Sage Agastaya tried to shoo away the crow, the kamandala toppled and the sacred water poured out.

What began as a trickle of water, soon turned into a stream, and as it flowed down the hills, it grew into the mighty River Kaveri. The place where the stream originated is still considered sacred, known as Talakaveri, and River Kaveri still nourishes the states of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.

To my dear readers who celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi, I wish that Lord Ganesh, also considered “Vigana Harta”, the remover of obstacles, eradicates all hindrances from your life while eliminating traces of the pandemic from this world. Om Gan