Cancalakshmi, the celestial, was raped by the demon Ravana, while her mind was fixed in prayer. She was praying to the goddess Mahalakshmi. Cancalakshmi cursed Ravana, stating he would be killed by Lakshmi. In the course of time Lak- shmi was incarnated as Sita. Ravana abducted Sita, and Ravana was…
Once while the prostitute Cancalakshmi (“one with moving eyes”) was waiting in the night for her lover, she was attacked and killed by a leopard (or in another version, a tiger). Following her death both the attendants of Vishnu and Yama came to take her soul. They began to…
In some accounts one of the ten incarnations of Vishnu was as the Buddha. Vishnu came to earth in order to delude those who already deserved punishment for their bad deeds (karma). Deceived by the Buddha’s false teachings, these individuals renounced the Vedas and ceased to do their duty…
Brihaspati was the teacher of the devas (gods). He was born of Angiras and Vasudha (or SSraddha). Angiras was the son of Brahma, the creator, who had lost his seed in the sacrificial fire at the sight of a celestial maiden. Sage Brihaspati was also identified with a celestial star…
The Rigveda described the origin of the four castes from parts of the cosmic person, Virat Purusha. The Manusmriti (the law code of Manu) said that the four castes where born from different parts of the body of Brahma. Brahmanas (brahmins) were born from the face, ksatriyas from the…
Brahmanda, or the egg of Brahma (immensity), may have been the subject of an entire book describing a creation myth, the Brahmanda Purana. But it is no longer extant, existing only in fragments of other works. The description of the origin of the universe as a golden egg appeared…
