Ganesha and the Changing Narmada River - Story for Children
Every Sunday, Madhava visited the little Ganesha temple with Grandma. The temple stood beside the sacred Narmada River.
After his prayer to Lord Ganesha, Madhava loved sitting on the temple steps and watching the river.
One morning, after a night of heavy rain, Madhava ran towards his favourite steps.
He stopped.
The river had risen high and covered them!
“Grandma! Where are my steps?” he cried.
“The Narmada has risen,” Grandma said.
“But I sit there every Sunday!” Madhava frowned.
The river rushed past, carrying leaves and little twigs.
“Whoa! Look at the river!”
Madhava watched the water splash against the rocks.
“It is going so fast!”
Then he noticed something.
The river didn't stop when it met the rocks.
It simply moved around them and kept flowing.
Madhava looked at Ganesha inside the temple.
“Ganesha… the river is okay even though everything changed.”
He folded his hands.
“Ganesha, when things change, please help me stay peaceful too.”
A few days later, the river became calm again.
Madhava ran to the steps.
“My steps are back!”
He sat down, dipped his feet into the cool Narmada and smiled.
Moral: The river had changed, but it had never lost its peace. Madhava hoped he could learn to do the same.
