Lord Ganesha Stories for Kids: Kubera’s Feast, the Gokarna Linga and More

Ganesha is the god children feel closest to, and there are more stories about him than almost anyone. Most children know how he got his elephant head, how he won the race around the world by circling his parents, why we do not look at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi, and how he wrote down the Mahabharata for the sage Vyasa. Those are told in our Ganesh Chaturthi post.

Here are five more Ganesha stories that are just as delightful and much less often told. They come from the Puranas and from regional temple traditions, and different families tell them in different ways. Each one shows a different side of Ganesha: clever, humble, playful and wise.

1. Kubera’s feast

Kubera, the god of wealth, was the richest being in the three worlds, and he was rather proud of it. One day he decided to show off his riches by inviting Shiva and Parvati to a magnificent feast in his golden city. Shiva smiled and said he could not come, but suggested that Kubera invite their son Ganesha instead. Ganesha has a good appetite, said Shiva.

Kubera was delighted. He prepared an enormous feast. Little Ganesha arrived and began to eat. He ate every dish on the table. Then he ate everything in the kitchen. Then everything in the storerooms. Still he was hungry. He began to eat the plates, the furniture, the decorations, and then started looking at the golden walls of the palace.

Kubera, now terrified, ran to Shiva for help. Shiva handed him a small handful of roasted rice and said: give him this, with humility. Kubera hurried back and offered the rice to Ganesha, this time humbly and without pride. Ganesha ate it and at once was completely satisfied.

What it teaches: what matters in a gift is not how big or expensive it is, but the humility and love with which it is given. Kubera’s pride could not satisfy Ganesha; a handful of rice given humbly could.

2. How Ganesha got his mouse

There are several stories about Ganesha’s vehicle, the mouse, called Mushaka or Mooshika. In one well-known telling, a celestial musician named Krauncha carelessly stepped on the foot of a sage during a gathering. The angry sage cursed him to become a mouse. Krauncha begged forgiveness, and the sage said that though the curse could not be undone, one day the gods would bow before him.

Krauncha became a gigantic mouse that rampaged through the land, eating crops and destroying homes. Ganesha was called to stop him. He threw his noose, caught the mouse, and the mouse, now humbled, asked to serve him. Ganesha made the mouse his vehicle, and from then on, whenever the gods bowed to Ganesha, they bowed to the mouse beneath him too, just as the sage had said.

Children always ask how a big god can ride a tiny mouse. Many families explain that the mouse stands for the restless, nibbling mind, always running after small desires, and that Ganesha riding it shows wisdom in control of that restlessness. Others simply say: no one is too small to serve something great.

3. Ganesha and the Kaveri river

A story told in South India explains the origin of the river Kaveri. The great sage Agastya carried the waters of a sacred river in his kamandalu, his water pot. The land of the south was dry, and the people needed water. As Agastya sat down to rest, a crow landed on the pot and tipped it over. The water poured out and began to flow, becoming the river Kaveri.

Agastya, startled, saw the crow turn into a small boy, who ran away. The sage chased him, and when he caught up, the boy revealed himself as Ganesha. He had tipped the pot so that the water would flow and bring life to the whole region. The sage bowed to him in gratitude. The Kaveri, which still flows through Karnataka and Tamil Nadu today, is sometimes called the river Ganesha released.

What it teaches: sometimes what looks like a mistake or an accident turns out to be a great blessing.

4. The Atmalinga at Gokarna

This story is told at Gokarna, on the coast of Karnataka. Ravana, the king of Lanka, was a great devotee of Shiva. Through his austerities, he won from Shiva the Atmalinga, a sacred linga of immense power, which would make Lanka invincible. Shiva gave it with one condition: wherever Ravana first set it down on the ground, there it would remain forever.

The gods were alarmed, and asked Ganesha to help. As Ravana travelled south carrying the linga, it was time for his evening prayers, which he never missed. He looked around for someone to hold the linga while he prayed. A young cowherd boy appeared: Ganesha in disguise. Ravana asked him to hold it and not put it down. The boy agreed, but said he would call Ravana three times, and if Ravana did not come, he would set it down.

Ravana went to pray. The boy called once, twice, three times, and then placed the linga on the ground. When Ravana came running back and tried to lift it, it would not move. It had taken root there forever. That place is Gokarna, where the Mahabaleshwar temple stands today, and Ganesha is worshipped nearby.

What it teaches: cleverness and patience can achieve what strength cannot. Ravana was one of the strongest beings in the world, but a small boy’s wit was enough.

5. The scratched cat

When Ganesha was a little boy, he was playing outside and found a cat. Being mischievous, he pulled its tail and scratched it, and laughed as it ran away. Then he went home to his mother, Parvati, and found her covered in scratches. Shocked, he asked who had hurt her.

Parvati looked at him gently and said: you did. I am in every living being. When you hurt the cat, you hurt me. Ganesha was deeply ashamed. He promised that from then on, he would treat every creature with kindness, and he became one of the gentlest of gods.

What it teaches: every living being deserves kindness, because the divine is present in all of them. This is a wonderful story for a child who has been unkind to an animal, or to a younger sibling.

Ganesha is the remover of obstacles, but in his own stories he often removes them not with power, but with humility, cleverness and kindness.

Sharing these stories with children

These stories are perfect for Ganesh Chaturthi, when families often tell one story each day the idol is at home, but they work at any time of year. Tell one at bedtime, then ask your child what Ganesha was teaching in it. Children often come up with their own lessons, and they are usually good ones.

For a first shloka to go with the stories, Vakratunda Mahakaya, the best-loved Ganesha shloka, is in our free shloka library with its meaning. And our live storytelling and Indian culture classes tell stories like these with discussion and room for every child’s questions. If you would like your child to learn with a mentor, enquire about our classes through the Book a Class page.