Third of the ten incarnations of Vishnu, as Varaha, the wild boar In the Padma Purana the world order had again been disrupted. The fierce asura (demon) Hiranyaksha had gained a boon (vara) of invincibility. With his provisional immortality, he stormed around the three regions of the universe wanting to…
Vamana was the dwarf incarnation (avatara) of Vishnu. The myth utilized the device of deceit, or outwitting the opponent, even though the struggle was between the supreme god Vishnu and a demon (asura) named Bali. Although an avatara was required to restore the proper order and return righteousness to…
There are no authentic records about Valmiki’s parentage. The popular version considered him to be the tenth son of Varuna, god of the sea. Valmiki was considered to be the first poet. There is an interesting story about the earlier part of Valmiki’s life. He began this life…
Vaivasvata Manu is the “first man” of the current manvantara (age or era). In the Rigveda there were references to Father Manu, implying that he was either a creator or a progenitor of the human race, but this reference seemed to refer to the sun god Surya….
Vaikuntha was the celestial abode of Vishnu. Vaikuntha literally means the “place of no hindrance.” In the Puranas, it was located variously—in heaven (svarga), north of the heavenly mountains (Himalaya), even on Mount Meru (Mahameru), the axis of the earth. Most commonly Vaikuntha was located on the southern slopes of…
Princess Vadhrimati was married to a hermaphrodite. With the blessings of the Asivin brothers she received a son named Hiranya Hasta. The story came from a time when gods had sons with princesses. In a slightly different version Vadhrimati was married to a eunuch. Despondent that she could not have…
