Shiva and Parvati's divine household includes Ganesha, whom Parvati shaped from turmeric paste and Shiva restored with an elephant head, Skanda, born from Shiva's fiery seed to lead the gods against the demon Taraka, and Ashokasundari, born from the ashoka tree to ease Parvati's loneliness.
Brahma gave Riddhi in marriage to Ganesha, and from their union was born Labha, the personification of profit and gain.
Brahma gave Siddhi in marriage to Ganesha, and from their union was born Shubha, the personification of auspiciousness.
Shiva, returning home to find Ganesha barring his way to Parvati, flew into a rage and severed the boy's head with his trishula — only to discover Ganesha was his own son, created by Parvati from the paste on her skin.
Shiva appointed Ganesha as Ganapati, lord of the Ganas — the divine hosts of spirits and attendants who dwell on Mount Kailasa and serve the Great God.
Ganesha is worshipped in Japan as Kangiten (the Bliss God), transmitted through esoteric Buddhism. Kangiten retains Ganesha's elephant-headed form and association with prosperity and obstacle removal, adapted into Japanese Buddhist and Shinto devotional practice.
Narada provoked a contest between Ganesha and Skanda over who could circle the world first. Skanda flew around the earth on his peacock, but Ganesha simply walked around his parents Shiva and Parvati, declaring them his entire world, and was judged the winner.
Kubera invited Shiva's family to a grand feast to display his boundless wealth. Ganesha devoured everything — all the food, the golden plates, the furniture — and was about to swallow Kubera himself before the terrified god of wealth fled to Shiva for protection.
Parashurama broke Ganesha's tusk by hurling his axe (a gift from Shiva) at the elephant god, who had blocked his path to Shiva. Ganesha, recognizing the axe as his father's weapon, refused to dodge and received the blow on his tusk out of filial respect, becoming Ekadanta (the single-tusked).
⚠ The Mahabharata (Adi Parva 1.1) attributes Ganesha's broken tusk to his pen snapping while scribing for Vyasa, while the Brahmanda Purana gives a separate tradition of Parashurama's axe.
Parvati created Ganesha from turmeric paste to guard her bath, bringing him to life and declaring him her son. When Shiva beheaded the boy, Parvati's wrath threatened to destroy the universe until Shiva restored him with an elephant head and granted him supreme status among the gods.
Ganesha disguised himself as a Brahmin boy and tricked Ravana into setting down the Atmalinga he had obtained from Shiva. The lingam became rooted in the earth at Gokarna, thwarting Ravana's plan to make Lanka invincible.
Ganesha cursed Chandra (the Moon) after Chandra laughed at him for falling off his mouse and spilling his modakas. The curse decreed that anyone who looked at the moon would suffer false accusations. Chandra begged forgiveness, and Ganesha modified the curse to apply only on Ganesha Chaturthi.
Ganesha served as scribe for the sage Vyasa, writing down the entire Mahabharata as Vyasa dictated it without pause, and when his pen broke mid-dictation, Ganesha snapped off his own tusk to continue writing without missing a single syllable.
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