Japanese Folktale: Visu the Woodsman and the Old Priest

Many years ago there lived on the then barren plain of Suruga a woodsman by the
name of Visu. He was a giant in stature, and lived in a hut with his wife and children.

One day Visu received a visit from an old priest, who said to him: "Honorable
woodsman, I am afraid you never pray."

Visu replied: "If you had a wife and a large family to keep, you would never have
time to pray."

This remark made the priest angry, and the old man gave the woodcutter a vivid
description of the horror of being reborn as a toad, or a mouse, or an insect for
millions of years. Such lurid details were not to Visu's liking, and he accordingly
promised the priest that in future he would pray.

"Work and pray," said the priest as he took his departure.

Unfortunately Visu did nothing but pray. He prayed all day long and refused to do any
work, so that his rice crops withered and his wife and family starved. Visu's wife, who
had hitherto never said a harsh or bitter word to her husband, now became extremely
angry, and, pointing to the poor thin bodies of her children, she exclaimed: "Rise,
Visu, take up your ax and do something more helpful to us all than the mere
mumbling of prayers!"

Visu was so utterly amazed at what his wife had said that it was some time before he
could think of a fitting reply. When he did so his words came hot and strong to the
ears of his poor, much-wronged wife.

"Woman," said he, "the Gods come first. You are an impertinent creature to speak to
me so, and I will have nothing more to do with you!" Visu snatched up his ax and,
without looking round to say farewell, he left the hut, strode out of the wood, and
climbed up Fujiyama, where a mist hid him from sight.

When Visu had seated himself upon the mountain he heard a soft rustling sound, and
immediately afterward saw a fox dart into a thicket. Now Visu deemed it extremely
lucky to see a fox, and, forgetting his prayers, he sprang up, and ran hither and thither
in the hope of again finding this sharp-nosed little creature.

He was about to give up the chase when, coming to an open space in a wood, he saw
two ladies sitting down by a brook playing go. The woodsman was so completely
fascinated that he could do nothing but sit down and watch them. There was no sound
except the soft click of pieces on the board and the song of the running brook. The
ladies took no notice of Visu, for they seemed to be playing a strange game that had
no end, a game that entirely absorbed their attention. Visu could not keep his eyes off
these fair women. He watched their long black hair and the little quick hands that shot
out now and again from their big silk sleeves in order to move the pieces.

After he had been sitting there for three hundred years, though to him it was but a
summer's afternoon, he saw that one of the players had made a false move. "Wrong,
most lovely lady!" he exclaimed excitedly. In a moment these women turned into
foxes and ran away.

When Visu attempted to pursue them he found to his horror that his limbs were
terribly stiff, that his hair was very long, and that his beard touched the ground. He
discovered, moreover, that the handle of his ax, though made of the hardest wood, had
crumbled away into a little heap of dust.

After many painful efforts Visu was able to stand on his feet and proceed very slowly
toward his little home. When he reached the spot he was surprised to see no hut, and,
perceiving a very old woman, he said: "Good lady, I am amazed to find that my little
home has disappeared. I went away this afternoon, and now in the evening it has
vanished!"

The old woman, who believed that a madman was addressing her, inquired his name.
When she was told, she exclaimed: "Bah! You must indeed be mad! Visu lived three
hundred years ago! He went away one day, and he never came back again."

"Three hundred years!" murmured Visu. "It cannot be possible. Where are my dear
wife and children?"

"Buried!" hissed the old woman, "and, if what you say is true, you children's children
too. The Gods have prolonged your miserable life in punishment for having neglected
your wife and little children."

Big tears ran down Visu's withered cheeks as he said in a husky voice: "I have lost my
manhood. I have prayed when my dear ones starved and needed the labor of my once
strong hands. Old woman, remember my last words: "If you pray, work too!"

We do not know how long the poor but repentant Visu lived after he returned from his
strange adventures. His white spirit is still said to haunt Fujiyama when the moon
shines brightly.
 God of Success
Ganesha
An elephant deity riding a mouse is one of the best
known and most worshipped deities in the Hindu
pantheon. Ganesha, also called Ganapati, is the god
of wisdom, prudence, and salvation. Ga means
"knowledge", na means "salvation", and isa and pati
mean "lord". His image is found throughout India.
Hindu sects worship him regardless of other
affiliations. Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused
and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.

The son of the Hindu deities Siva and Durga is a god

of luck and of "opening the way." Rotund and
generally jolly, Ganesha is distinguished from other
Hindu deities because he has the head of an
elephant. His image appears on numerous Hindu
products, such as incense and foods. His symbol is
the swastika, which he bears in the palm of his
hand. His identifying weapon is an elephant goad, to
move stubborn people, but he is not always shown
bearing it. Sometimes he carries a conch shell, holds
a book, or receives offerings of sweet foods. Usually, one of his tusks is broken and his vehicle is
a rat, who may be shown stealing one of the food offerings placed at his feet.

