Names, Places, Events, Things: Ruminations and Essays on Hindu Mythology

Asti Kashchit Vaag-visheshah ----------------------------------------- This post is not directly about Hindu mythology, but rather about a man who made parts of the mythology immortal by molding small skeletal reference stories into classical literary masterpieces - a man who himself is subject to more colorful myths than anyone else - this post is about Mahakavi Kalidasa . Kalidasa wrote poems of epic proportions for music and dance and he is regarded as the most outstanding writer of classical Sanskrit. The typical works that are attributed to him are: Plays: 1. Abhijnana shakuntalam - or simply Shaakuntalam ("The Recognition of Shakuntala") 2. Malavika Agnimitra, and 3. Vikramorvashiya Poems: 1. Raghuvamsa ("Dynasty of Raghu") - Epic poem 2. Kumarasambhava ("Birth of the War Lord") - Epic poem 3. Meghduta ("The Cloud Messanger") - Lyric poem 4. Ritusamhara ("The Exposition on the Seasons") - Lyric poem These seven are conside...

When it comes to Hindi movies aka Bollywood, there are two terms that puzzle me the most. Actually there is a lot that puzzles me, but these two are almost like enigma, because I can't understand what in Dadasaheb Phalke's name do they mean. The first one is 'Item Number'. I mean, what exactly is the definition of this term -- an "item number"? When does a song cease to exist being just another song, and suddenly become an Item Number? Earlier it was easy. There would be one jhatka-matka song in the film - especially filmed on some good-looking woman with great body and almost negligible clothing. The song's mood would be different from the overall movie, and most importantly, this femme fatale from the item number had very little (actually absolutely nothing) to do with the rest of the film. So that was easy. But now I am not so sure --- you know, with Shahrukh Khan - not a gorgeous babe but a 45-year old skinny dude - dancing in his own movie whe...

When one reads Mahabharata in its current form, it is always made amply clear that the Mahanayak - the supreme hero - of this epic is Lord Krishna . Although Krishna appears on the scene much later after the feud has happened, he is almost always at the center of the story - and as Krishna is the supreme hero, so is his greatest devotee and friend Partha Arjuna . So much so that Arjuna is considered to be the incarnation of Nara, the supreme Man, and Krisha is considered Narayana - the Supreme God (Vishnu). Arjuna kills all the Maharathis (generals if you please) in the war --- Bhishma, Drona, Karna --- except the Kaurava brothers. The Kauravas --- all 100 of them, including Dussasana and the eldest Duryodhana --- are all killed single-handedly by - and this is where we come to the second greatest character - Bhima .  Bhima is known for his prowess with his favorite weapon the mace (gada, in Sanskrit), just as Arjun is known for his archery. Bhima is as much responsi...

If you are driving down from Mumbai to Goa, or to Pune on the old highway, you need to cross Panvel. While you negotiate your way through the traffic mainly caused by the state transport (S.T.) buses, you pass a small shrine under a banyan tree. It declares the lord of the property to by "Panchmukhi" (five-faced) Hanuman . पंचमुखी हनुमान । Although shrines of Hanuman are in abundance across the Indian subcontinent, especially in hilly terrains like Maharashtra, shrines of "Panchmukhi" Hanuman are a rarity. Of course, there is more likelihood to find one in the Southern parts of the country. The images of the Great Vanara (not Monkey) God in Northern India usually depict him as pulling his chest apart to show Lord Rama and Sita, or flying through the air carrying an entire mountain in one hand. But none of these have Hanuman depicted as having more than one heads. The form of Hanuman as "Sri Panchamukha Anjaneya Swami" (Anjaneya = "son of Anjani...

8. Kripacharya - Also often called Kripa , was the chief priest at the court of Hastinapura, in the Mahabharata. He comes from the lineage of Rishi Gautam . Gautam had a son called Sharadvan – who was supposedly born with arrows. He was great archer and attained the art of all types of warfare. He bore twins – a boy and a girl – from an Apsara called Janapadi . The twins were found by King Shantanu , of Hastinapura, who brought them to the city and called them Kripa and Kripi .  Kripa went on to become the high priest of Hastinapura, and also the early teacher of the 100 Kauravas and 5 Pandavas. Kripi married Drona , and gave birth to Ashwatthama . So Kripa was also guru and maternal uncle of Ashwatthama. Kripacharya was an extraordinary teacher. To him, all pupils were equal. A guru like Drona favoured Arjuna and sacrificed an equally if not more promising student - he asked Ekalavya for his right thumb. Kripa, on the other hand, upheld the highest standards expect...

