The Story Behind Ganesha’s Broken Tusk

Lord Ganesha is the first reverend and most loved lord in Hinduism, the sect that follows or praises him as the Kuldaivat are called Ganapatya’s. The lord is considered the son of Supreme God Shiv Bhagwan and his eternal consort Parvati. He is praised as the god of wisdom, intellect, and protection the one who sustains purity and goddess and destroys evil.

In the Ganapatya sect, they worship Ganesha in various forms, perform rituals, and observe festivals dedicated to him. They emphasize devotion, purity, and ethical conduct in daily life, seeking blessings from Ganesha for success, prosperity, and spiritual growth. Not only the sect but Lord Ganesha is the most adored God in  Hinduism and his devotees address him as Ganpati Bappa with love. There are various stories related to this lovely lord and so famous is the Ganesha broken tusk story due to which he came to be known as Ekdanta, meaning the one tusked God.

Stories Related to the Broken Tusk of Ganesha The Hindu God.

The story behind Ganesha’s broken tusk is deeply rooted in Hindu scriptures and has several variations, each carrying its own symbolism and significance. So let us explore the different stories and quench the question of why Ganesh teeth are broken, well to be precise of the broken tusk,

• The Mahabharat Incident Of Ganesha Broken Tusk Story

The very first and most popular narrative is related to the Mahabharata, the legend that is said to be noted down by Lord Ganesha himself.  According to this version, Vyasa, the sage who narrated the legend of Mahabharata, approached the adored and wisdomful lord to write down the verses as he dictated them. He agreed to this task under one condition: that Vyasa would recite the verses without pause, and if he hesitated, Ganesha would stop writing. This condition was set to ensure that the Mahabharata would be composed flawlessly.

Sage Ved Vyasa reciting and Lord Ganesh writing the Mahabharata

When the recitation continued Ved Vyas realized that Ganpati Bappa was faster and he was not able to match the pace. So to prevent that from happening Vyasji decided to challenge the Lord of wisdom, and introduce the Jaya Mantra into the narrative. These were kinds of quizzes that were to be solved and written and required deep contemplation to understand fully. So this gave Vyasji time to compose another verse, in this back and forth the quill fell short, and hence to continue uninterrupted Lord Ganesha broke off his tusk and used it as a quill to continue writing without interruption. This story highlights his cleverness and intelligence, as he found a creative solution to overcome the challenge.

• The Fight With Mooshakasur and Why Ganesh Teeth Are Broken

Another story for why Ganesh’s teeth are broken is related to his fight with the demon Mooshakasur who attained great power through penance. He started harassing God and even people so to stop his atrocities all went up to Ganesha Hindu god. This is one incident mentioned in many excerpts where lord Ganesha broke his tusk or teeth in half and used it as a weapon against the demon later after his defeat made his vehicle or Vahana, Mooshak.

• Which Tooth of Ganesha is Broken Due to Moon God

Another lesser-known interpretation of the Ganesha broken tusk story involves Ganesha’s encounter with the Moon God, in this interpretation, lord Ganesha was once invited to a grand feast hosted by Lord Kubera, the god of wealth. There Ganesha consumed large quantities of food, seeking relief, he decided to take a stroll leisurely around Mount Kailash, the abode of Lord Shiva. During his walk, the elephant-headed lord encountered the moon, who began to mock him for his large belly. Enraged by the moon’s taunts, the enraged Ganpati Bappa broke his left tusk or teeth in half threw the tusk to him, and cursed him, causing him to disappear from the sky.

Upon the incident, the earth was consumed in darkness and all the deities praised the lord to calm down, and hence Ganesha Hindu god softened his punishment thus reversing the disappearance to the waxing and waning of the moon. This version of the story illustrates Ganesha’s compassion and humility, as well as his capacity for forgiveness. It also serves as a reminder of the importance of controlling one’s emotions and practicing restraint, even in the face of provocation.

Parshuram Fighting Against Lord Ganesh

Also Read: The Story Behind Ganesh Chaturthi: History, Significance

• Stories Related to Who Broke Ganesha Teeth

When it comes to knowing who broke Ganesha’s teeth or tusk there are some stories related to the same and the two names that pop up are one of Lord Parshuram and the second would be of Demon King Ravana.

According to one legend in Brahmand Puran, it is said that when Lord Parshuram visited Mount Kailash to meet Shiv Bhagwan and attain his blessing. But the lord was in meditation and instructed Lord Ganesha to guard the entrance and not let anyone pass through. Yet Lord Parshuram was adamant and a fight broke between them both, in which enraged Parshuram attacked Ganesha with the Vidhyudabhi the divine axe of Lord Shiva gifted to him. Upon seeing the divine weapon lord Ganesh stopped and joined his hands taking his attack that broke his tusk and upon seeing this humility and respect Lord Parshuram gave him the name Ekdanta.

The other story related to Who Broke Ganesha Teeth is the incident where Demon King Ravana visited Mount Kailash to meet Shiv Bhagwan to gain his blessing and take him along. Then outsmarting Ravana lord gifted him Athma Lingam instead of going himself, and conditioned that he should not stop anywhere until he reached his home to Lanka, if kept down it would be rooted there. The gods feared it would add to Ravan’s might and asked Lord Ganesha’s help, the witty god caused Ravana desperate for nature’s call and appeared in front of him as a small boy. Ravana handed the lingam to the boy and left Ganpati Bappa declared he was tired kept the Lingam on the ground and went away after warning Ravan. This enraged him and he ran behind the boy later upon knowing the truth they broke into a fight and in this attack, Lord Ganesha’s left tusk was broken.

In this incident, we could see a lot happening, it served as a lesson to the arrogant Ravana and established the Athma Lingam which came to be called Mahabaleshwar because it could not be shifted by the Maha meaning great Bal meaning Power, and the Eshwara meaning Shiv Bhagwan prevailed. The place where this lingam is situated is called Gokarna as the shape of the lingam changed into the form of cow’s ears due to the force applied by Ravan.

In this manner, there are numerous other tales and legends surrounding the origin of why Ganesh teeth are broken, each with its own unique nuances and symbolism. However, regardless of the specific version, the Ganesha broken tusk story serves as a powerful metaphor for overcoming obstacles, embracing imperfections, and demonstrating resilience in the face of adversity.