Maharishi Vyas had created Mahabharat in a poetry form
but he was unable to write it in prose.
but he was unable to write it in prose.
So he requested Llord Ganesh to write the Mahabharat for him in prose.
Lord Ganesh agreed to do so.
The process of writing would take days and days nonstop, this would have tired Lord Ganesh plus, Ganesh was not to take even water during this writing.
This would have raised the temperature of Ganesh’s body.
To prevent this, Maharishi Vyas applied a paste of mud on Ganesh’s body.
On Bhadrapad Shukla Chaturthi* the writing commenced and ended on Anant Chaturdashi*.
At the end of the writing on Anant Chaturdashi, Maharishi Vyas observed that lord Ganesh’s body temperature had risen and
hence he immersed Ganesh in water to cool him down and wash off the mud.
All through the ten days Maharishi Vyas offered lord Ganesh the best of foods {Naivaidhya} and prayed.
The process of writing would take days and days nonstop, this would have tired Lord Ganesh plus, Ganesh was not to take even water during this writing.
This would have raised the temperature of Ganesh’s body.
To prevent this, Maharishi Vyas applied a paste of mud on Ganesh’s body.
On Bhadrapad Shukla Chaturthi* the writing commenced and ended on Anant Chaturdashi*.
At the end of the writing on Anant Chaturdashi, Maharishi Vyas observed that lord Ganesh’s body temperature had risen and
hence he immersed Ganesh in water to cool him down and wash off the mud.
All through the ten days Maharishi Vyas offered lord Ganesh the best of foods {Naivaidhya} and prayed.
Thus started the practice of *GANESH FESTIVAL,*
bringing lord Ganesh’s idol home,
making him ‘sit’,
offering him the best of foods and
making him ‘sit’,
offering him the best of foods and
on the
tenth day, immersing the idols.
* dates as per the Hindu calendar.