7. Vyasa (Krishna Dwaipayana Vyasa) – Vyasa is a central and much revered figure in Hinduism. He is also sometimes called Veda Vyasa – the one who compiled the Vedas.  According to the Mahabharata, he was the son of Satyavati , a ferryman's daughter, and the wandering sage Parashara . This was before Satyavati’s marriage to Shantanu and before Devavrata became Bhishma . (See here ) Vyasa was born on an island in the river Yamuna. This is said to be near Kalpi in Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh. He was dark in colour and hence may be called by the name Krishna कृष्णा (black), and also the name Dwaipayana द्वैपायाना , meaning 'island-born' (Dweep = island) Hindus traditionally hold that Vyasa categorised the primordial single Veda into four. Hence he was called Veda Vyasa , or "Splitter of the Vedas," the splitting being a feat that allowed people to understand the divine knowledge of the Veda. The word ‘vyasa’ means ‘analyze’ . Vyasa is traditionally kn...

6. Markandeya – Markandeya is an ancient rishi (sage) from the Hindu tradition, born in the clan of Brigu Rishi . He is celebrated as a devotee of both Shiva and Vishnu and is mentioned in a number of stories from the Puranas. He is known to be of great mental prowess and an exemplary narrator of stories (Markandeya Purana). His mention also appears in Mahabharata, where he meets the exiled Pandavas in forest and reduces their burden by telling them stories of earlier kings and gods and demons. One legend relates the story of how Shiva protected Markandeya from the clutches of death (Yama) and how he became a Chiranjeevi: It is said that Sage Mrikandu and his wife Marudmati worshipped Shiva and sought from him the boon of begetting a son. As a result they were given the choice of either a gifted son, but with a short life on earth or a child of low intelligence but with a long life. Mrikandu chose the former, and was blessed with Markandeya , an exemplary son, destined to die at ...

5. Mahabali (King Bali) – The realm of Patala (specifically the Sutala -- see my earlier post " Devavrata becomes Bhishma ") is supposed to be the realm of King Bali.  Each year Bali surfaces on Earth on the day of Bali Pratipada (first day after Lakshmi Puja – Deepavali) and grants favors to people. Also known as Sahastrabahu (one with thousand arms), Bali is a righteous king and is therefore deified. Although he was Asura, he was very religious and pious. He took great care of his subjects and his rule is considered a golden era. King Bali is immortalized because even Vishnu had to humble himself as Vamana to conquer him. He stands out for his valour and charity - two great eternal qualities. Mahabali is believed to have ruled in South India before the Ramayana events and his empire is believed to have extended from the Vindhyas in the north to the far out in the south. His capital was Kerala. In the state of Kerala, the Onam festival is a celebration of the visit ...

4. Vibhishana – Also known as Bibhishana, he is the younger brother of Ravana. His lineage is thus: Out of the seven great sages (Saptarshi), who are supposed to be sons of Brahma, one of the rishis was Pulatsya .  His son was Rishi Vishrava . Vishrava married Idavida, daughter of Rishi Bharadwaja.  ldavida bore Vishrava a son, Kubera , the Lord of Wealth and the original ruler of Lanka.  However, by this time, the accounts of Vishrava's far-reaching Yogic powers reached the ears of the Asura, Sumali , and his wife, Thataka. They got their daughter Kaikesi married to Vishrava. Vishrava fathered four children with her – Ravana , Kumbakarna , Vibhishana , and a daughter, Soorpanaka . Ravana would eventually oust his half-brother, Kubera, as King of Lanka and usurp his throne. Vibhishana was the third and youngest brother of Ravana. He had differences with Ravana for a long time. When Rama came searching for his wife Sita, Vibhishana’s mother Kaikesi advised Vi...

