MUSHIKA

MUSHIKA

According to the Ganesha Purana, Ganesha's mouse, originally a celestial musician named Krauncha, accidentally insulted Muni Vamadeva at Lord Indra’s  darbar and was cursed to become a mouse. But Krauncha was as big as a mountain and he damaged the Ashram of Sage Parâshara. The sage invoked Ganesha who unleashed his pasha (noose) and it looped round Krauncha’s neck and brought him to Ganesha's feet. Ganesha decided to take him as his vehicle. But when Ganesha stood on Krauncha he was too heavy and Krauncha cried out with pain. Ganesha took pity on him and made himself light and Krauncha has happily borne Him since. Others view the rat as a symbol suggesting that Ganesha, like the rat, penetrates even the most secret places. Or that Mushika attests to the all-pervasiveness of Ganesha carrying his grace into every nook and cranny. Alternatively, the mouse is the wandering wayward mind which slips into places which we would have not thought it possible to penetrate, unconcerned whether it is seeking virtue or vice. By showing the mouse paying homage to Ganesha it is implied that the intellect has been tamed through Ganesha's power of discrimination. More symbolism:

• Ganesha  inspite of being a God is humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.
• To show the irrelevance of the physical body  and the relationship that even the largest has with the smallest - the elephant on the mouse.
• To show that luck comes in unexpected ways and through the unexpected, even the scorned upon.
• It denotes the process of evolution--the mouse gradually evolves into an elephant and finally becomes a man. This is why Ganesha has a human body, an elephant's head and a mouse as His vehicle.
• The wise do not find anything in the world disproportionate, incongruous or ugly.
• The mouse symbolises the meek who, if they surrender to the Lord, will share in his power and glory.
• Ganesha allows the mouse to eat his laddus. The message is that we should always care for the smallest of the small
• A mouse gazing at the laddus, but not consuming them, denotes that a purified or controlled ego can live in the world without being affected by the worldly temptations.
• It takes all sorts to make a world and the mouse complements the elephant in making a complete world.
• As rats generally succeed in gnawing their way through every obstruction, the rat symbolizes Ganesha’s ability to destroy every obstacle.
• Even the smallest being can be of use to the greatest”

Rats are also symbols of fertility. They breed like crazy. Ganesha is always associated with fertility symbols. The dhurva grass for example, which keeps growing even when uprooted. If dhurva is the plant-symbol of fertility, rat is the animal-symbol of fertility. Rats are also unstoppable, relentless, breaking through any obstacle to get to the grain. Simultaneously, rats are symbols of avarice and greed. They are relentless hoarders. Thus, rats have a positive aspect and a negative aspect. With Ganesha sitting on top of Mushika only the positive aspects reach devotees while the negative aspects stay away.