Mahabharat Agni kand The Pandavas were merely a pretext. Krishna used the Pandavas to rid the world of evil men. You have already learnt that one of Yayati’s sons was Puru. In Puru’s line were born Bharata and Kuru. One of Kuru’s descendants was the king Shantanu. Shantanu married Ganga…
Lord Rama Story in English Brahma came out of Vishnu’s navel. Brahma’s son was Marichi’s son Kashyapa, Kashyapa son Surya, Surya’s son Vaivasvata Manu, Manu’s son Ikshvaku, Ikskhvakku’s son Kakutstha, Kakutstha’s son Raghu, Raghu’s son Aja, Aja’s son Dasharatha, Dasaratha’s sons were Rama, Bharata, Lakshmana and Shatrughna. Since Rama was…
Describing about Sri Rama’s incarnation Lord Mahadeva told Parvati–‘Once, Swayambhuva Manu had expressed his desire of having Lord Vishnu as his son to which Lord Vishnu had agreed. During Treta Yuga Manu manifested himself as Dasharath and Vishnu kept his promise by taking birth as his son–Sri Rama. Similarly, during…
People of Ayodhya lived peacefully during Sri Rama’s reign until one fateful day when they were struck by a bad news–Sri Rama had abandoned Sita after a Washerman leveled an unfair charge against her character. Such was the greatness of Sri Rama that opinion of each and every individual was…
Once, sages requested Suta to describe about the most prominent places of pilgrimage situated in Bharatavarsha. Suta commenced his narration by describing the origin of creation and then switched over to the geographical characteristics of Bharatavarsha. Suta said—‘There are seven prominent mountain ranges in Bharatavarsha–Mahendra, Malay, Sahya, Shaktiman, Rikshavan, Vindhya…
By the grace of Sri Venkatesha, Gopikamba came into the family way. Thimmanna Bhatta family’s joys knew no bounds. Since the baby in the womb was the blessing of SriHari, Gopikamba developed some uncommon wishes in that period. Despite there being hot tasty delicacies prepared at home, she would love…
Sri Raghavendraswami is the incarnation of the Karmaja demi-god, Shankukama. Collecting Tulsi leaves and flowers for the four-faced Brahmadeva’s pujas etc. was the daily duty of Shankukarna. One day while collecting flowers for the Puja, he was witness to a very strange scene. Can Brahmadeva’s puja itself be something ordinary…
Hampi belongs to Hospet taluk of Bellary District. Tourists must come to Hospet and then go to Hampi. There are buses to Hospet from all comers of Karnataka. Some trains connect Hospet to Hubli, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Timpati and Miraj. There are good lodges in Hospet and Hampi. Hampi is about…
There was no doubt in everybody’s mind that war was inevitable. Many people felt that cousins ought not resort to war, fighting over land. Others were of the opinion that Duryodhana ought not have been so adamant. The fact that Lord Krishna had himself tried to mediate between the hostile…
Duryodhana was a very adamant person. He could never concede anything at all. The messenger sent by the Pandavas through Drupada, read out before Duryodhana his various misdeeds against the Pandavas and called upon him to return their kingdom. The messenger also warned Duryodhana of the consequences of war if…
Whenever people talk about friendship, they always refer to Kama and Duryodhana. For, they had a very strong bond of friendship between them. Drona had taught the princes everything about warfare. He had also told them about the methods to be followed during a war. He had explained about the…
Right from the day the Pandavas , entered Hastinapur, the Kauravas, especially Duryodhana, disliked them intensely. He was also extremely jealous of the Pandavas for they had earned the love and respect of the entire kingdom. By some means or the other, he wanted to kill the Pandavas, especially Bhima….
Rama too was very happy that Hanuman was successful in finding Sita. Sugriva had kept up his word and Rama now had to plan about reaching Lanka to kill Ravana and rescue Sita. He therefore talked to Sugriva about this. “Sugriva, you have proved to be my true friend. I…
Many of these forests had sages living in them. Many more had demons in them, destroying everything and at times even disrupting the lives of the sages. Dandakaranya was one such forest. When Rama, Sita and Lakshmana entered this forest, the Rishis welcomed them, offered them fruits and nuts. A…
Arjuna’s story was one of the best known in Hindu mythology, yet it is fully intelligible only if one is familiar with the many other stories related to it. It is nested in or overlaps with the story of the great Bharata war, the story of Krishna, the…
Once sage Narada decided to make a dana’ as the same was discussed in Brahmasabha. So he searched for a suitable land for the purpose but no where he got the land. As a result, he was in great grief and disappointed a lot. Somehow he learnt through sage Braghu….
India is a holu place where there are follow-ers of different religions. Still there is unity amongthem. Our Culture is rich one. One can very wellunderstand the attitude of Indians through thesereligions. Even foreigners are also amazed to lookat this fantastic culture. Karnataka is 8th largest state in the nation….
