Tag: shukracharya
47) VAMANA–INCARNATION
Continuing with the various incarnations of Lord Vishnu, Lord Mahadeva told Parvati — Prahlada had a son named Virochan.The most benevolent king–‘Mahabahu-Bali’ was Virochan’s son. Bali had defeated the deities and ruled over all the three worlds. Sage Kashyapa commenced the most austere penance–Payovrata to help the deities regain their lost…
10) BASHKALI–THE DEMON KING
Bhisma requested Sage Pulastya to reveal Why Lord Vishnu had to take incarnation as Vamana. Sage Pulastya replied— Once, during Satya Yuga, the demons had defeated the deities and driven them out from their abode–heaven. The mighty demon, Bashkali was their leader. He had become immortal an account of a…
7) CHAPTER SEVEN DHRUVA PLEASES GOD WITH HIS PENANCE
The prince Dhruva greeted the sages and continued on his journey. At last, he reached a beautiful forest Madhuvan on the bank of the river Yamuna. It was the same forest, which was later occupied by a demon Madhu. Shatrughana, the youngest brother of Lord Rama had killed the demon…
KSHUVA–DADHICHI FIGHT AND VISHNU–DADHICHI FIGHT
Narada, who was listening to the divine tales of Shiva with rapt attention, was very curious to know about the reasons why lord Vishnu attended a yagya where Shiva was not invited and why did he fight a battle against Veerbhadra despite knowing about his invincibility. Lord Brahma told him…
SHANKHACHUDA BECOMES THE RULER OF ALL THE THREE WORLDS
When Shankhachuda reached his capital after marrying Tulsi, he was crowned as the king of the demons by Shukracharya. After his coronation, Shankhachuda attacked Indrapuri supported by his huge army and defeated the deities. In a very short time all the three worlds were under his control. After being defeated…
BATTLE BETWEEN JALANDHAR AND THE DEITIES
One day Sage Bhrigu came to meet Jalandhar. After receiving him with due respect Jalandhar asked him as to who severed the head of Rahu. Sage Bhrigu then told him about Hiranyakashipu who was the maternal uncle of Rahu. Sage Bhrigu also told him about Virochana – the son of…
BIRTH OF TARAKASUR AND HIS PENANCE
Varangi gave birth to Tarakasur, the valiant and brave demon. During the time of his birth, the world was affected by inauspicious events like earthquakes, cyclones etc. His name Tarakasur was given by Kashyapa. After he grew up, Tarakasur went to Madhuvan to do penance. His tremendous penance scarred the…
10) CHAPTER TEN TALE OF YAYATI
ahush had six sons- Yati, Yayati, Sanyati, Ayati, Viyati and Kriti. Yayati had two wives, Devyani, the daughter of Shukracharya and Sharmishtha, the daughter of Vrishparva. Devyani gave birth to Yadu and Turvasu whereas Sharmishtha gave birth to Druhayu, Anu and Puru. Because of a curse of Shukracharya old age…
45) THE LINEAGE OF ADITYA
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…
21) INCARNATIONS OF SHIVA DURING VARIOUS DWAPAR YUGAS
On being enquired by Lord Brahma about his various incarnations, Lord Shiva said — “I shall incarnate as Shwet-Mahamuni during first Dwapar Yuga of Vaivaswat manvantar. My abode shell is at Chhogal peak of Himalaya mountain. I shall have four disciples who will be proficient in the Vedas.” “I will…
3) CHAPTER THREE VEDA VYASA AND SIGNIFICANCE OF BRAHMAGYAN
Maitreya says- “O Lord! How did God divide Vedas in the form of Veda Vyasa during different yugas?” Parashar says- During each Dwapar Yuga, in every Kalpa, Lord Vishnu takes incarnation as Veda Vyasa and effects the division of Vedas for the benefit of human beings. During every Dwapar Yuga of…
11) CHAPTER ELEVEN TALE OF PRAHLADA AND NARSIMHA INCARNATION
Parashar says- By the boon of Brahma, Hiranyakashipu had acquired tremendous power and came to control all the three worlds. He had driven the gods out of heaven and used to receive the oblations offered to Surya, Vayu, Agni, Varuna, Chandrama, Kubera, Yamaraj etc. Because of his fear, all those…
20) The Lunar Dynasty
Budha was the son of the moon-god Chandra. Budha married Ila and they had a son named Pururava. Pururava married the apsara Urvashi and they had six sons. One of these sons was Ayu and amongst Ayu’s descendants was a king named Yayati. Yayati had two wives. The…
18) BRAHMA PURANA – Bali
