Understand that authority is not granted merely by demand; it requires merit. Many gods and goddesses are worshiped in this world. Initially, people used to worship their own chosen deity. However, this led to concerns about diminishing the importance of the greater deities, causing disputes among the gods. To resolve this matter, they approached Lord Shiva, bowed to him, and asked, ‘Lord! Among all of us, who is worthy of being worshiped first?’
Shiva pondered over whom to deem worthy of the first worship. Then, an idea occurred to him, and he said, ‘O gods! This cannot be decided by words but by proof. For this, we must hold a competition.’
The Competition: Circumambulation of the World
The gods looked at Shiva, their hearts filled with curiosity and doubt, wondering what kind of competition it would be. Sensing their apprehension, Shiva reassured them with comforting words, saying, ‘Do not worry, it will not be a difficult test. All you need to do is mount your respective vehicles, circumambulate the world, and return here. The one who returns first will be declared worthy of the first worship.’
Without delay, all the gods mounted their respective vehicles and set off. Some rode elephants, others lions, buffaloes, deer, swans, owls, horses, or dogs. The diversity of their vehicles was a sight to behold.
The circumstances during that time were unlike any other, as favorable as they could be. Ganeshji’s vehicle, the mouse was the most modest of all. Relying on such a vehicle to not only succeed but even participate in the competition seemed laughable. Ganeshji thought, Why bother participating in this competition? Let me just sit here and watch the spectacle unfold.
He pondered deeply for a long time. Eventually, a brilliant idea struck him: Lord Shiva himself is the essence of the universe; this world is merely his reflection. Why not circumambulate him? Circumambulating him would equate to circumambulating the entire universe.
With this resolve, Ganeshji mounted his mouse and circumambulated Lord Shiva before standing before him. Shiva asked, “Have you completed the circumambulation?” Ganeshji replied, “Yes, I have!” Shiva was puzzled and thought, “I saw him sitting here the whole time. How could he have completed the circumambulation?”
Meanwhile, the other deities, who had physically circled the world, began returning. When they saw Ganeshji sitting there, they were perplexed. They cautiously asked, “Hey, didn’t you go to circumambulate the universe?” Ganeshji confidently responded, “Oh, I’ve been back for a while now!”
The deities said, “We didn’t see you anywhere on our journey.” Ganeshji explained, “How could you see me? The entire universe resides within Lord Shiva. By circumambulating him, I completed the circumambulation of the world.
In this way, Ganeshji triumphed through his wisdom. His reasoning was undeniable, and no one could argue against it. From that day onwards, Lord Ganesh began to be worshipped first in all rituals.