Tataha Krodhena Tenaiva Dahagreevaha Sahanujaha| Agachchadatma Midhyartham Gokamasya Shramam Shubham || Valmeekeeye U. Cam 9 Sa. 46,47) Tatahaivabdherastate Lingam Gokama Ravanatvaya | Graheetva sthapitam Poorvam Ravanopi Graham Yayow || 142, 43 || Drastavai Dhanadhyaksham Pushpakshatam Tu Kaikasee | Putran Dhikkarayamasa Yooyam Sandhya Mratopamaha ||46|| Te Matmvachanam Shrutva Yayu Gokamayuttamam ||45|| (Anandarama…
A few lines on the importance of Shri Kshetra Gokarn: Gokarna Kshetra Nilayam Dvibhujam varadam satham | Sarvabheeshta Prasidhyartham Tannamami Gajananam || Lankanatha Dashananogra Thapasa Ganena Thustodbhava Kailasa Chalavasa Shankara Shiva Swaprana Lingandhadhow || Thallingam Navarathna Peetha Sahitham Vighneshwara Sthapitham | Gokamastha Mahablesha Mamalam Vandhe Bhavanipathim || Namashivaya Sambaya Saganaya…
The devotees of Lord Mahabaleshwar were really fortunate to witness the rare and splendid Ashtabandha Mahotsava of the Lord in the Month of May 1983. The Shastras ordian that these celebrations must as a rule be held once in twelve years ever since Ravan the demon King of Lanka wangled…
Rudra bhoomi: Quite displeased with Brahma’s creation. Rudra became very angry, and originated Pramatha Ganas for destroying Brahma’s creation. Vishnu learnt this and approaching Rudra said in appearing words. “Oh! Rudra, please, forgive Brahma now, and destroy his creation only at the time of pralaya (final destruction) and may this…
It is mentioned in the Ramayana that Rama came to know from Vasistha that Ravana was a Brahmin. To be relieved from the sin Lord Brahma kept his Kamandal (holy jug) upon the peak of the mountain and who went away the Satyaloka (heaven). It is be famed as HOLY…
Ravana the king of Lanka, heard the immense power and great ness of this Paneling and wishing to possess it set out for Kailasa. he was performing there severe penance with prayers in Samagana, Narada, who had been to Kailasa from Gokarn, while taking Ishwaras, leave saw Ravana there, and learnt his intention. He at once came to…
On being enquired by the Sages about the respective lineage of Aditya (Sun) and Soma (moon) Suta replied— Sage Kashyapa had a son–Aditya, from Aditi. Aditya had four wives–Sangya, Rajyi, Prabha and Chhaya. Sangya gave birth to Manu whereas Ragyi was the mother of Yama, Yamuna and Raivat. Prabha gave…
Most Puranas only mention Vishnu’s incarnations (avataras). The Kurma Purana is one of the great ones which mentions Shiva’s incarnations. In each Kali Yuga, Shiva has had an incarnation. The names of these incarnations are as follows. (1) Shveta. (2) Sutara. (3) Madana. (4) Suhotra. (5) Kankana. (6) Lokakshi. (7)…
In every Dvapara Yuga, a Veda Vyasa is born so as to divide the Vedas and disseminate their knowledge. In the present era, there have been twenty-eight Dwapara Yugas and there have therefore been twenty-eight individuals who have held the title of Veda Vyasa. The Kurma Purana gives their names…
The consort of Sr Krishna Radha is one of the most popular figures in Hindu mythology and is even understood by some to be a manifestation of the Supreme. Radha has many personas and a complex mythology. Radha is the young, innocent maiden coming into the forest at night in…
Pulastya says- “After the departure of Prahlada on his pilgrimage, Bali desirous of performing a Yagya went to Kurukshetra. Shukracharya had invited the descendants of sage Bhargava to supervise the proceedings of Ashwamedha Yagya but his decision was not approved by the descendants of some other sages like Atri, Gautam,…
Pulastya says- “Prahlada went to the sacred place called Rishikanya and took a holy dip in the Irawati River. After that, he worshipped Lord Janardan in the temple situated nearby and then proceeded on his journey towards Kurukshetra. After reaching there, he worshipped Lord Kurudhwaj and paid a visit Lord…
Pulastya says- “After worshipping Lord Trivikrama, Prahlada went to Lingabhedak Mountain and worshipped Lord Shankar. He also visited many more sacred places like Kedar Tirtha, Badrikashrama, Bhadrakarna and Vipasha. At last, he reached Irawati and worshipped that Almighty Lord with whose blessings, Pururava was able to regain his good looks.”…
Kunti was the aunt of Shri Krishna, mother of the five Pandavas and a sixth son Karna, and wife of King Pandu. Kunti was a heroine of the Mahabharata. As a child Kunti was given to a royal cousin, King Kuntibhoja, who was childless. She was given responsibility over…
Kumbhakarna appeared in the Ramayana in a line of rebirths that started in Brahma’s court in heaven (svarga). In that lifetime he had been Vijaya, one of a pair of twin doorkeepers who were cursed for not properly performing their duties. He was reborn as Hiranyakasiipu and killed by…
