This year, Ganesh Chaturthi is being celebrated on Wednesday, 27th August, marking the beginning of the 10-day Ganeshotsav with the installation of Lord Ganesha idols. According to the scriptures, one must avoid looking at the moon on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi, as doing so brings false accusations and disgrace. If someone happens to see the moon by mistake, they must listen to the story of Syamantaka Mani to get rid of this defect.
The Story of Syamantaka Mani
Once, Nandkishore narrated to the Sanatkumars that even Lord Krishna had to face false allegations after accidentally seeing the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi. His stigma was removed only after performing the Siddhivinayak fast.
Here’s how it happened:
Fearing King Jarasandh, Shri Krishna once shifted to a city in the middle of the sea—Dwarkapuri. In Dwaraka, there lived a man called Satrajit Yadav, who was a great devotee of Surya, the Sun God. One day, when he was worshipping, the Sun God gifted him the Syamantaka Mani, a powerful gem that produced eight loads of gold every day.
When Krishna requested the gem, Satrajit refused and gave it to his brother Prasenjit. While hunting, Prasenjit was killed by a lion. Soon after, the bear king Jamvant killed the lion and took the gem to his cave.
When Satrajit did not see his brother return, he falsely accused Krishna of killing Prasenjit for the gem. To clear his name, Krishna traced the chain of events, fought with Jamvant for 21 days. Eventually, Jamvant realized Krishna was none other than an incarnation of Lord Rama. He surrendered, gave his daughter in marriage to Krishna, and returned the gem.
Ashamed of his false accusation, Satrajit also married his daughter to Krishna.
Later, however, Satrajit was killed, and the gem was stolen. Krishna was again blamed, and even his brother Balram doubted him. Krishna faced humiliation until Narad Muni explained the real reason behind these repeated false accusations.
The Curse of the Moon
Narad told Krishna that he had unknowingly seen the moon on Ganesh Chaturthi, which led to his defamation. He then narrated the story behind the curse:
Once, when Lord Brahma observed a fast for Lord Ganesha, Ganesha appeared and granted him a boon. As Ganesha was leaving, the moon mocked his appearance.
Angered, Ganesha cursed the moon, declaring that no one would want to see it, and anyone who did on Bhadrapada Shukla Chaturthi would be falsely accused.
Later, on the request of the gods, Ganesha modified the curse, saying the moon would shine again, but whoever saw it on that day would face baseless accusations.
Relief, however, would come by observing the Siddhivinayak fast or by seeing the moon every following night.
Hearing this, Krishna performed the fast and was freed from the stigma.
Lesson from the Mahabharata
During the Kurukshetra war, Yudhishthira once asked Krishna: “Lord, how can a man fulfill his wishes and attain wealth, sons, prosperity, and victory?”
Krishna replied: “By worshipping Lord Ganesha, the son of Goddess Parvati, in the proper way, all desires are fulfilled.”
Following Krishna’s advice, Yudhishthira observed the Ganesh Chaturthi fast and attained victory in the Mahabharata.
Along with listening to the story, devotees should also chant this mantra:
