During his childhood, Ganesha used to play with his father’s ganas at Mount Kailash. Ganesha would hide in a flower garden and suck the water from the Ocean of Milk using his trunk. It is believed that Vishnu rests on the coils of serpant king Sheshnag, who floats on this ocean. Ganesha would then shower the water on the ganas as if it was raining. One day, Vishnu found that his Panchajanya Shankh (a sacred conch with swirls towards the right) was missing, and was upset. He then heard the sound of a conch and understood that it was his shankh. It was being blown somewhere near Mount Kailash! Vishnu prayed to Shiva. Shiva appeared before him and said that the shankh was indeed in Mount Kailash but with Ganesha. In order to retrieve the shankh, Vishnu was asked to pray to Valampuri Ganesh (Ganesha in a rare posture with his trunk turned towards the right). Vishnu organised a ritual in honour of Ganesha. Pleased, Ganesha returned the shankh to its rightful owner. Vishnu was overjoyed to have his shankh back.
Ganesha Returns Vishnu’s Conch
