In our world, there lives a great demon named Gajmukhshura. He was not a demon by birth. He was an innocent child like any other when he was born. But he turned into a demon when his greed and self-centered thoughts took control of him.
He had the head of an elephant and the body of a human. Don’t confuse this demon with Lord Ganesha (the symbol of wisdom), even though they had a similar appearance. They may look alike, but they are very different within.
We all want to become powerful — to be someone who is respected, heard, and followed. So did he. In order to achieve that, he went into deep austerity to Lord Shiva (symbol of great power — like the inner power that resides within us).
After years of intense and difficult austerity, he was finally able to please Lord Shiva. The Lord appeared before him and said,
“Hey son, I am pleased with your deep austerity. Ask me whatever you wish.”
Gajmukhshura said,
“Oh Lord, grant me the power that no known weapon, human, or animal should be able to defeat me. I want supreme power.”
Lord Shiva granted him his wish.
(It’s the same way my inner demon once pleased me long ago and achieved what it wanted from me.)
Gaining such immense power made him arrogant. He began to cause havoc across the universe. He disrupted holy rituals and sacred fire ceremonies of sages and priests. He started killing people and burning their homes. He fought with the Devtas (gods). Slowly, he began to establish himself as the supreme power of the universe. Everyone was disturbed and distressed by his actions.
(Over the years, I felt the same when my inner demon took control of me and began to destroy things within.)
One day, all the Devtas, tormented by the demon’s actions, went to Lord Shiva for help.
They said,
“Lord Shiva, you should not have given such immense power to this demon.”
Goddess Parvati (wife of Lord Shiva and symbol of Shakti — divine power) said,
“Shiva is very innocent and easily pleased, which often leads him to grant powers to demons without thinking of the consequences.”
(My mind did the same while developing my inner demon.)
Lord Shiva, acknowledging his mistake, said to the Devtas,
“I was mistaken, but I will not let this demon cause destruction any longer.”
(Acknowledging my mistake was my first step in fighting back against my own demon.)
He then called upon his son, Lord Ganesha — the symbol of wisdom and remover of obstacles — and sent him to fight the demon Gajmukhshura.
When Lord Ganesha reached Gajmukhshura, the demon laughed loudly at him. He mocked Ganesha’s appearance and said,
“Your fat belly and elephant head is going to fight me?”
All the Devtas who witnessed this thought,
“Will Ganesha be able to withstand such a powerful demon?”
(I felt the same when I tried to fight my inner demon. It mocked and laughed at my wisdom.)
Lord Ganesha smiled. He realized that no matter how enormous this demon was, he was hollow from within — like an inflated balloon. All he needed was a small poke to burst.
A great and terrifying battle took place between Ganesha and Gajmukhshura. No known weapon could defeat the demon. So, Ganesha used his wisdom and remembered the exact boon the demon had received.
Lord Shiva had given him a power that no known weapon, human, or animal could defeat him. But Ganesha was neither fully human nor fully animal — with the head of an elephant and the body of a man. And no known weapon could defeat the demon, so Ganesha broke off one of his own tusks and used it as a weapon — something unknown and deeply personal.
He sacrificed something he cherished.
(I too had to make sacrifices to defeat my demon.)
With that tusk, Ganesha struck the demon. The single blow transformed Gajmukhshura into a giant mouse. Though stripped of his form, the mouse was still restless and destructive, running around wildly and wreaking havoc.
(When I fought my demon, it too became restless and uncontrollable in resistance.)
The mouse begged Lord Ganesha for mercy and claimed to have realized his mistake.
(At that point, I had two choices — to kill the demon or to tame it.)
Lord Ganesha placed his divine foot on the mouse, calming it. The once-terrifying demon turned into a small, humble creature. He pleaded with Ganesha to accept him as his vehicle.
Lord Ganesha smiled and accepted the transformed demon as his ride.
Rather than killing the demon, he tamed it.
Now, he rides upon him and uses the former demon to travel the universe, spreading wisdom and helping others overcome obstacles.
(Similarly, when I defeated my demon, it became wild and resistant. But with my wisdom, I took control and tamed it. Now, my wisdom rides my demon and uses it to spread light across the darkest corners of my mind. Just like a mouse dwells in small, hidden holes, my wisdom — riding the mouse — now reaches deep, dark places within me. Something that would never have been possible if I had killed the demon instead of taming it.)
For me:
- Lord Shiva represents the supreme power within me.
- Gajmukhshura is the inner demon that resembles Lord Ganesha (my wisdom), which led me to mistakenly follow it at times.
- Goddess Parvati is the Shakti (power) within me.
- The Devtas are the positive energies inside me that helped me recognize my inner demon.
- Lord Ganesha is the wisdom within me — I also choose to tame my inner demon as it gave me the liberty to not see my demons as a “fear” which I need to kill to get rid of it. But as an “opportunity” to tame it and use it for my own good.
Hey there! I’m Kuldeep Kumar, and tech is my jam. From the mind-blowing world of AI to the thrilling battlegrounds of cybersecurity, I love exploring every corner of this amazing world. Gadgets? I geek out over them. Hidden software tricks? Bring ’em on! I explain it all in clear, bite-sized chunks, laced with a touch of humor to keep things sparky. So, join me on this tech adventure, and let’s demystify the wonders of technology, one blog post at a time.