Sharyati was the second son of Vaivasvata Manu. He was a great scholar of Vedas. He had an extremely beautiful daughter named Sukanya. One day, king Sharyati was in the forests with his family. Thus roaming, they reached the hermitage of the sage Chyavan. Chyavan was immersed in deep meditation….
After the exile of Sudyumna, Manu took to penance with a desire to have son. Pleased by his penance Sri Hari blessed him to have ten sons. Parishadhru was the eldest of them. He was appointed in the service of the cows. One night in darkness, a tiger broke into…
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,…
The Rama myth cycle is especially complex because there are so many literary and oral versions, each language of India having its own variations, as well as expressions in art, dance, drama, and film or video. Since Rama was an incarnation of Vishnu, his story is nested within the Vishnu…
Rakshasas were often described as a subset of the asuras. Other subsets were yakshas and daityas. The word rakshasa came from the root raksh, meaning to guard. They may have originally been guardians, as one myth indicated that when Brahma created the waters, he created rakshasas to guard them. Individual…
The consort of Sr Krishna Radha is one of the most popular figures in Hindu mythology and is even understood by some to be a manifestation of the Supreme. Radha has many personas and a complex mythology. Radha is the young, innocent maiden coming into the forest at night in…
Pralaya (“dissolution”) generally meant the destruction of one creation before the next. Chapter 2 deals with Hindu conceptions of time and of multiple creations. The Agni Purana mentioned four kinds of pralaya: a daily destruction (nitya pralaya), the destruction at the end of a kalpa or a day of Brahma…
(1) Matter; (2) A goddess Prakriti was a term meaning nature, origin, or progress, which was used to express one of the foundational ideas of India’s earliest philosophical system, Samkhya (or Sankhya). In Samkhya prakriti was the category of matter or materiality. Hindu mythology simplified Samkhya complexity and even personified…
Pasupati was an epithet for a divinity that meant “lord of the creatures (pasu)” and “lord of cattle (pasu).” In the early Vedic hymns this appellation pointed to Agni, the god of fire, whose divine heat (tapas) was creative and destructive (rudra). Another figure, Purusha (the first man), was also…
Parvati, goddess of the mountain, Himalaya, primary wife of Siva, mother of at least two of Siva’s sons, is by far the most complicated of Hindu goddesses. She is given differing and often contradictory natures by the three main perspectives of later mythology—Saktas (those who worship the divine mother), Saivas…
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,…
In the Vedic period Om became the holiest invocation (mantra) in Hindu mythology and religion. Om was a contraction of the vowels a and u and the anusvara m. In this one sound were encapsulated the conceptions about sound (Vac), about its effectiveness in the Vedic fire rituals, and about…
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…
Naciketas was born to the sage Vajasiravas (also known as Aruni). Naciketas’s dialogue with Yama (death) was made famous in the Katha Upanishad. Vajasravas believed that he would gain heaven (svarga) by giving cattle as charity (or perhaps to the gods in sacrifice). The young Naciketas noticed that the cows…
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…
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…
In the meantime, both daughters of Yaksha and the demon arrived at Srikanth Mahadeva temple and engaged themselves in the worship of lord Mahadeva. One day, sage Galav arrived at the temple and was astonished to find two young ladies at such a deserted place. While taking bath, he heard…
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…
Continuing the process of creation, Brahma produced Sage Kardam from his shadow and asked him to observe penance first. Thereafter, Brahma dictated Kardam to acquire physical strength and the strength of his sense and undertake the process of creating his offsprings. As per his father’s dictate, Kardam observed severe penance….
Regarding the different stages of liberation, Suta told the sages that there were five stages of liberation capable of freeing a man from the sorrows of this world. 1) Sarupya (Similitude with the Almighty), 2) Salokya, 3) Sannidhya (living in the proximity of the almighty), 4) Sayujya (getting united with…
Lord Vishnu said–‘Anybody having three parallel lines on his forehead lives happily for sixty years whereas two parallel lines indicates that he would live till the age of forty years. Only one line on the forehead indicates that he would have a short life but if the line stretches up…
Narada asked sage Pulastya as to how Goddess Durga kill Mahishasura. Sage Pulastya replied- “After the killing of Chikshur, Mahishasura sent Namar to fight Goddess Durga. Namar proceeded towards the Vindhya Mountain accompanied by a huge battalion. After reaching there, he shot a volley of arrows towards the Vindhya Mountain….