There was a king of the daityas named Bali. He was powerful and invincible. He was also righteous and truthful. The gods cold not bear to see Bali’s prosperity and began to plot how Bali might be foiled. So well did Bali rule that disease, drought and evil disappeared throughout…
12) BRAHMA PURANA – Yayati
In the lunar dynasty, there was born a powerful king named Nahusha. He married Viraja and they had six sons named Yati, Yajati, Samyati, Ayati, Yati, and Suyati. Yati became a hermit. So although Yayati was not the eldest, he was crowned king after Nahusha. Yayati had two wives. The…
11) BRAHMA PURANA – The Moon and the Lunar Dynasty
There was a sage named Atri. Atri performed very difficult tapasya. So difficult was the tapasya that Atri’s energy was thrown up into the sky. The sky could not bear this energy and hurled it down onto the earth. This energy then gave birth to Soma or Chandra, the moon…
Shishupala Vadha – SALVATION OF SHISHUPAL – BHAGAVATA PURANA
Shishupala Vadha Story by Lord Krishna King Yudhisthira had invited great vedic Brahmins and Acharyas on the occasion. Those great Sages included Ved Vyasa, Bhardwaj, Sumantu, Gautam, Asit, Vashishtha, Chyvan, Kanv, Maitreya, Kavash, Chit, Vishvamitra, Vamdev, Sumati, Jemini, Kratu, Pail, Parashurama, Shukracharya, Asuri, Vitihotra, Madhuchhanda, Veersen and Akritvarn etc. Persons…
INSULT OF BRIHASPATI BY THE GODS
Shukdev says, “O Parikshit, Indra had become very haughty by the luxuries he received as the king of the gods. One day, Devraj Indra was sitting on his throne alongwith his queen Shachi. His court was full of courtiers. Forty-nine Marudganas, eight Vasus, eleven Rudras, Aditya, Ribhuganas Vishvedev, Shadhyaganas and…
Vamana incarnation of lord Vishnu – Bhagavat Purana
Vamana Avatar of Vishnu When the Lord arrived in Aditi’s womb, Brahma prayed to Him. By Brahma’s prayers, the unborn God appeared before Aditi. Shukdev says, ” O Parikshit, on the twelfth day of the waxing phase of Bhadrapada month (corresponding to September) Lord tok birth in Abhijit Muhurta. Everywhere,…
STORY OF PRAHLADA THE GREAT DEVOTEE
Pious virtues of Prahlada: – The youngest son of the demon king Hiranykashipu, Prahlada was very virtuous. He used to serve the sages with love. He treated all the beings equally and did never differentiate them as separate from him. He had a respect for the elders. Despite having knowledge,…
LORD VAMANA’S DEMANDS
Bali was pleased that he would get an opportunity to see the Almighty God whom the sages contemplate upon. He was proud of his good fortune that the lord was paying him a visit. Shukracharya aware of the reason for Vamana’s arrival warned Bali against making any promise to him….
66) ARRIVAL OF LORD VAMANA AT KURUKSHETRA
Pulastya says- “After satisfying Bharadwaj’s curiosity about his different abodes, Lord Vamana left for Kurukshetra where Bali was busy performing his Yagya. As soon as Lord Vamana reached Kurukshetra, the whole earth started shaking violently and high tides rose in the ocean. Being frightened of Lord Vishnu, Agni did not…
BALI PERFORMS ASWHAMEDHA YAGYA – BALI’S ARRIVAL AT KURUKSHETRA
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,…
MYTHOLOGICAL TALES DHUNDHU PERFORMS ASHWAMEDHA YAGYA
Pulastya says- “During his pilgrimage, Prahlada visited many sacred places like Manas Tirtha, Kaushiki, Devahnad and Hastinapur etc. At last he reached the bank of river Yamuna where he worshipped Lord Trivikrama (Vamana).” Narada was surprised at the mention of Vamana’s name and asked Pulastya- “Lord Vishnu is still to…
KING BALI BALI RULES THE HEAVEN
The mighty Banasura saw the demons running away from the battlefield and came to their rescue. The arrival of Banasura boosted the morale of the defeated demons and they returned to fight the deities. Lord Vishnu advised the deities to fight gallantly and disappeared from the battlefield. Shukracharya assured the…
LORD SHIVA KILLS ANDHAK
In spite of death and destruction caused to his army, Andhak still wanted to continue fighting against Lord Shiva’s army. He even dismissed the advises of Shukracharya who wanted a momentary retreat and rebuffed him by saying- “All the deities including Maheshwar and Indra cannot save themselves from my wrath….