3. Parashurama (Axe-wielding Rama) – Parashurama (Bhargavarama – also called Rama – not to be confused with Rama of Ayodhya and the hero of Epic Ramayana) is considered to be the Sixth Maha-avatar of Vishnu. The ten Avatars being (given Garuda Purana): Matysa, Kurma, Varaha, Narasimha, Vamana, Parashurama, Rama, Krishna, Buddha and Kalki . Parashurama is the only Chiranjeevi Avatar of the above. He still lives on earth, even today unlike the other Avatars who, once done with their work on Earth, go back to Vaikunth (Vishnu’s Heaven). He is also the first Sovereign Emperor known to man. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. Parashurama appears many times in Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas. He is famous for killing Haihaya-Kshatriyas on the earth 21 times for their arrogance. The most famous Kshatriya he slew was Kartavirya Arjuna – also called Sahasrarjuna (possessor of a thousa...

2. Hanuman – The son of Vayu (by this relationship, he is a brother of Bhima) and Anjani (thus also called Anjaneya). Supposedly born near Trimbakeshwara, near Nashik, Maharashtra. He is one of the most important personalities in the Indian epic, the Ramayana. He is devotion personified – he aids Lord Rama in rescuing Sita from Ravana of Lanka. In some cases, Hanuman is considered to be an incarnation of Lord Shiva – and is called the “11th Rudra”. After the war with Ravana and return to Ayodhya, and after reigning for several years, the time arrived for Rama to depart to his heavenly abode. Many of Rama's entourage, including vanaras like Sugriva decided to depart with him. Shunning the heavens, Hanuman however, requested to remain on earth as long as Rama's name was venerated by people. Sita accorded Hanuman that desire, and granted a boon that his image would be installed at various public places, so he could listen to people chanting Rama's name. From then on, he h...

1. Ashwatthama - Ashwatthama is the son of Drona, the teacher of Kauravas and Pandavas. He was named Ashwatthwama because as soon as he was born he started neighing like a horse, and "Ashwa" means horse. Ashwatthama fights along side his father for Duryodhana in the Great War. He has committed 3 sins in the course of time: Murder of a child by unfair means: Ashwatthama is one of the six maharathis (great warriors) who killed Abhimanyu, a single child in an unfair and heinous fight. Six great warriors surround one boy, attack from all sides, and keep hammering him even after he loses his weapons and becomes defenseless. (Karna attacks him from behind and breaks his bow – apparently Karna’s most shameful crime in the epic). Participating in this murderous act is Ashwatthama’s first sin. Genocide -- Killing of innocent people in their sleep: On the 18th day of the Great War, after Duryodhana is defeated by Bhima in a single combat and when he is laying in his own blood, ...

The Chiranjeevis ( चिरंजीवी ) ----------------------------- Among all the minor characters in the Douglas Adam's 'Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy' series, Wowbagger the infinitely prolonged is perhaps the wittiest. Wowbagger, the story goes, is one of the universe's small population of 'immortal beings', although he was not born this way. He is an alien who becomes 'immortal' and keeps living on and on, due to an accident with an irrational particle accelerator, a pair of rubber bands and a liquid lunch. But unfortunately for Wowbagger, the exact conditions of the experiment mentioned above could never be understood. So anyone who tried to replicate it ended up either looking stupid or being dead or both. The story goes on about his predicament -- Since he is not born this way, unlike other immortals, he does not know how to handle being immortal. He eventually comes up - and this is the best part - with a plan to keep himself busy: he will insult...

Invoking Lord Ganesh ----------------------------------- It is said that Janamejaya जनमेजय - the son of Parikshit (Arjun's grandson and son of Abhimanyu - Uttara) asked Vaishampayan, the disciple of the great sage Vyasa to narrate to him the story of Pandava's win over Duryodhana - which Vyasa had simply called 'Jay' but which later became more popular by the name 'Mahabharata' । Now, originally, when he decided to compose it, the sage Vyasa was faced with a practical difficulty. The thoughts came to his mind so fast that he could not put them on paper (papyrus, for purists) in time and in a structure. He needed someone to help him in this task. So he prayed to Lord Ganesh गणेश, the god of wisdom. As he was invoked, Ganesh appeared before Vyasa. When he told Ganesh his predicament and asked for help, Ganesh said that he will be Vyasa's scribe and take down the story. (As Neeraj - a colleague mentions - this is indeed where 'Outsourcing' as a ...