Madalasa says- O son! I am now narrating about the do’s and don’ts to be followed during Shradha. Many kinds of edible items can be offered in the Shradha. These include cereals like barley, wheat, rice, millet, corn, etc., fish, flesh of deer, rabbit, bird, wild boar, goat and Neelgai…
Alarka says- ‘Tell me about the duties of the different classes and stages of life.’ Madalasa says- ‘Donation, study and Yagya, these three are the religion of a Brahmin. Performing Yagya for others, teaching and accepting donation are the three vocations of Brahmin. Donation, study and Yagya are also the…
Sumati says- O father! Now listen to the tale of a Brahmin named Alarka. Long ago, there lived a king named Shatrujit who had a meritorious son, Ritudhwaj. Prince Ritudhwaj had many friends with whom he used to play with. In course of time, two sons of Ashwatar, the king…
Rukmini was the wife of the more mortal version of Krishna. She and Krishna were in love, but her brother Rukmi opposed the marriage. He hated Krishna and arranged a marriage of his sister to King Sisupala. All the kings of the region came to the wedding celebration, including Krishna,…
Sumati says- I was born in a Vaishya family, seven births before this present one. In that birth, I once prevented cows from drinking water. As a result of this sin, I was thrown in the hell named Darun where I spent one hundred years without a drop of water….
The Brahmin says- O son! Describe in detail about hell. Sumati says- O father! Yamadoots carry and lynch those people who eat inedible things, who deceive and dishonor their friends, who indulge in illicit relationships, who desert their wife, and who destroy public properties like garden, water sources etc….
The uprooted Arjuna trees fell with thundering sound. All the people shivered with fear and felt as if lightning had struck somewhere. All the elders including Nand met together and discussed the matter. Unanimously they concluded that, of late disturbance had increased in Gokul and the circumstances were no longer…
Devaki’s seventh baby was transferred before birth into the womb of Rohini. The baby was born as Baldevji. At his birth, Brahmins blessed Nand. But laughingly Nand said: “O holy Brahmins, this baby is not mine. It is born to my friend’s wife.” Brahmins said then: “Okay Baba, we will…
Lord Krishna replied–“I am so delighted that you have asked such important questions for the benefit of mankind. I am revealing to you the secrets, which were hitherto unknown even to the deities and yogis. O Garuda! A man should try to beget a son with the help of means…
Hearing the tales of Royal dynasties from Sukhdev, king Parikshit requested “Guruvar, you have just narrated the surprising tale of Suryavanshi and Chandravanshi (dynasties). Now I wish to hear the tales of Lord Krishna’s life in detail. It was because of God’s grace that my ancestors could successfully win the…
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…
Vamadeva requested Kartikeya to enlighten his mind with that knowledge, without which a Sanyasi can never attain liberation. Kartikeya then told him about the methods how a Sanyasi should get initiation from his guru. A disciple should worship his guru in any of the following months – Shravana, Ashwin, Kartik,…
While describing various means by which a sinner can atone for his sins, sage Yagyavalkya said- ‘ A man is certain to meet downfall and degradation in the following three conditions- if he goes against the instructions given in the scriptures, indulges in prohibited activities and runs after sensual pleasures….
Previous Births of Gaja and Grah Killed by the God, the crocodile at once acquired a divine appearance. He was a good-natured Gandharva (demigod) named Huhu, in his previous birth. By the curse of Mahatma Deval, he had to take birth in crocodile form. But now, by the grace of…
Renuka’s story has many troubling elements. She was a princess (and thus a ksatriya) married to the brahmin Jamdagni. She gave birth to an avatara (incarnation) of Vishnu, Parasu-Rama, whom her husband commanded to kill her. She was brought back to life. In one version she was raped by King…
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…
The story of “Ax Rama” (the literal meaning of Parasu-Rama) contains a chilling warning to the kings and rulers of India. Brahmins could revolt against them if their rule was unjust or cruel. The story proving the need for an incarnation of Vishnu began with the curse of a sage….