In the Mahabharata war Karna had a divine birth. His mother, Kunti, was the daughter of King Shurasena. As a girl Kunti was in charge of arrangement in the palace for religious rituals. During a period of four months when the sage Durvasa performed rituals for the king, Kunti…
Narada asks sage Pulastya- “What did the demon Andhak do after entering Patal loka and how was Lord Shiva’s life at Mandar Mountain?” Pulastya says- “Andhak was infatuated by Girija’s divine beauty and his lust only became stronger as the days passed by. Although Prahlada tried very hard to convince…
Sanatkumar says- “The sacred places of pilgrimage named Shukra Tirtha and Soma Tirtha are situated towards north and south of Sthanu Vata respectively. Daksha Tirtha is situated towards its south and Skand Tirtha towards its west. The sacrosanct Sthanu Tirtha is situated just in between all these four places of…
Describing the reason behind the manifestation of ‘Trishakti’ (Three goddesses manifesting from the bodies of Brahma Vishnu and Shiva), Lord Varaha A told Prithvi— There lived a mighty demon named ‘Andhak’ who used to torment the deities. After being driven out of the heaven all the deities sought lord Brahma’s…
Lord Varaha told Prithvi about the greatness of Gokarna tirth- “Long long ago there lived a vaishya named Vasukarn at Mathura. Sushila, his wife was deeply religious but inspite of that she was issueless. One day, she had gone to take her bath in river Saraswati where she found many…
Giving the reasons that lead to the great battle of Mahabharata, Lord Brahma told sage Vyasa that Sri Krishna had planned this great battle and executed it to perfection to relieve the earth from the burden of tyrants. While giving the names of lineal ascendants of Kauravas and Pandavas, he…
In the Ramayana the tale is told that soon after the Pandava brothers began their forest exile, a rakshasa chief sent his sister, Hidumbhi, to capture them for his dinner. However, Hidumbhi fell in love with Bhima, the strongest and most physical of the brothers. The rakshasa chief came…
―I will now tell you about Daksha and Sati,‖ Lomaharshana told the sages. Daksha had a daughter named Sati who was married to Shiva. Daksha did not like his son-in-law at all. When he organized a yajna, he did not invite Shiva to attend the ceremony. But Sati went to…
The sages requested Lomaharshana. ―Please tell us the history of the solar line.‖ Lomaharshana complied. Aditi and the sage Kashyapa had borne the sun-god, Vivasvana or Surya, as a son. Surya had three wives, Samjna, Rajni and Prabha. Rajna had a son named Revata and Prabha had a son named…
Ghanta and Karna were brothers in some sources, but the older rakshasa was called by both names, Ghantakanta, as the myths were about him. Ghanta’s myth was nested within several others and modified in sectarian versions competing over who was the supreme deity, Siva or Vishnu. Ghantakarna came into being…
Bhima – the demon, was the son of Kumbhakarna and Karkati. After Kumbhakarna was killed by Sri Rama. Karkati and Bhima went to live at Sahya mountain. When Bhima grew up he asked Karkati about his father. Karkati told him that his father had been killed by Rama. Bhima swore…
Describing about Mahabal Shivalinga, Suta said to the sages- “Mahabal Shivalinga is situated at Gokarna area. A devotee who has a darshan of Mahabal Shivalinga on the eighth or fourteenth day of ‘Ardranakshatra falling on Monday, becomes free from all of his sins and attains to the Shivaloka.” Having a…
Narada says: “O brother! Kindly narrate the tale of the Ganges’ origin from the feet of lord Vishnu.” Sanatkumar says: Long ago, in the beginning of creation, one sage Kashyapa had two wives Diti and Aditi. They both were the daughters of Daksha. Aditi was the mother of the gods…
Because of Bhrigu‘s curse, Vishnu had to be born several times on earth. These are known as avataras (incarnations). The Vayu Purana now catalogues Vishnu‘s ten incarnations. These are as follows. (1) Matsya or fish. (2) Narasimha or half-man and half-lion (3) Vamana or dwarf. (4) Dattatreya, the sage. (5)…
There are roughly seventy-one mahayugas in a manvantara. A mahayuga lasts for twelve thousand years of the gods and consists of four different eras or yugas – satya yuga or krita yuga, treta yuga, dvapara yuga, and kali yuga. Satya yuga lasts for four thousand years of the gods treta…
King Adhisima Krishna (alternatively, Asima Krishna) ruled the earth well. During his reign, several sages organized a yajna (sacrifice) on the banks of the sacred river Drishadvati. The river flowed through the region that was known as Kurukshetra. The sacrifice went on for a very long time and the sage…