Legend:
Analasur was a demon who terrified the three worlds. He emitted fire from his eyes and troubled everyone. At the request of the Devas, Lord Ganesha fought with Analasur and swallowed him. The heat from Analsur caused agony to Lord Ganesha. Lord Indra gave Sri Ganesha the moon to wear on his forehead so that he could be cooled off (this is why Ganesha is also known as Balachandra). Lord Vishnu gave his lotus therefore Ganesha is also known as “Padmapani”. Lord Shankara removed a cobra from his neck and tied it to Ganesha’s hip. Lord Varuna, Rain God showered plenty of water, however nothing worked and Ganesha continued to suffer the heat.Finally, 88,000 sages performed archana to Sri Ganesha with 21 Durva grass each and Ganesha was cured. Ganesha said - “whoever with devotion offer me Durva would be pious and get Punya.” On Ganesh Chaturti, puja is performed to Lord Ganesha with the Durva grass and several other leaves and flowers.
Names of Durva Grass in various Languages:
Sanskrit : Bhargavi; Doorwa; Granthi; Sveta
Hindi : Doorva; Doob
Tamil : Arugu; Aruvam-pillu; Mooyar-pul
Bengali : Durba
Kannada : Ambate-hullu; Garikae
Malayalam : Karuka-pulli
Marathi : Doorva; Haryali
Punjabi : Dub; Kabbar; Talla
Telugu : Garika; Gerike; Haryali
Pushtu : Kabal
Urdu : Ghass
Scientific Name: Cynodon dactylon
English: Bermuda Grass
Other Uses
* In addition to being a holy plant, the Durva Grass is also popular as herbal medicine. It helps in detoxification of the body and is used both as an external and internal medicine.
* Another important use of the grass is for erosion control. Its wide-spread roots hold the soil together. It is quite difficult to pull out the grass completely from the soil. Further, it grows aggressively and spreads quite fast.