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…
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…
Bali enquired about the virtues which a man attains by the worship of Lord Vishnu. He also asked Prahlada about the worship and its rituals by which Lord Vishnu is pleased. Prahlada says- “Sages believe that the donations which are made with total devotion and in the name of Lord…
Mura was the Aurasputra of sage Kashyapa and Danu. When he saw the demons being vanquished by the deities, he went to do penance with the objective of getting boons from Lord Brahma. When Lord Brahma appeared before him, he said- “O lord! Bless me with a boon, which enables…
There are different methods of donating alms. One of the most sacred is known as tulapurusha. In this, a pair of scales is used. The person who is donating the alms ascends on one side of the scales and gold is placed on the other side until the scales are…
The science of architecture owes its origin to eighteen great sages. Their names are Bhrigu, Atri, Vashishtha, Vishvakarma, Maya, Narada, Nagnajita, Vishalaksha, Puranadara, Brahma, Kartikeya, Nandishvara, Shounaka, Garga, Vasudeva, Aniruddha, Shukra, and Brihaspati The building of a house should never be begun in the month of Chaitra. A person…
Kamadhenu was born of Kasyapa and his wife Krodhavasa. Kamadhenu (desire- fulfilling milk cow) gave milk to the devas (gods), at any time and in any quantity they wanted. She was also known as Surabhi (the fragrant) and Nandini (delight). The family of cattle came from Kamadhenu. (Another source…
During his regime, the king Parikshit got untoward reports that Kali Yuga had entered within the limits of his otherwise peaceful kingdom. With a huge army, Parikshit at once setout to the spot where Kali Yuga had arrived. On the way he saw the religion and the earth in the…
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…
There were many sages present at the yagya organised by Agastya. Some of them asked Lord Shiva as to why he had created some scriptures which appeared so confusing to human beings. Lord Shiva revealed to them that he had done so to protect the brahmins from the curse of…
Narada asked Yamaraj about the reason why joy was so elusive to human beings. He also wanted to know about the reasons for man’s sorrows. Yamaraj replied—Man’s destiny is defined by his own actions. He has to taste the fruits of his actions. He has to taste the fruits of…
First of all, the area is purified by coating it with cow-dung after which a black deer-skin is spread on it alongwith ‘kusha grass’. Two pots- one large and the other a small one are placed side by side. These pots are filled with sugarcane juice and symbolize ‘Rasa-Dhenu’ and…
Prithvi requested Lord Varaha to describe about the mistakes committed during shradha rituals and how they could be prevented– Lord Varaha replied—It is a grave sin to partake of a meal meant for the soul of the deceased person. Anybody who has committed this sin should atone for his sin…
Prithvi requested lord Varaha to define the meaning of ‘Pitra’ yagya (rituals pertaining to last rite) and its significance. Lord Varaha replied- “Sage Nimi was the first person to perform the the rituals of pitra-yagya after the death of his son Atreya. Sage Atreya is famous for his penance which…
Lord Shiva told Prithvi- “Gonishkraman tirth is situated in the Himalayas. Sage Aurva had his hermitage at this sacred place which was incidentally burnt to ashes by lord Shiva. Aurva cursed Shiva as the result of which Shiva started wandering throughout the world in a restless manner.” “Once, lord Shiva…
In this ritual, idols of a cow and a calf are made from sugar. After being worshipped they should be donated to a brahmin. A devotee should live only on sugar for a day. Donating a Sharkara-Dhenu liberates a man from all his sins. Similarly, donating Madhu-Dhenu (made from honey),…
As it is amply clear by the name, in this ritual some jaggery is taken and given the shape of a cow and a calf. The land is purified by coating it with cow-dung. After that, a black deer-skin is spread on that purified area. Some kusha grass are then…
First of all, the area is purified by coating it with cow-dung after which a black deer-skin is spread on it alongwith ‘kusha grass’. Two pots- one large and the other a small one are placed side by side. These pots are filled with sugarcane juice and symbolize ‘Rasa-Dhenu’…
The method of donating ‘Jal Dhenu’ is as follows-first of all small area of land is purified by coating it with cow dung and place two small pots are placed at the center. These pots are filled with different things like water, camphor, sandalwood, etc. The devotee should then imagine…
As the name implies, an idol of a cow made from powdered sesame seeds is donated to a brahmin. The idol should weigh not less than sixteen ‘prasthas’ (one prastha=four kudav, ancient units of weight measurment) Similarly a calf’s idol made from powdered sesame seeds and weighing four ‘prasthas’ is…
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’,…
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…
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…
On being asked by Yudhisthira about the life-style of people in Kali yuga, sage Vyasa replied– ‘There will be a widespread prevalence of sinful deeds and lack of moral values in Kali yuga. People would become untruthful and would become critical of revered sages. Moral values would decline to such…
Sutji once reached Naimisharanya in course of his pilgrimage. There he found numerous sages engaged in austerities and penance. All of them were delighted to find Sutji in their midst and considered it as a God sent opportunity to get their doubts related with religious topics cleared. Sage Shaunak was…
A king named Anga was descended from Svayuambhuva Manu. Anga married Sunitha, the daughter of Mrityu, and they had a son named Vena. Mrityu was an evil person. From his childhood, Vena associated with this maternal grandfather of his and thus came to acquire evil ways. When Vena became king…
Daksha married Panchanjani. Daksha and Panchajani had one thousand sons. These were known as the Haryakshas. Daksha asked his sons to create more living beings. But the sage Narada came and told the Haryakshas, ―You can‘t possibly create living beings unless you know where they are going to live. Have…
A Sanyasi should wake up early in the morning. After getting up he should remember his preceptor or Guru and then he should pray to express his gratitude towards his Guru. After that he should practice Pranayama and try to concentrate his mind on the six chakras present in his…
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…
Suta while warning the sages told- “People who engages themselves in virtuous deeds through out their lives and who have been kind of others, cross the terrifying path of the hell quite easily. A person, who donates shoes or wooden sandals to brahmins, reaches the hell riding on the horse….
Describing about the sins, Suta told the sages that altogether there were twelve types of sins committed by a man by his actions, thought speech. Out of them having a desire for another person’s wife, being desirous of another’s wealth, having evil designs against other people and drifting towards sinful…
The demon king- Ravana did a tremendous penance to please lord Shiva and to get a boon from him. Even after his severe penance when lord Shiva did still not appear, he started offering his heads one by one to lord Shiva. This way he already severed his nine heads…
During the ancient time there lived a famous sage named Gautami. The name of his wife was Ahilya. Once it did not rain for one hundred years as the result of which the whole area was affected by drought. Sage Gautami did a tremendous penance to please Varuna appeared before…