Lord Ganesha and the Moon

On the fourth day of the bright fortnight of Bhadrapada,
Ganesh Chaturthi begins with devotion and grace.
Even the Moon receives an offering on this day,
And both are worshipped in their sacred place.

A master of wisdom, a treasure-house of knowledge,
The all-knowing Lord who removes every obstacle,
He drives away ignorance and darkness,
Ganapati, the One worshipped first by all.

Once, Lord Ganesha sat majestically
Between His two wives, Riddhi and Siddhi,
On an occasion of celebration,
The elephant-faced Lord was seated with dignity.

The Moon, proud of his own beauty,
Happened to cast his eyes upon Him.
Seeing the elephant trunk among beautiful ladies,
He could not help but laugh at Him.

Lord Ganesha noticed this mocking laughter
And understood the Moon’s arrogance.
He decided in His heart to punish him
And teach him a lesson for his pride.

To shatter the Moon’s vanity of beauty,
Ganesha placed a curse upon him:
“Your radiance shall diminish completely;
Bear the fruit of the pride you have shown.”

“On this very day, if someone happens
To see you by mistake,
A false accusation will fall upon them,
And they shall become a bearer of sin.

“To look at you on this day,
One must hold a fruit in the hand.
If you are seen without holding the fruit,
A grave blemish will befall that person.”

Hearing the curse, the Moon God
Became deeply sorrowful within.
As his light began to fade away,
Darkness spread throughout the world.

He began to plead with Lord Ganesha,
Begging Him to remove the curse.
He repeatedly asked for forgiveness,
Praying that his radiance might return.

After the Moon pleaded again and again,
Lord Ganesha modified the curse.
The Moon, which once remained unchanged,
Would now wax and wane in the sky.

Only once a month would the full Moon
Shine in complete brilliance,
And on another day, it would disappear entirely,
Vanishing from sight.

Thus, Lord Ganesha made it clear:
Arrogance can be destructive.
In just a moment, He shattered
The pride of the arrogant Moon.

— Vidya