Rats in Hinduism: Ganapati's Rat

Can you think of any holidays that celebrate rats in a positive way? You could if you were Hindu! Any festival involving the God, Ganesa, also involves a rat. So, for instance, there's Pancha Ganapati, which is celebrated from Dec. 21-25 or Ganesa Chaturthi in August-September (the date for this one varies according to the lunar calendar). Ganapati or Lord Ganesa, the Hindu God of Obstacles, is a terribly clever deity, who is friendly with rats. In fact, he never goes anywhere without one! His constant companion and vahana, or mount, is Muushika, who used to be a demon, but was conquered and turned into a rat.

Ganesa

Lord Ganesa is the most popular God in Hinduism. He is asked for blessings before beginning any new project and is the only God most sects of Hinduism have in common. This terrific site has one of many variations of Ganesa's birth story. The page links to the entire text of the Amar Chitra Katha comic book, Ganesha, in English. (There are many other wonderful stories available at this site as well.) Even if you don't have time to read the whole thing, the cover, which has an adorable drawing of Muushika helping himself to some of Ganapati's sweets, is worth a peek!

Muushika's Origin

Just as Hinduism is a wide, varied religion, so, too, are the stories. Each story is told in many different ways - as many ways as there are people, it seems! My favorite tale of how Muushika became Lord Ganesa's mount is that there once was a huge demon menacing the world. The demon was powerful, but slow, and Ganapati easily beat him. The demon was impressed by Ganesa's strength and quickness and agreed to serve him faithfully if Ganesa would turn him into the most agile creature in the world. Lord Ganesa obliged, and the demon became a strong, swift rat.

Muushika Becomes the Guardian of the Wishing-Jewel

Another story that is told about Muushika is how he earned the honor of safeguarding the great Wishing-Jewel, which instantly grants any wish the owner has. The Jewel was originally kept by a great sage, who later became power-hungry and evil, because he had too many desires. After a great deal of trouble, Lord Ganesa retrieved the Jewel. Then came the question of where this magical stone should be kept. After much thought, the little rat became the owner. After all, rats have very simple wishes. Plenty of food, a warm, snug home and good friends are very harmless desires and easily gotten if one has a pure heart! Sometimes, in pictures one may think Muushika is just helping himself to sweets again, but if you look closely, you'll see it's the Wishing-Jewel he holds still safely clutched in his paws.

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