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Symbolism in Mouse or Mooshika as the Vahana or Vehicle of Lord Ganesha

A rat, referred as Mooshika or Moonjoor, is the Vahana or vehicle of Lord Ganesha. Each deity in the Hindu pantheon as a Vahanam and it carries a symbolic meaning. When a person thinks logically, it is impossible for a mouse to carry Lord Ganesha. But Hinduism depicts a mouse as the vehicle of Lord Ganesha. The mouse is a symbol and contains a hidden truth.


The mouse is a symbol of greed – mice have the tendency to eat whatever it sees, it also has the habit of biting anything and making it not usable. Lord Ganesha controls this aspect in one’s character.

Thus the symbolism of mouse as vehicle of Ganesha teaches us that we should only bite into what we need to suffice our hunger. We should not destroy food.

Again we should not go around peeping into other people’s life. Simply going around and passing comments and creating confusion is not a good habit. This habit of human beings is like that of the rat which simply bites on anything that it sees.

Another symbolism indicates that the mouse represents desire and Ganesha helps in controlling the desires.

It must be noted that there are numerous hidden symbolism and the symbol of greed and desire is one among them. Often the interpretation of the symbol is left to the discretion of the devotee.

(Information provided by Gayatri Sankar who got the information about the greed symbolism from a programme Titled 'Enge Brahamanan' (Where is the Brahman?) on Tamil channel Jaya TV which is aired at 8pm from Mondays to Fridays. She feels that such programs should be translated into all languages and aired to make people understand about the hidden symbolism in Sanatana Dharma.)

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