Asikni must be ranked among the most fertile of all wives in Hindu myth. The myths only gave her this one dimension. Daksha, an alternative creator to Kasyapa, found that he could not create all of the species from his own mind. So he married Asikni and immediately begat five…
Thus graced by Sukhdev, king Parikshit faithfully worshiped Brahmrishi and prayed to him with folded hands: “Lord, you are an idol of kindness. You have bestowed your graced on me narrating the plays of Lord Sri Hari. Now I am saved and have achieved my natural state. You helped me…
How do Vedas then depict Brahma? King Parikshit asked: “Brahmin, Brahma is beyond the limit of do’s and why’s. He is free from the virtues like Sat, Raja and Tama. He cannot be seen by mind. On the other hand Guna (Virtues) is the subject of all the Shrutis (Vedas)….
King Parikshit asked: “Gurudev, how did my grandfather Arjuna and grandmother Subhadra got married? I want to hear this tale. Kindly narrate it to me.” Shukdev said: Parikshit once travelling on a pilgrimage tour, Arjuna reached in Prabhas region. There he learned that Balarama was desirous of marrying his sister…
The king Parikshit expressed his desire to hear about the life of Balarama. Shukdev said:, “O king, there was once a monkey named Dwivid. He was the friend of Bhaumasur. When Dwivid heard about Bhaumasur’s killing by Sri Krishna, he began to cause large scale destruction in the kingdom. His…
Lord Vishnu the creator Driven by the desire, the Adi Purusha (primitive being) Narayan took the help of his Prakriti (nature’s female creational force) and generated himself in Chaturbhuj (four-armed) from. And from His navel appeared Lord Brahma, the creator. That form of God was full of pure truth and…
The grandfather of this kalpa, Kasyapa-prajapati, founded the kingdom of serpents with his wife Kadru. Takshaka was one of her seven greatest children, the septa-nagas. Takshaka and her most righteous children were cursed to be reborn on earth and to be burned alive as their punishment for not obeying their…
Hearing the tales of Royal dynasties from Sukhdev, king Parikshit requested “Guruvar, you have just narrated the surprising tale of Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi (dynasties). Now I wish to hear the tales of Lord Krishna’s life in detail. It was because of God’s grace that my ancestors could successfully win the…
At that moment the ever-wandering, indifferent-natured sage Shukadeva also arrived there. He was self indulgent and free from the bondages of ashramas (phases of life). He was then only sixteen years old but appeared quite radiant and graceful. Shukadeva was an honorable figure even for the sages who had gathered…
King Parikshit requested Sukhdev to describe about the dynasty of his contemporary Manu, Shraddha Dev. Sukhdev said: ‘Parikshit, I describe about the dynasty of Manu in short because if I go in detail, it will not be completed in hundreds of years.’ Manu Shraddha Dev was the son of Surya…
Matsya avatar story in english King Parikshit asked: ‘O Gurudev, Lord is omnipotent. Why did He then take Matsyavatar like an ordinary being bound by karma? I want to hear the tale of God’s Matsyavatar.’ Shukdev said: ‘O Parikshit, God is one. Still for the preservation of His devotees, He…
King Parikshit asked, “O great sage, how did God cause churning of the sea. What was the purpose behind it? Kindly tell me?” Shukdev says, “Parikshit, in the sixth Chakshush Manvantara, the demons king Bali had defeated the gods. Indra had also lost his glory by insulting the garland which…
Previous Births of Gaja and Grah Killed by the God, the crocodile at once acquired a divine appearance. He was a good-natured Gandharva (demigod) named Huhu, in his previous birth. By the curse of Mahatma Deval, he had to take birth in crocodile form. But now, by the grace of…
The king Parikshit asked, ” O fortunate one, God is said to have an equal view for everybody. Why then does He favor the gods alone. Why does He kill the demons only? Thus I have some doubts regarding God’s impartiality. Kindly remove them.” Shukdev says, ” Parikshit, God’s sketches…
Parikshit had a miraculous birth. At the very end of the war told of in the Mahabharata, one of the last surviving Kauravas launched the magical weapon of Brahma (a Brahmashira) to exterminate all of the Pandavas, but Arjuna had an equal weapon that he launched to defeat it. However,…
The king Parikshit requested Shukdev, “O preacher, so far you have related about the way how to overcome attachment for wordily things. Inadvertently, the lliving beings commit some kinds of sins or crimes. O great soul, now kindly tell me the way by which humans can get rid themselves of…
Hearing the tale of Prachetas’ devotion and receiving God’s grace by them, a curiosity arose in the mind of the king Parikshit about self-knowledge and Grihastha Dharma (duties of a married person). He asked Sukhdev, “O Brahmin, Priyvrat was a supreme devotee and self-indulgent. Why did he then live in…
One day, king Parikshit went on a hunting excursion. Till noon, he could not find a game. He was feeling restless because of hunger, thirst and fatigue. Searching water and shelter the king reached the hermitage of the sage Shamik. Shamik was in deep meditation so he did not welcome…
In the Rigveda Kanva was part of Kasiyapa’s family. His father was Medhatithi. Kanva became a teacher with many disciples at his ashrama (hermitage) on the Malini River in the Himalayas. He was credited with writing as many as fifty chapters of the first section (mandala) and the entire tenth…
During his regime, the king Parikshit got untoward reports that Kali Yuga had entered within the limits of his otherwise peaceful kingdom. With a huge army, Parikshit at once setout to the spot where Kali Yuga had arrived. On the way he saw the religion and the earth in the…
Kali (strife) was the personification of evil (adharma), as well as the worst throw in a game of Indian dice. He could also be called the god of sin and of bad luck. Kali was born as the fifteenth of sixteen sons of Kasyapa and his wife Muni. In an…
King Kakshasena, praised as an examplar in the Mahabharata, was the son of King Parikshit and grandson of King Avikshit. Kakshasena achieved an honored place in Hindu mythology because of his generous support of the priesthood. The lists of such donors included great kings of the epic period: Shibi, Pratardana,…
According to the Devi Bhagavata Janamejaya was but an infant when his father King Parikshit died from the poisonous bite of Takshaka, king of the serpents. At an appropriate age Janamejaya was crowned king of Hastinapura. When he learned exactly how his father had died, Janamejaya sought a way to…
Once, Sutji narrated the tale of king Parikshit to all the assembled sages—Parikshit ruled over Hastinapur. One day he went into a forest on a hunting spree. He saw a deer and managed to injure it with his arrow. But the injured deer disappeared from his sight. Parikshit chased the…
In the Devi Bhagavata the sage Nagabhushana (“one having snakes as his ornament,” a sage whose name was a pun, pointing to the object of the story, Siva) was deep in meditation at his forest hermitage. King Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna, came to him desiring water after a long hunt….
Vasudev, the son of Shoorsen was married to Devaki, the daughter of Devak. On that occasion of their marriage, Devaki’s cousin Kansa was driving their chariot. At that time, a celestial voice declared that the eighth son of Devaki would kill Kansa. Kansa in the excitement was ready to kill…
The king Parikshit asked, ” O Lord, kindly relate to me the knowledge (Vaishnavi Vidya) by the power of which Devraj Indra easily defeated the demons.” Shukdev says, ” Parikshit now I am telling you about the knowledge that was once taught to Indra by Vishwrup. So listen to it…