Retelling by DKM Kartha
त्वमसि भूः सलिलं पवनस्तथा
खमपि वह्निगुणश्च तथा पुनः ।
जननि तानि पुनः करणानि च
त्वमसि बुद्धिमनोऽप्यथ हङ्कृतिः ॥ ३ ॥
tvamasi bhūḥ salilaṁ pavanastathā
khamapi vahniguṇaśca tathā punaḥ |
janani tāni punaḥ karaṇāni ca
tvamasi buddhimanō’pyatha haṅkr̥tiḥ ||
You, O Mother Goddess, are the element Earth. You are Water. You are also Air. You are Space (AkASa). And You are also the Fiery MahAbhootam, Fire. You, O Mother, again, are indeed the Five Knowledge Senses and the Five Action senses (according to sAn*khya daRSanam) present in all beings. You are also the ahan*kAram, Mind, and Intelligence that operates in all Beings (under the power of the ultimate tatva -- JeevAtman.)
(SReemad dEvee BhAgavatam 3|5|3)
Once, when God GanESa was a little boy, He got a chance to play with a cat in the gardens of Mount KailAsa. First, He ran around trees while the cat chased him. Then they switched places, and the sprightly, sweetly rounded GaNESa became the chaser. When He caught a hold of the cat, He stroked her and cuddled with her, and the cat purred her song of affection ever so gently.
After some more playing, though, GaNESa turned mischievous. He tied to provoke the cat by pulling her tail. Instead of growling at him or scratching him, she began to walk away. Ganesha pulled her tail again and pushed her a little; and during the brief rough play she fell into a bit of mud.
Later, while GaNESa was sitting in the lap of his mother, Paarvati, He noticed a few scratches and bruises on Her body as well as a couple of mud stains. "What happened, Mother?" he asked her. "Why are you bruised?"
Paarvati looked at Herself and said, "I don't know what happened. Did you grab me when I wasn't paying attention?"
GaNESa replied, "No, I did nothing to You. But I want to tell You something. Earlier I was indeed a little bit rough with our cat during our play time. Now I feel bad about it, though."
Paarvati said, "I see. Now I know why I have these bruises and mud stains on my skin. You see, Ganesha, if a person hurts anyone or any other being or anything else, I am hurt. You must know why this is so: it is because I am this Universe. I am the cat that played with you. I have become everything and every being in creation. The five elements, the earth with its mountains, rivers, and oceans and its countless beings, the heavenly bodies-- in short, this entire cosmic creation -- is my visible expression. If anyone hurts even a blade of grass, it hurts me. Have you heard the following stanza from My sacred PurANam, the dEvee-BhAgavatam:
tvamasi bhūḥ salilaṁ pavanastathā
khamapi vahniguṇaśca tathā punaḥ |
janani tāni punaḥ karaṇāni ca
tvamasi buddhimanō’pyatha haṅkr̥tiḥ || DB 3|5|3
The Divine Mother continued: "Now, I know it is not possible for anyone to live observing completely perfect non-violence. Hurting is unavoidable: beings have to eat and move around and live. When we do that invariably some beings will be destroyed. But when one does have to hurt, one should do so with the awareness that I, the Mother Goddess, am being hurt. Then one will be able to hurt others as little as possible."
GaNESa listened to His Mother's tender and profound words, and at the end He apologized to Her and thanked Her for the lesson in compassion. It was through such teachings from His Mother that GaNESa became the Lord of Buddhi (intelligence) and of siddhi (achievement) and was able to see the whole manifested Cosmos as the Divine Mother.