Usha was a daitya (demon) princess, daughter of Bana and granddaughter of Bali, both great asura (demon) rulers. Usha dreamed of the man she would wish to marry. Citralekha, a woman with this special siddhi (power), drew a picture of Aniruddha, grandson of Krishna, according to Usha’s dream. Then, Citralekha…
Tilottama was an example of robotics, according to the modern Hindu idea that every form of knowledge, including modern science, can be found in the Vedas and Puranas. Tilottama had to be made from all the elements of beauty, animate and inanimate, to make a woman who would enchant two…
The story of Tara illustrates the Puranic mentality of defaming its heroes and heroines, since some accounts make her a willing participant in adultery and others exonerate her and present her as one of the pancakanaya, five perfect women. Tara was married to the great sage Brihaspati and was unusually…
Uma was a goddess whose name meant “light.” She was the wife of Siva and was also known by the name of Parvati in one of her births.
The unmarried girls of Vrindavana felt as if their lives were dedicated to Lord Krishna. Each of them wished heartly to have lord Krishna as her husband. So in order to get their desire fulfilled, all of the spinster girls of Vraj began to take bath in Yamuna early in…
Tapa was a deva (god) who was born of the tapas (austerities) of five sages: Kasyapa, Vasishtha, Pranaka, Cyavana, and Trivarcas. Hence, he was also known by the name Panca-janya (one born of five). He can be said to be the personification of tapas. However, the Mahabharata added that Tapa…
