" There are many stories of Ganesha’s birth besides the one in which Shiva beheads Vinayaka. In one story, Ganesha is born when Shiva and Shakti make love taking the form of elephants. In another, Shiva creates a child of his own image for the pleasure of Shakti but since he looks too much like the father, Shakti replaces his head with that of an elephant. "

― Devdutt Pattanaik , Ganesha's Secret: Food alone does not satisfy hunger