During ancient times, there lived two demons- Rambh and Karambh who would torment people. As both were sonless, they decided to do severe penance by keeping their bodies submerged in Panchmad River with a desire of having sons. Indra becoming fearful, took the guise of a crocodile and killed Karambh…
The sages say- “Dharma consists of ten properties such as non-violence, truth, charity, not stealing the property of others, forgiveness, self-restraint, cleanliness etc. Hence it is known as Dashang Dharma. These properties are obligatory for people belonging to all castes and creeds. A Brahmin’s life is categorised into four ashramas-…
Sutji once reached the forest of ‘Naimisharanya’ in course of his journey. Naimisharanya was a holy place where sages and hermits went to do penance. After reaching there Sutji met many prominent sages who were pleased at his arrival. They took it as a God sent opportunity to get their…
The famous battle of ‘Tarakamaya’ had ended. The deities after having defeated the demons had once again regained the control of heaven. Lord Brahma being satisfied with the postive outcome of the war was engrossed in his meditation when Sanatkumar arrived and asked–“O Lord! I am anxious to know about…
Once, Janmejay asked Sage Vaishampayan about Yamrajpuri and its location. He also wanted to know as to what should a man do so that he does not have to go there. Sage Vaishampayan narrated the tale of Nachiketa, one of the few blessed persons to have visited Yamarajpuri with his…
“The most auspicious time for the installation of bronze-idol is said to be during jyeshtha nakshatra. The idol should be installed facing north. At the time of installation the devotee must not forget to keep four small pots in front of the deity, each filled with articles like ‘panchgavya’ water,…
“A devotee should carefully make a beautiful earthen idol without any sign of crack. The most auspicious time for the installation of an earthen idol is said to be during ‘Shravana nakshatra’. An invocation is made to the deity to dwell within the idol after which ablution of the…
Describing the holiness of Kokamukh tirth, lord Varaha narrated a tale to Prithvi-“Once a fisherman was trying to catch a large fish in a lake situated at Kokamukh. Suddenly a hawk which was flying in the sky, descended down and after picking the fish in its beak tried to fly…
Giving the reasons that lead to the great battle of Mahabharata, Lord Brahma told sage Vyasa that Sri Krishna had planned this great battle and executed it to perfection to relieve the earth from the burden of tyrants. While giving the names of lineal ascendants of Kauravas and Pandavas, he…
This particular austerity on the first day of the Hindu month-margashirsh. It is related with the worship of lord Vishnu and the rituals have some special characteristics- having one meal on the eleventh day of the month (ekadashi), donating barley to brahmins, worshipping the idol of goddess Prithvi on ‘ekadashi’,…
This particular austerity is dedicated to the worship of lord Kurma- the incarnation of lord Vishnu. It is celebrated on the twelfth day of the bright half of the Hindu month ‘pausha’. The austerity which commences on the tenth day itself when a devotee is supposed to purify himself by…
Making a revelation to Vyasa that the Almighty God manifests himself whenever the civilization is endangered by the dominance of sinners, Lord Brahma said– ‘In Dwapar yuga, Lord Vishnu incarnated as Sri Krishna to protect Dharma from being subjugated by ‘Adharma’, which had become all pervasive at that time. He…
Lord Brahma then went on to describe the famous tale of Ramayana the mere listening to which absolves a man from all his sins. He began by giving the details of Sri Ram’s lineage and said–‘I (Lord Brahma) manifested from the Lotus originating from the navel of Lord Vishnu. Sage…
A person performing the shradha rituals should have his seat made of ‘kusha’ grass. After taking his seat, he should invoke the deities and make offerings of ‘ardhya’ to them. While offering ‘ardhya’ to the deities water and barley are commonly used along with other articles like sandalwood, incense, etc….
Once, sage Vyasa went to Brahmaloka to get his doubts cleared on certain spiritual matters from Lord Brahma. While dwelling on a wide range of religious topics such as importance of austerities and various incarnations Lord Vishnu took to protect righteousness, Lord Brahma narrated a tale of a Brahmin woman…
Once sage Markandeya arrived at Naimisharanya to see sage Gaurmukh. Sage Gaurmukh was delighted to find such an enlightened soul at his hermitage. After the formalities were over, Gaurmukh requested him to shed light on the venerability of ancestors and the significance of shradha rituals. Sage Markandeya replied- “Lord Brahma,…
Prithvi was anxious to know about the effect sage Brihaspati’s discources had on King Vasu as well as sage Raimya. She asked lord Varaha- “What did both king Vasu and sage Raimya do after listening to the preachings of sage Brihaspati?” Lord Varaha replied- “King Vasu was so impressed by…
Prithvi asked lord Varaha about the famous incident which described Ashvashira’s unification with lord Narayan. Lord Varaha then narrated the following tale- “During ancient times, there used to live a virtuous king named Ashvashira. He had performed an Ashwamedha Yagya in which he had donated large amount of wealth. Once,…
Describing the methods of purifying different articles, Lord Vishnu reflected on the instructions which sage Yagyavalkya had once given to other sages in this regard-‘Substances like gold, silver, conch, vegetables, rope, leather articles, etc. become pure once they are washed with water. In the same way, utensils made of wood…
His education being complete now it is the time for him to enter the life of a householder. But, before leaving the hermitage he should pay ‘Dakshina’ as a mark of gratitude to his Guru for all the knowledge he has imparted to him. With the permission of his Guru,…
After finishing his education the celibate should shave his beards and moustaches for the first time. Strict guidelines have been laid down for each caste with respect to this particular consecration. A Brahmin should get consecrated with this ritual in his sixteenth year while a Kshatriya should get it performed…
While describing the significance of various consecrations, Lord Vishnu told Shiva that the union of man’s sperm and woman’s ovum results into the birth of a child. This union along with the whole process of foetus getting transformed into a baby is a lengthy affair during which it imbibes numerous…
There was a danava named Maya. Just as Vishvakarma was the architect of the gods, Maya was the architect of the demons. When the demons were defeated by the gods, Maya started to perfrom very difficult tapasya so that the gods might be defeated. Maya‘s meditation inspired two other…
Lord Vishnu said–‘A woman having a round face, curly hair and lower portion of her navel slightly slanted towards right, is extremely fortunate not only for herself but also for her whole clan. Similarly, a woman with golden complexion and hands as beautiful and soft as red lotus flower is…
Dwelling on length about the importance of physical traits and symptoms apparent in an individual, Lord Vishnu told Shiva-‘ If one sees the following physical traits in a man, he should immediately understand that he is seeing a prospective King : Hands and feet as soft as a lotus flower,…
Parvati curiously asked Lord Shiva about the reason why Somnath was known by so many different names. Lord Shiva said- ‘Since the time this divine linga first manifested itself very few blessed souls had the knowledge of it’s existence. Brahma has a life span of one kalpa at the end…
Once, while describing the origin of Puranas, Sutji told the sages who had assembled at Naimisharanya–‘Lord Shiva had first revealed the contents of Skanda Purana to Parvati at Kailash Mountain. Lord Brahma and few other deities were also present there at the time when Shiva was narrating the tale. Subsequently,…