Why 21 Modak are offered to Ganesh

Modak are favourite for Ganpati but why 21. There is a deep thought behind it based on Sankhya philosophy. 21 is a depiction of 5 karma indriyas,5 gyan indriyas,5 tatvas,5 tanmatras, 1 Mind ( ??). We should offer everything to him so we can realise him truly ( divinity within). We well know that modaks are Ganapati’s favourite sweet food. However, few of us know how the modak came to be Lord Ganesha’s favourite food. Even fewer know why specifically 21 modaks are offered during a puja of Lord Ganesha during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

There is an interesting charming story behind this...Once when Lord Shiva visited Anusuya at her home in the forest, he was seated for a meal next to a young Ganapati. Lord Shiva was very hungry and impatiently awaited Anusuya to serve Him. However, Anusuya said He would have to wait as Bal Ganesha would be served food first and only when his hunger was satiated would she serve Lord Shiva.

Controlling His impatience, Lord Shiva waited while Anusuya started serving a variety of food to Bal Ganesha. A voracious eater, Ganapati happily ate what was being served to him, but continued to feel hungry serving after serving after serving.…Even his mother Goddess Parvati was astonished at his insatiable hunger! Finally, realizing that Lord Shiva would remain hungry if Ganapati did not feel satiated, Anusuya served him a single piece of food which was sweet.

Ganapati ate it and gave a loud burp, indicating that, at last, his stomach was full and he was no longer hungry. Astonishingly, at the exact same moment that he gave the burp, so did Lord Shiva – not one burp, but 21 burps! Both Lord Shiva and Ganapati then simultaneously said that they had their fill and did not want any more food to be served. such is the thought behind 21 Modak or 21 Durva.

Goddess Parvati later asked Anusuya what that sweet was and was told that it was a modak. On knowing about it, Goddess Parvati expressed her wish that devotees of Ganapati would always offer the modaks to him & this wish was granted. As per Hindu mythology, it is believed that Lord Ganesha was fond of sweetmeats and that is one of the reasons that a wide array of sweets are offered to Vinayaka during the festival to impress him and seek his blessings. ... Lord Ganesha's love for modak has also earned him the moniker Modakpriya.

Modak or laddu is considered to be Lord Ganesha's favourite food and there is a famous story behind it. Lord Ganesha fought with the sixth avatar of Lord Vishnu. During their fight, Lord Ganesha's tooth was broken and he was not able to eat anything. Soft modaks were slathered with ghee that melted in his mouth and from then it is believed that modak became his favourite food. Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati along with Ganesha visiting Anusuya, the wife of Atri, an ancient Rishi.

While Lord Ganesha was presented with a platter full of mouth-watering delicacies by Anusuya, but nothing was able to satiate his hunger. He ate everything that was served to him and and asked for more and more. Anusuya thought of serving something sweet to Lord Ganesha and she served him modaks which finally satiated his hunger. Lord Ganesha burped loudly and also Lord Shiva burped 21 times. Goddess Parvati asked Anusuya about the sweet she has served and then expressed a wish that devotees of Ganpati will always offer 21 modaks to him. From then it is considered to be Ganapati's favourite sweet.

The folktale starts with Lord Ganesha’s maternal grandmother, Queen Menavati. In her love for her grandson, Queen Menavati would tirelessly make laddoos to feed Ganesh’s growing appetite. This was unsustainable, and as he grew older and bigger, the Queen realized it was impossible to prepare laddoos as quickly as Ganpati could gobble them down. She thought of an alternative – Modaks. Requiring less time to make, she could satisfy Lord Ganesha, who gleefully ate them.