Ballal’s Ganesha
Ballal was a little boy born to a businessman named Kalyan and his wife Indumati in Pali, which is currently in Maharashtra. Ever since he was a child, Ballal showed extraordinary devotion for his lord, Ganesha. He and his friends would go into the forest, make small temples with stones and chunnis and would choose beautiful rocks and revere it as Lord Ganesh.
The little boys would sing, dance and chant together, searching for new beautiful rocks to treat it as Ganesha! Their little play-space was filled with small temples, songs and their devotion. Ballal became the leader of his lot. He would guide his friends on how to eulogize Bhagwan Ganesh, tell them stories and their games revolved around Lord Ganesha too. It was a little sanctuary for the little boys.
Ballal’s unflinching devotion had captivated the children into worshipping Lord Ganesh, but the adults couldn’t see this divinity. Off they headed to Kalyan and Indumati’s house to complain about Ballal. They said that Ballal was a nuisance who was making other children lazy. Ballal’s effect on the children was labelled unnecessary but despite many attempts to explain Ballal to leave all devotion, Ballal didn’t stop and the other children followed his suit.
One day, Ballal found a big stone and a bigger temple was decorated around that stone. The children were visibly impressed and their liking for Lord Ganesha increased a bit more for that day. Such intense was their devotion that they prayed to Lord Ganesha forgetting all hunger and thirst, day and night, good or bad! It is said that Ballal’s infectious devotion even made Narad-Muni sing glories for Lord Ganesha! They prayed and meditated with all innocence that they could gather and it went on for a few days until one day when Kalyan, Ballal’s father lost his cool. Repeated complaints from the neighbours, long hours of being away from home and constant bhakti for Lord Ganesha was beyond him. He picked up a stick and marched towards the forest- furious! There, the boys were praying to the big-stone, eulogizing Lord Ganesha and the moment they saw the red-faced Kalyan approaching, everyone ran away or hid somewhere leaving Ballal alone! Ballal was immersed in devotion and couldn’t see what was coming!
Ballal was in a meditative state. It was difficult for him to move and his father mercilessly beat him up with the stick, leaving him bleeding! He was tied to a tree, beaten up and all the temples around made by the children were destroyed. Kalyan smashed everything including the big stone and it cracked! Kalyan challenged the tied Ballal to a tree firmly with a rope and said, “Let me see what your Ganesha does now!” and then he left.
Ballal, the staunch child devotee of Lord Ganesha didn’t mind bleeding due to his father’s blows but the temples being smashed really ached his heart and he cursed his father, “May he become blind, deaf, dumb and hunchback for his disrespect for Ganesha, the son of Parvati!” With many wounds and dried up blood, with hunger and thirst devouring him, Ballal, who was tied down to the tree, continued to chant for Lord Ganesha till his exhausted body passed out!
Seeing the purity of Ballal’s intent, his unshakeable devotion and constant remembrance of the Lord, Bhagwan Ganesha appeared before him in form of a sadhu and with a single touch removed his hunger, thirst, pain and healed all his wounds! Ballal by the grace of Lord Ganesha felt free and he immediately recognized Lord Ganesha who had appeared before him disguising as a saint! He was now free from all ropes that tied him, even from the bonds of the world, after all, the Lord Himself had appeared before him! He then requested Lord Ganesha to be ever present in the big stone that he had been worshipping so that all those who seek His grace may have a darshan of Lord Vinayak. Lord Ganesha honoured his request and declared that the statue will be known as Ballal-Vinayak where he will be ever-present. So humble was the Lord that he took up his own devotee’s name and then disappeared into the stone and all the cracks immediately got filled up!
Today, a famous temple stands at that place known as Baleshwar Pali. It is the only temple dedicated to Lord Ganesha which is known by his devotee’s name. It is one of the famous Ashta-Vinayak temples.
Ballal’s story teaches us many things. Ballal was a child who didn’t know the nitty-gritty of scriptures. All he offered to the Lord was his devotion, his innocence and not a single day passed without him singing glories or chanting for his beloved Lord Ganesha! The elders of the society, including his father saw this as a nuisance. This indicates that not everyone will be able to see devotion of a person or even the Divinity around such people. Society sometimes wants to frame an individual according to its own linking, which is often a hindrance in one’s path. Despite that and getting beaten up to the pulp by his own father, Ballal didn’t give up his devotion to impress either his parents or the neighbours. Such was his exalted state of mind, entirely fixed at Lord Ganesha! His innocence, his courage, his devotion, purity of intent and his spiritual practice (chanting) made even the Lord appear before him! Ballal was a child but his spiritual merit is what even the adults miss to understand!
My humble obeisance to the Divine Ballal-Vinayak!
