23 Dec 2023
The Mouse of the Mind: Embracing Ganesh through the Story of Mushika
Immerse yourself in the transformative spirit of Ganesha as our Ashram resonates with the joyous celebrations that extend from personal realms to the universal. Delve into the symbolic journey through the story of Mushaka, Ganesha's mouse, illustrating the release of karmic obstacles and the surrender to Shakti's play, guiding us toward union with Shiva. Join us in expanding awareness beyond the five coverings, inspired by the wisdom of Ganesha and the transformative power of surrender. Om Gam Ganapataye Namah!
The Mouse of the Mind: Embracing Ganesh through the Story of Mushaka
It is that time of year - Ganesha pervades our Ashrams and pujas, our lives and is everywhere! The celebrations spread in a widening circle to envelop ourselves and our families, then our friends & relatives, next the people in our public lives, then the arts & artistes enriching our lives and finally, encompassing all beings in all Lokas.
It feels like a wholesome practice expanding my awareness past five aspects of my karma - from the physical and personal to the subtle and Universal. These aspects are reminiscent of the five kanchukas in Kashmir Shaivism (or even the five koshas of Advaita) that limit the experience of Universal consciousness. The five heads of Ganesha seem to symbolize His help for the progress of my awareness through these five coverings.
In our practices, we surrender to the play of Shakti (i.e., Parvati) which moves our ordinary awareness into union with Shiva (Universal consciousness). Ganesha’s energy helps the surrender by removing obstacles manifested in these karmic covers. The story of Ganesha’s vehicle, the mouse, illustrates the nature of these blocks.
The story begins in Indra Loka where Krauncha was an accomplished celestial musician. His artistry however inflated his ego leading to pride and jealousy. He became miserly in praise of others, often absent when others performed or, preferred to sulk in the back or linger behind pillars in the hall.
One day, Indra called on him to perform for the assembly of sages and Devas. As he sashayed to the dais, he thought he heard rapturous applause from sage Vamadeva on the way. In reality, however, he had stepped on the sage’s feet and the furious sage had cursed him “Enough of your false pretenses! May your outer form reflect your inner nature!” Krauncha was immediately transformed to a huge mountain-sized rodent to match the size of his pride!
Why a rodent? It loves dark places and prefers corners and edges to open spaces which are seen as threatening or negative. Our pride is invisible to us and operates in the dark recesses of our mind, delighting in gossip and thriving on the failures of others. This negativity bias is a survival instinct that causes us to blame others when they reflect our limitations back to us.
Back in the story, as the mouse-mountain moved, it trampled and destroyed the dwellings and all beings in its path. A desperate Indra ejected Krauncha from the heavens to the earth. Scurrying on earth, it destroyed forests, mountains, lakes, farms and families eventually reaching the Ashram of sage Parashara. Ganesha who was visiting the Ashram decided to end the rampage and collared the mouse with his lasso. This yanked the mouse off his feet and landed him, stunned, at Ganesha’s feet. The shock of the event flashed Krauncha’s behavior past his mind’s eye. He felt remorseful and begged Ganesha for forgiveness.
Ganesha saw that Krauncha’s negative nature had dissolved. So he decided to employ Krauncha’s skills and talents and made him his vehicle. And, this is how Ganesha snagged a mouse for his ride.
And like tiny mice, all kinds of thoughts scurry about the mind and pull it away from our practice. Unless we surrender them, we function from our mind and ego, much like Krauncha, the musician. This is the nature of the blocks manifest in our karmic coverings. As Babaji had said at a recent Satsang,
”… The Shakti will take you through every insecurity, every illusion, and every obstacle that exists in you, on the way to that state of perfection. You have to be willing to face it and move beyond all of it …”
As we practice to expand our awareness past the five coverings, the Shakti will present our karma to us. Our heartfelt wish to grow draws Ganesha’s energy to all parts of our mind - through the smallest openings and darkest areas like riding a mouse! To help us surrender past the karmic blocks to union with Shiva.
Om Gam Ganapataye Namah!
