Ganesh aur Gyaan-Aam

Narad ko aam divya udyaanon se mila tha, jahaan vah swayam devon dvaara rope vriksh par paka tha. Uske kholte hi uski sugandh samast Kailas mein bhar gayi, aur swayam Shiv ne, jo kuchh nahin chaahte, uski swarn-deepti ki prashansa ki. Rishi ne samjhaaya ki jo is phal ko khaayega vah samast vidya se pare gyaan paayega, aur donon bhaai use laalsa-bhari aankhon se dekhte rahe.

Ek din rishi Narad Kailas parvat par ek atyant asaadharan uphaar lekar aaye: ek divya aam, gyaan-phal, aantrik prakaash se damakta aur swarg ki sugandh se madhur. Phal ek tha, kintu putr do the, Ganesh aur Kartikeya, aur donon use chaahte the. Shiv aur Parvati ne ek-doosre ko dekhkar muskuraaya, kyonki unhone paath padhaane ka avsar dekha. Shiv ne pratiyogita ghoshit ki: jo putr samast sansaar ki teen parikrama karke pehle lautega vah aam jeetega.

Kartikeya ki udaan unhein pehle prithvi ke chaaron or le gayi, jahaan unhone mahaasaagaron ko mathte aur parvaton ko prahariyon ki bhaanti khade dekha. Phir ve swarg uthe, jahaan devta apne sukhon mein rukkar unka utsaah badhaate rahe, aur swayam Indra ne unhein jalpaan diya. Phir ve paataal utre, jahaan naag-raaja senaapati ke tej ke samaksh nat hue. Do baar aur unhone maha-parikrama dohraayi, aur pratyek baar ve teevratar ude, vijay ke nishchint.

Kartikeya kshan-bhar bhi nahin hichkichaae. Ve apne teevra mayoor, apne chune vaahan par koode, aur dhoomketu ki bhaanti aakaash mein chhoote, samast pratidvandviyon se aage nikalne ko dridh. Lok unke neeche chakkar khaate gaye jab ve daude: saagaron-parvaton sahit prithvi, damakte devon sahit swarg, vichitra prakaashon sahit paataal. Yah yaatra dev ko bhi paryaapt samay leti, kintu Kartikeya nishchint the, kyonki unka mayoor samast vaahanon mein teevratam tha.

Ganesh shaant baithe aur soche. Unhein shaastron ke ve shabd smaran aaye jo maata ne sikhaae the: ki devta swayam maata-pita mein nivaas karte hain, aur unki seva sarvochch dharm hai. Unke gajamukh par muskaan phail gayi, kyonki unhone vijay ka vah maarg dekha jise koi gati nahin pa sakti. Ve sansaar ki daud nahin lagaayenge; ve us sansaar ka sammaan karenge jo pehle hi unke samaksh tha.

Ganesh, is beech, maata-pita ke paas vichaarmagn khade rahe. Unka vaahan chhota mooshak tha, aur ve jaante the ki samast vistrit sansaar mein bhaai ke mayoor se kabhi aage nahin nikal sakte. Kintu Ganesh ki pragya bhaai ki gati se badi thi. Unhone haath jode, Shiv-Parvati ko pranaam kiya, aur poorna bhakti se unke chaaron or mand-mand chalne lage, ek baar, do baar, teen baar. Jab teen parikramaayein poorna huin, to ve maata-pita ke samaksh khade hue aur aam maanga.

Parvati ke netra aanandaashruon se bhar gaye jab chhote putr ne unki parikrama ki, aur Shiv ne gahan santosh se sir hilaaya, kyonki baalak ne vah samajh liya tha jise anek rishi janmon tak khojte hain. Jab Ganesh poorna hue, to aam unke haathon mein rakha gaya, aur uski madhurata, rishi kehte hain, swayam gyaan ki madhurata thi.

Kartikeya lokon ki daud se vijayi laute, keval yah paakar ki aam pehle hi Ganesh ke haathon mein hai. Unhone virodh kiya ki yah chhal hai, kintu Shiv hanse aur vah gahan satya samjhaaya jo unke chhote putr ne grahan kiya tha: bhakt ke liye uske maata-pita hi uska samast sansaar hain, aur prem se unki parikrama karna brahmand ki hi parikrama hai. Shaastra ghoshit karte hain ki maata-pita pratyaksh dev hain, aur Ganesh ne us satya ka sammaan kiya tha.

Pratiyogita dekhne ekatra devtaon ne chhote putr ki chaturaai ki saraahna ki, aur Kartikeya ke mayoor ne bhi sir jhukaaya, maano sveekaar karta ho ki kuchh vijayein pankhon ke bajaay hriday ki hoti hain. Narad swayam aanand se hanse, kyonki rishi ko us pratiyogita se priya kuchh nahin jo kalah ke bajaay gyaan mein samaapt ho.

Kartikeya, yadyapi niraash, bhaai ki pragya ke samaksh nat hue, aur donon gale mile. Narad ne donon ko aashirvaad diya, ghoshit karte hue ki sansaar is sundar pratiyogita ko sada prem sahit smaran rakhega. Aaj bhi, jab bhakt mandir ya apne badon ki parikrama karte hain, to ve Ganesh ki pragya smaran karte hain: ki sachcha prem gati se chhota maarg paata hai, aur maata-pita ka sammaan sarvochch teerthyaatra hai, jisse bada koi punya nahin.