kahte hain bhagvan ganesh, ganpti banne ke bad, ek din svarg men vicharan kar rahee the. jab vah chandrama ke pas se gujre, to atyant rupvan chandrama ne ganpti ke sharir aur rup ka uphas kiya. tab ganesh ji ne, kupit ho kar, use shrap de dala ki tumhen apne karmon ka fal bhugtna hoga. jis rup-rang par tumhen itna ahankar hai, vah nasht ho jaega, to darshan karne vale manushyon ko vyarth ka apman, kalank, ninda evan anisht ka bhagi banna parega aur ve mere shrap se prabhavit honge.
is bhayankar shrap ko sun kar chandrama ka munh atyant mlan ho gaya. vah mare dar ke jal men chup kar kumud (shvet kaml) men rahne laga. yah jan kar sabhi devta bhi duahkhi hue. tab brahma ji tatha indra aur agni dev ne mil kar chandrama ko upay sujhaya ki chaturthi ke din, vishesh kar krishn paksh men, ganesh ji ki puja karni chahie tatha unka priya vrat (nav vrat) rakh kar, sayan kal bhojan karna chahie.
fal, khir, mithai (modk) se unhen prasann karna chahie tatha brahman ko vidhi anusar dan karna chahie. atah chandrama ne uparyukt tarike se ganesh ji ki stuti ki tatha apne ghamand se kiye uphas par pashchatap kiya. anttah ganesh ji prasann ho gaye aur chandrama se vardan mangne ko kaha. tab nchandrama ne kaha: prabhu ! aisa vardan den ki apne pap aur shrap se nivritt ho jaun tatha manushya fir mere darshan kar sukhamay hon.
ganesh ji ne pahle to yah vardan dene se inkar kar diya. parantu sabhi devgnon ki prarthana sun kar ganesh bole: jao shashank (chandrama) mainne tumhane apne shrap se mukt kiya. lekin (bhadrapd) shukla paksh ki chaturthi ko jo tumhare darshan karega, use mithya vivad aur kashton se gujrna parega. kintu jo manushya mere pahle (arthat chaturthi se pahle) tumhara darshan karenge (arthat shukla paksh ki dvitiya ke roj tumhara darshan kar lenge) unko yah dosh nahin lagega. fir chandrama ne ganesh ji se unhen prasann karne ke upay jane tatha pujan vidhi jani.
bas, tabse har varsh chandrama, ganesh chaturthi ka vrat rakh, ganesh ji ki puja karte a rahe hain. ek bar shri krishn ne, anjane men hi, bhadrapad ke shukla paksh ki chaturthi ka chand dekh liya tha, jiski vajah se unhen jivanabhar chori ke kalank ka samna karna para tha.