Ganesha became the Lord (Isha) of all existing beings (Gana) after winning a contest from his
brother Kartikay. When given the task to race around the universe, Ganesha did not start the
race like Kartikey did, but simply walked around Shiva and Parvati, both his father and mother
as the source of all existence.

He is a popular figure in Indian art. Unlike those of some deities, representations of Ganesha
show wide variations and distinct patterns changing over time. He may be portrayed standing,
dancing, heroically taking action against demons, playing with his family as a boy, sitting down,
or engaging in a range of contemporary situations.

He is also the most widely worshipped deity. All ceremonies, religious or secular, begin with an
invocation to Ganesha. His image is printed on cards sent out for any happy occasion, like for
the announcement of birth in the family or a wedding. Usually before beginning any religious
writing, he is invoked with words 'Om Shri Ganeshaya Namaha', literally meaning "Ganesha, I
pray to you".

Although he is known by many attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify.
Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of
Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles, patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and
wisdom. He is honored at the start of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters
during writing sessions. Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth
and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.

At birth, Ganesha was a perfectly normal boy, with perfect features and body parts, as befits
one conceived by a goddess. There are many stories that describe how Ganesha got his
elephant head. One tells how Parvati created Ganesha in absence of Shiva to guard her
quarters. When Shiva wanted to see her Ganesha forbid it, at which point Shiva cut of his head.
Later Shiva restored Ganesha to life and provided him with the head off an elephant, because
no other was available. In another story, Ganesha's head is burned to ashes when Saturn is
forced by Parvati to look after her child and bless him.

Shiva was in the habit of intruding upon Parvati while she was bathing. However, Parvati found
this habit of her forgetful lord rather annoying. One day, when the beautiful goddess was about
to get a bath in the water of a pool inside a cave, she placed Ganesha, her favorite son, at the
entrance of the cave and strictly instructed him not to let anybody in while she was inside. So
Ganesha stood guard while his mother bathed inside till he spied his father ambling towards
the cave. Shiva demanded admittance but Ganesha stood his ground bravely and refused to
allow his father in.

Shiva was astounded at this. He protested that no one had the right to keep him away from his
rightful wife but Ganesha did not budge from his post saying that he would not disobey his
mother's instructions. Shiva flew into a terrific rage and attacked his own son. Ganesha parried
his father's attack and both fought for quite some time. At the mean time, Parvati unwittingly
went on bathing inside, unaware of what was happening. Eventually, Shiva hurled his trident,
his supreme weapon, at his son. Ganesha would not parry this as that would show great
disrespect for his father. Therefore, he took the blow from the trident on one tusk, which broke
off. At this point in time, Parvati emerged from her bath and, perceiving what has been going
on, hastened to bring amity back to her family. Since then Ganesha, benevolent initiator, has
had one tusk.

Ganesha has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with
Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also how popular and
pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.
Ganesha rides a rat that represents the subjugated demon of vanity and impertinence. The
conch represents the sound that creates Akash. The laddu presents Sattva. The snakes
represent control over the poisons of the passions and refer to Shiva, father of Ganesha. The
hatchet cuts away the bondage of desires. The mudra grants fearlessness. The broken tusk is
the one with which Ganesha wrote the Mahabaratha.

The broken tusk that Ganesha holds like a pen in his lower right hand is a symbol of sacrifice,
which he broke for writing the Mahabharata. The rosary in his other hand suggests that the
pursuit of knowledge should be continuous. The laddoo – sweet - he holds in his trunk indicates
that one must discover the sweetness of the Atman. His fan-like ears convey that he is all ears
to our petition. The snake that runs round his waist represents energy in all forms. And he is
humble enough to ride the lowest of creatures, a mouse.

Acceptance of the somewhat funny looking elephant man Ganesha as the divine force stills the
rational mind and it's doubts, forcing one to look beyond outer appearance. Thus Ganesha
creates the faith to remove all obstacles.
 Name: __________________________

As we continue on our journey to develop a more refined definition of success,

read the two fables and mythology of two different cultures.

While reading, be sure to use your thinking notes to highlight and interact with
the text by writing ideas, questions, and summaries in the margins. Your
thinking notes should focus on how these stories or figures define success.

Use complete sentences and at least one piece of textual evidence when you
answer the reading questions below.

1. What is the definition of success expressed by each piece?

Ganesha piece:

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Japanese folktale:

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2. What are the criteria for the definition of success in the Japanese folktale?

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3. What are the criteria for the definition of success in the piece about
Ganesha?
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4. How are the definitions of success in each piece similar and how are they
different?

5. Consider these pieces as narratives. How do the characters in the story

influence or even create the theme of success?

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