The sage, Sanatkumara, presided over the austerities and made Parvati undergo several trials and tribulations to test the strength of her vow.

Finally, after she had passed all the tests and completed the vow undertaken by her, she heard a voice from the heavens telling her to look for newborn son in her chamber. When she ran in and saw the beautiful child, she could not believe her eyes. He was more beautiful than all the gods put together, and his face shone like the morning sun. Her joy knew no bounds.

All the gods and goddesses rushed to Mount Kailas, the abode of the divine parents, to see this child of glory, paid obeisance, and marvelled at the beauty of the child.

The nine grahas or planets also came to greet the divine couple and their beloved son. One of them, Shani (Saturn), would not however look up at the child and had his head bent. When Parvati asked him why he was reluctant to look at her son, he told her that there was a curse laid on him by his jealous wife, by which anyone he looked at with admiration would be destroyed.

Parvati, anxious like a fond mother for her son to be admired, insisted that he look at her son. Shani then looked up at the child whose head immediately got separated from the body and flew off into space. Parvati wailed and lamented so loudly and created such commotion that the gods rushed to Kailas.

Vishnu, seeing what had happened to create such grief in Parvati, got on to his vehicle, Garuda and flew in search of a head to replace the lost one.

On the banks of the River Pushpabhadra, he found a herd of elephants sleeping. Choosing an animal lying with its head to the north, he brought the head of that elephant (who was actually a Gandharva, a celestial being, waiting to be released from earthly life), and placed it on the headless child's neck. Breathing life into the child, he presented it to Parvati who was overjoyed at having a son with the wisdom and power of an elephant.

Vishnu adorned the child with exquisite ornaments to match his beauty as did Himavaan, the father of Parvati. Vishnu collected all heavenly beings together and led the worship of the child, giving him the eight names by which he came to be commonly known - Vighneshwara, Ganesha, Heramba, Gajaanana, Lambodara, Ekadanta, Soorpakarna and Vinayaka.