Ganesha and the Mango

One day, Sage Narada brought a special mango to Mount Kailash and offered it to Shiva and Parvati. Both their sons — Ganesha and Kartikeya — wanted it. "Whoever circles the world three times and returns first shall have it," declared Shiva. Kartikeya immediately leapt onto his peacock mount and zoomed across continents, oceans, and mountains at tremendous speed. Meanwhile, Ganesha, with his big belly and tiny mouse vehicle, simply stood still and thought. Then Ganesha calmly walked three circles around Shiva and Parvati, folded his hands, and said, "My parents are my whole world." Shiva and Parvati smiled with joy and gave him the mango. When Kartikeya returned, exhausted from his journey around the earth, he found the contest already won — by wisdom, not speed.