Ganesha and his brother Kartikeya were given a challenge. They had to travel around the world.
Kartikeya was made for a race like this. His magnificent peacock could carry him swiftly through the sky. There were mountains to cross, rivers to fly over and an entire world waiting beyond the horizon.
Kartikeya set off.
Ganesha stayed behind.
His own little mouse looked rather less impressive beside Kartikeya's peacock. How could Ganesha possibly win a race around the earth?
But Ganesha did not rush after his brother. He thought.
Then he walked towards his parents, Shiva and Parvati. Ganesha began to circle them. Once. Then again. Then a third time.
For him, his parents represented his world.
While Kartikeya was travelling across the great earth, Ganesha had looked at the challenge differently. He had not travelled farther. He had changed the meaning of the journey.
When Kartikeya eventually returned, he discovered what Ganesha had done.
It is tempting to turn the story into a simple contest between speed and cleverness. But perhaps there is something more interesting inside it. Kartikeya had accepted the challenge and travelled across the world. Ganesha had stopped to ask what "the world" might mean.
The same question had produced two completely different journeys.
