Story of how Ganesh outfox Kartikeya

Both Ganesh and Kartikeya are the two sons of Lord Shiva and Devi Parvati. Kartikeya, the elder son, killed many demons like Narakasura and Gajasura and is known as the lord of war. He is the chief commander of the army of gods. Kartikeya gets his name from the six Kritikas who brought him up and, consequently, has six heads.

Valli and Devasena are the two wives of Kartikeya. While Kartikeya is worshiped more in South India, Ganesh is revered all over India.

On the other hand, Ganesh holds a supreme place. In Hindu tradition, no religious work is considered complete without invoking the name of Shree Ganesh. Ganesh is blessed by Lord Shiva to be worshiped as Vigneshwer, the remover of obstacles.

One day, the devas presented a supreme fruit to Lord Shiva and Parvati, saying that whoever ate it would gain supreme knowledge. Both brothers wanted to eat it, leading to an argument. Lord Shiva told them that whoever circled the world three times and returned first would get the fruit. Kartikeya accepted the challenge and began his journey with his vehicle, the peacock, without delay. Meanwhile, Ganesh knew he couldn't match Kartikeya's speed, given his huge belly and slow-moving mouse vehicle. So, he applied his intelligence and started circling his parents three times. When asked by his parents for the reason, he replied that his parents were his whole world, and the whole world was within them. Lord Shiva and Parvati were pleased with his answer and gave him the supreme fruit. From that day on, Kartikeya felt cheated and left his parents. Ganesh was declared the God of wisdom, cleverness, and removal of obstacles.