The Forgotten Curse That Made Ganesha the God of Beginnings

In every Hindu household, no prayer, no yajna, no marriage, no new venture begins without first remembering Lord Ganesha. He is Vighnaharta, the remover of obstacles, and Mangalamurti, the one who makes every beginning auspicious. But how did He come to hold this place of honor? The answer lies in a story not of triumph, but of curse, a story told in the Brahma Vaivarta Purana and remembered in the traditions of Ganesh Chaturthi.

On the night of Ganesh Chaturthi, Ganesha, having feasted on modaks and laddus, was returning home on His vahana, the mouse. The moon, Chandra Deva, radiant and proud, saw Him stumble and laughed. In the Puranas, laughter at another’s weakness is considered a grave insult, it is not joy, but pride disguised as amusement. Wounded by this mockery, Ganesha pronounced a curse: “O Chandra, your beauty will become your downfall. Whoever looks upon you on this day shall be struck by dishonor and misfortune.”
The curse fell like thunder across the three worlds. Even the devas grew fearful, for what is life without the moon? It was only after Chandra begged forgiveness, and other gods interceded, that Ganesha softened His words. He declared instead that only on Ganesh Chaturthi would it be inauspicious to see the moon, for it would bring about false accusations and disgrace. This is why, to this day, devotees avoid looking at the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi. It is not superstition; it is remembrance of how arrogance and ridicule can turn into suffering, and how forgiveness tempers even the harshest curse.

But this story is not only about Chandra. It is about Ganesha Himself. The one who had the power to curse, also had the power to bless. From that night onwards, people realized that every beginning, whether of a journey, a ritual, or even a thought, needs His grace to be free from unseen obstacles. The Rigveda speaks of Ganesha as Brahmanaspati, the Lord of sacred speech, invoked at the start of hymns so that words may flow without hindrance. The Ganesha Atharvashirsha describes Him as the very embodiment of the universe: “Tvam mulaṁ sarvasya, tvam adhiṣṭhānaṁ sarvasya, You are the root of all, You are the foundation of all.” Thus, the curse was not the end of a story, it was the beginning of His eternal role. By placing Him first, we place wisdom before action, humility before ambition, remembrance before desire.

What does this mean for us? It means that every fall, every humiliation, every moment when life laughs at us, carries within it the seed of transformation. The curse of Ganesha reminds us that arrogance blinds, mockery wounds, but blessings heal.
When we say “Shri Ganeshaya Namah” before starting anything, we are not following a ritual blindly. We are reminding ourselves that beginnings are fragile. They need wisdom to guide them, patience to protect them, and humility to strengthen them. Ganesha is that wisdom, that patience, that humility.

The Shastras teach us that even gods are not beyond the play of karma, laughter, anger, and forgiveness. Ganesha, who stumbled, who cursed, who forgave, shows us that perfection is not about never falling, but about turning every fall into a doorway to something greater. This is why He is remembered first. Not because He never faced obstacles, but because He turned obstacles into blessings. Not because He was never mocked, but because He taught us how to rise above it.
And so, when we bow our heads to Him before beginning anything, we are, in truth, bowing to the wisdom that says: every curse can become a blessing, every fall can become a new beginning. Life will give us nights when we stumble. It will give us moons that laugh. But if we carry Ganesha in our hearts, then every curse, no matter how heavy, can transform into the most auspicious of beginnings.