Does Ganesha really ride a mouse?

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Each of the Gods/Goddess depicted in Hinduism have a specific vaahan (vehicle). And the most popular among them is the mouse which belongs to Lord Ganesha.

But does the elephant-headed God really ride a mouse (mooshak)? In this article, we will take you through the symbolism behind the use of the mouse as Ganesha’s vaahan.

Hinduism is a philosophy that explains the fundamental principles of life through symbolic representation and visual references.

Here’s one way of looking at what the mouse represents.

Greed (mouse) makes humans lose the sense of right and wrong, morality and immorality, ethical and unethical. Humans mindlessly run after materialistic pleasures and in the bargain lose the fundamental essence of life – respect, love, admiration and above all relationships.

To suppress this selfish desire, Lord Ganesha, the god of wisdom sits on the mouse-like greed inherent in human nature. And the one, who succeeds in getting rid of greed, remains content with what he/she has been blessed with and thus attains enlightenment.