Gnanapazham

Gnanapazham

All Hindus must be familiar with the story of Gnanapazham. There are few stories which are first told to the child, The stories of ‘The thirsty crow’ and ’The crow and the Fox’ are of worthy to be mentioned. These are simple, easy to understand. Whenever the MOM or grandpa in any Hindu family wants to tell a spiritual story to the kid, the story of Gnanapazham is the first told story.

Especially in Tamilnadu, the spiritual lesson of  every  child  starts with the story of Gnanapazham.

This story is the first part of the famous tamilmovie ‘Thiruvizhaiyadal’. I still remember my childhood days in Trichy. During every temple festival nearby , be it the Pillaiyar temple or Mariamman temple,or the Hanuman temple or theMuneeswaran temple, the loud speakers  never fail to tell this story to the mass.

It is loved by all the worshippers of Lord Ganesha or Lord Muruga. The famous Palani temple is the fallout of this story. In fact millions of devotees throng to this temple which has this story attached to it.

I remember those days , the same story was told by my wife to my son DANUSH when he was 3 years old. I was listening to it, being told on the bedside.

The story goes like this ( I reproduce with the conversation  of the film also)

Sage Narada approaches Shiva and Parvati . He tells them that he has brought a fruit called the Gnanapazham and shows it.

( In all pictures and movies the Gnanapazham shown is the mango fruit. No one has seen the Gnanapazham. Knowing it as the Mango fruit, everybody accepts it symbolically because everybody likes this mango!!!.)

 Seeing the fruit, Ganesha and Muruga come running towards it- ‘Inda pazham enakku vendum’

Both of them come in different direction but reaches to Narada at the same time. So there is no chance of first come first serve basis!!!,

Nanthan mudalil vandhen , ennaku than pazham vendum, having come together at the same time, now the seniority arises. Pillaiyar tells “ Nanthan mudal pillai, ennaku than pazaham vendum I”( I am the eldest son, the fruit be given to me). Lord Muruga objects-“ Nandan china pillai- ennaku than pazham vendum” ( I am the junior one, I should be given the fruit)

To whom should it be given to? Lord Parvati, as the mother always views her children as the same, suggests that the fruit be  shared between them. ‘Sari , sari sandai vendam, pazhathai aaluku pathi eduthukollungal’

Simple solution, but the twist comes now. Narada tells “ Illai,illai, Pazhathai appadiaye mullusaga than sapida vendum”( it should be eaten as a whole only).

Neither Lord Shiva nor Parvati onjects this. Why a fruit cannot be divided and the problem solved immediately. To make the story interesting the game starts now.

Sari oru potti vaipom, yar vetri perukirarkalo, avarkalluku than in the pazham

What is the game?

Sage Narada suggests- inda ulagathai yar mudalil sutrivarukeerkalo avarkalukku than indha Gnanapazham

(He is the person, as a sage keeps wandering always. What does he convey by asking to go round the world?)

Lord Muruga accepts it immediately. He is the aggressive child, He is equipped with VEL, vehicle- peacock. He flies off sitting on the peacock. He doesnot hesitate.

( In the movie, it is shown that Muruga sits on the peacock and the earth rotates behind him !!!!)

Now the picture turns to Lord Ganesa.

Already Lord Muruga has started the journey, he cannot be like Rajinikanth or  Vijay  to chase him from behind and become the first.

The story is also not meant for this.)

Lord Ganesha asks Sage Narada

“ Narada- ulagam enral enna? Ammai appan enral enna?” ( what is meant by the universe? What is meant by mother and father?)

Narada tells- Ulagam than Ammai-Appan, Ammai –Appan than Ulagam ( Both are the same)

Lord Ganesha asks : appadi enral, ulagathai surti varuvathu enral ammai appanani sutra varuvathu thane artham? ( so does it mean that by circumambulating my parents, it is equal to going round the universe)

(Slowly the child listening to the story understand s the shortcut is approaching. He is thrilled)

Narada tells- Am ( yes. Both are equal)

Lord Ganesa follows the same and circumambulates his parents and receives the Fruit. Lord Muruga just reaches back and becomes wild. He feels cheated and goes to the palani hills shedding everything as a saint ( Andi).

Why does he do like this?

Many of us rejoice the easy way Lord Ganesa wins the Gnanapazham. We donot object to it.

The child rejoices as he likes lord Ganesa also and at the same time he feels pity for Lord Muruga.

Is lord Ganesa the real winner? What he did,is it correct? Must be because It was told by Sage Narada, not objected by Lord shiva andParvati?

(Being on the bedside, I could realize my wife’s embarrassment at the end.)

My wife, a devotee of LordMuruga was not so convinced, when she told the story to my child. Because she could not accept this way and her beloved diety Muruga being sent to the palani hills. As staunch followers of saivism, we cannot tell Lord Shiva and Lord Parvati also did something wrong.

Many times, she had argued with me that the Doings of Lord Krishna in ‘ the Mahabharatha ‘ are not correct and truthful.The means that followed by Lord Krishna are not correct though the result may be for the good, she argues. Here she could not tell that Lord shiva has done something wrong.

So how could she digest this now?

It is true that Lord Muruga went around the earth, So should he not be the winner?

Does this preach hat we may adopt short cuts to win if it is being accepted by others?

At that night it really puzzled me. What does this story convey to us? Everybody loves it, and accepts it .

Is there any flaw in it? How come, this story  is living through generations and passed on to every generation.

How does the child gets convinced by this. My wife adapted the same technique done by many of us.

Yes, the Father and mother are superior to you and they are to be worshipped. They are the world for you and hence it is equivalent to going round the earth.

For the child the parents are the universe and he gladly accepts this logic. so what  Lord Ganesha has did is correct.

I thought-“is this story merely to tell that parents are to be respected above everything in this world”

This is  the first story in Saivism. I was really not convinced that day and felt that it should have some meaning more in it.

In chapter XIII of Bhagavad Gita, we come across the following:

1)      Kshetra= The field

2)      Kshetragna=The knower of the field

3)      Purusha- Atman, Iswara

4)      Prakrithi- worldly matter

The lord is the supreme knower and He is the kshetragna of all .Our body is the field, the atman the knower. Purusha and prakrithi can be simply compared as the Iswara and prakrthi represented by Parvati as the worldly matter. In saivism also Purusa is more related to shiva and Prakrithi to parvathi

The one who understands the kshetra-kshetragna, purusha-prakriti , he attains the Jnana, the supreme knowledge.

Lord Muruga by going round the earth (prakrithi) understands the material pursuits of life only.

Lord Ganesha by going round Shiva ( Kshetragna/purusha) and Parvati (worldy matter/prakrithi)  understand both- the worldly knowledge and about the god. He attains the divine knowledge-Jnana. He is given the Jnanapazham. Lord Muruga , having gone through the worldly pursuit understands that he has not attained Jnana as he has failed to understand GOD ( the Brahman).He sheds everything,( becomes an Andi) and goes to Palani hills in search of Jnana.

Yes, jnana cannot be split. It has to be attained in complete. This is the reason why Narada refused to divide it. (represented as the fruit)  

It is very important to understand the worldly life with the understanding of Brahman to attain Jnana.

Hence the first story in saivism teaches this in a simple and interesting manner.

 Let our journey in spirituality be met with both the worldly things and knowing about Ishwara

Adapted from: Bhagvad gita- explained by Sri Ramkrishna Paramahamsa