SHUKRACHARYA USES SANJIVANI VIDYA
Andhak went to Shukracharya and narrated the woeful tale of demons’ defeat. He also requested Shukracharya to help the demons win the battle. Shukracharya was dejected but he assured the demons that he would make alive, all the dead demons with the help of SanJivani Vidya and really all the…
THE BATTLE COMMENCES
Pulastya says- “When the Ganas saw Andhak’s army approaching the Mandar Mountain, they made a loud roar, which reverberated through the land and sky. Hearing this roar, Lord Ganesha became apprehensive and went to Mandar Mountain to ask Lord Shiva about the origin of that tremendous roar. Lord Shiva told…
SAGE SHUKRACHARYA CURSES DANDA
Prahlada says- “Blinded by lust, Danda forcibly breached the modesty of unrelenting Araja and returned to his palace. Araja was saddened by the inability to protect her chastity and started wailing. When Shukracharya returned to his hermitage, he found Araja lying down at the entrance. He asked her about what…
KING DANDA AND ARAJA ANDHAKASURA- THE DEMON
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…
LORD SHIVA DOES PENANCE
Lord Shiva was so deeply attached to Uma that for 1000 years, he was possessed by only her thoughts. He forgot about his duties and as a result, there was anarchy all over the world. His obsession with Uma had also decreased his radiance. He decided to do penance with…
37) KACHA AND DEVAYANI
The gods and the demons fought with each other all the time. Brihaspati was the preceptor of the gods and Shukracharya was the preceptor of the demons. Shukracharya knew a wonderful art known as mritasanjivani. This was the knowledge of bringing back dead people to life. Since Shukracharya knew this…
LORD VAMANA’S DEMANDS
Lomaharshan says- “The shaking and trembling of earth surprised Bali and he enquired about this strange happening to Shukracharya. He was also surprised by the fact that Agni was not accepting the offerings. Shukracharya, after contemplating for a while on this matter, came to know about Vamana’s incarnation. He…
TALES OF DEMONS ANDHAK- THE DEMON KING
Sage Narada was curious to know how the demon King Andhak behaved with the deities. He asked Pulastya in this regard. Pulastya replied- “After ascending the throne, Andhak did a severe penance to please Lord Shiva and received a boon according to which he could neither be killed by the…
31) THE CHURNING OF THE OCEAN
The gods and the demons always fought with one another. In the process, many demons and gods were killed. This was no problem for the demons. Their teacher, Shukracharya, knew the art of mritasanjivani and immediately brought the dead demons back to life. But the gods who were killed stayed…
29) VALI
There was a demon named Vali who was descended from Hiranyakashipu. Extemely strong, he defeated the gods and drove them out of heaven. The mother of all the gods was Aditi and Aditi was despondent that her sons should suffer so at the hands of demons. She therefore began to…
16) MRITASANJIVANI
―But what about mritasanyjivani?‖ asked the sages. ―You haven‘t told us how Shukracharya came to acquire this wonderful knowledge.‖ Lomaharshana told them the following story. The gods and the demons fought all the time and the demons were sometimes worsted in these encounters. Shukracharya consoled the demons. ―Do not worry,‖…
15) SHARMISHTHA AND DEVAYANI
Sharmishtha was the daughter of Vrishaparva, the king of the danavas. Sharmishtha and Devayani were great friends, until Indra played some mischief. The two friends had gone to bathe in a pond and had left their clothes on the bank. Indra adopted the form of a breeze and mixed…
14) YAYATI
In the lunar line there was a king named Nahusha and Nahusha‘s son was Yayati. Yayati had two wives, Sharmishtha and Devayani. Sharmishtha was the daughter of Vrishaparva, the king of the danavas (demons). And Devayani‘s father was Shukracharya, the preceptor of the demons. Devayani gave birth to Yadu and…
4) CHURNING OF THE OCEAN
Sage Lomesh narrated the tale, which described how Indra lost heaven after he showed disrespect to Brihaspati– Once, Indra was enjoying the songs sung by Gandharvas when sage Vashishtha arrived. But, Indra was so engrossed in music, that he forgot to welcome his distinguished guest. Sage Vashishtha was enraged by…
CHAPTER – 10 ORIGIN OF THE GANGES
Narada says: “O brother! You narrated a wonderful tale. Now, kindly relate to me, how did the Ganges originate?” Sanatkumar says: O Narada! Pleased with the severe penance of Aditi, Lord Vishnu appeared before her and asked her to seek a boon. Feeling elated with exhilaration, Aditi fell flat at…
BATTLE BETWEEN LORD SHIVA AND ANDHAK
Once, Andhak brothers jokingly told him that, since his real parents were somebody else (Shiva and Parvati) therefore he was not fit to rule them. Though they had told this in good humour, yet Andhak was very much saddened by their remark. He relinquished his throne and went to a…
26) DADHICHI SUBJUGATES KSHOOPA
There ruled a king named Kshoopa whose friend was Sage Dadhichi. Once they got into argument over the superiority of their respective castes. King Kshoopa was of the opinion that a Kshetriya was superior to Brahmin. Very soon, the dispute took an ugly turn and a duel broke out between…
32) THE GODS AND THE DEMONS
The gods and the demons did not like each other and fought several wars with each other. There were twelve such terrible wars. On one particular occasion, the demons were defeated by the gods. Extremely disheartened, they went to visit their preceptor, Shukracharya. (son of sage Bhrigu.) The demons told…
30) YAYATI
In the lunar line, there was a king named Nahusha. He had six sons and the youngest was named Yayati. After Nahusha, Yayati became king. Yayati had two wives. Shukracharya was the preceptor of the gods and Yayati married Devayani, Shukracharya‘s daughter. The king of the danavas was Vrishaparva and…
SHIVA TEACHES ‘MRITASANJIVANI VIDDYA’ TO SHUKRACHARYA
Shukracharya did a severe penance for five thousand years to please Shiva and acquire the secrets of Mritasanjivani Viddya (bringing back dead person alive) from him. When Lord Shiva did not appear even after such a tremendous penance, then he indulges himself in severest form of penance, by quitting having…