Mooshak was a small mouse who lived in a forest near the Himalayas. He was very curious and adventurous, and he loved to explore new places and things. He was also very greedy and cunning, and he often stole food and valuables from other animals and humans.
One day, he came across a beautiful ashram where many sages and devotees lived. He saw that they had a lot of fruits, grains, sweets, and other delicacies that he wanted to taste. He also saw that they had a lot of shiny objects like jewels, coins, lamps, and idols that he wanted to take. He decided to sneak into the ashram at night and steal as much as he could.
He waited until everyone was asleep and then entered the ashram through a small hole in the wall. He quickly ran from one room to another, nibbling on the food and stuffing his mouth with the valuables. He was so engrossed in his theft that he did not notice that he had entered the room where Lord Ganesha was sitting in meditation.
Lord Ganesha was the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati, and he was the god of wisdom, success, and auspiciousness. He had a human body and an elephant head, and he was very kind and compassionate. He also had a keen sense of humor and loved to play pranks on others.
Lord Ganesha opened his eyes and saw Mooshak stealing from his devotees. He was not angry, but amused by the mouse’s audacity. He decided to teach him a lesson and make him his friend. He used his divine powers to make Mooshak’s mouth bigger and bigger until it could not hold any more things. Mooshak felt a sudden pain in his jaw and tried to spit out the things he had stolen, but he could not. He realized that he had been caught by Lord Ganesha and became terrified.
He begged for mercy and said, “O Lord, please forgive me for my sins. I am a foolish mouse who does not know right from wrong. Please spare me from your wrath and let me go.”
Lord Ganesha smiled and said, “Do not be afraid, Mooshak. I am not going to punish you, but I am going to make you my friend. You have shown me your courage and cleverness, which are qualities that I admire. You have also shown me your greed and cunningness, which are qualities that I want to correct. From now on, you will be my rider and companion, and you will accompany me wherever I go. You will learn from me the virtues of wisdom, generosity, humility, and devotion. You will also help me in removing the obstacles from the path of my devotees.”
Mooshak was stunned by Lord Ganesha’s words. He felt ashamed of his actions and grateful for Lord Ganesha’s grace. He agreed to become his rider and companion, and vowed to serve him faithfully.
Lord Ganesha then reduced Mooshak’s mouth to its normal size and placed him on his shoulder. He blessed him with intelligence, strength, speed, and longevity. He also gave him a name: Mushika, which means mouse in Sanskrit.
Mushika became Lord Ganesha’s loyal friend and follower. He rode on his shoulder or on his trunk or on his ear or on his palm or on his foot or on his tusk or on his modaka (sweet dumpling) or on his lotus or on his axe or on his rope or on his snake or on his ratnakumbha (pot of jewels) or on any other object that Lord Ganesha held in his hands. He helped him in spreading joy and prosperity among his devotees. He also learned to control his greed and cunningness, and became more generous and humble.
This is how Mooshak became Mushika, the rider of Lord Ganesha, who chose him as his rider because he saw in him the potential for greatness.
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