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

While the world is under siege, and peering into an abyss of uncertainty; and while I am, like most of us, working on finishing a whole lot of backlog activities pending for ages (now that we have some time at hand); I also decided to come back to some of the activities that are quite dear to me but for which I usually find precious little time. Right on top of these is the act of storytelling, and so here we are, with one more story post on this blog after a really, really long hiatus. The day of Mahashivratri for this year has just passed a couple of weeks ago, an occasion which is celebrated in Nepal and India and some neighboring countries with a lot of fanfare. I managed to see the crowds gathering at Pashupatinath temple in Kathmandu for the festival this year, and the scale of festivities is like on other in that little hill nation. This post is about the reasons of celebrating Mahashivratri , and the myths surrounding them. We will leave the metaphysical aspects o...

Several stories in the Indian Mythology appear in several places and in disjoint forms, often contradicting each other. This creates further confusion in the minds of the reader, if there are any readers in this time and age, and further alienates these wonderful narratives from even the casually curious minds. It has been my endeavor here to try and put some of these stories and parables in simple, user-friendly language. I do not think it as a 'modern re-telling' - as it has become popular these days and quite lucrative too, if I can add ... but simply going over the stories that I know from childhood to have a fresh look. Today, the story I want to revisit is the well-known story of Shunashepa (शुनःशेप) , the poor boy who was sent for sacrifice by his own father in exchange of livelihood. Shunashepa literally means the 'tail of a dog'. There is no explanation that I am aware of that explains the etymology of this rather peculiar name. Anyway, the story begins wi...

Vanasur (Banasur) - The Eldest Son of Bali ----------------------------------------------------------- In the last December, we were on a road trip in Kumaon, Uttarakhand. After spending 2 days in the regions around Saat taal, Mukteshwar etc., we decided to move further up towards Champawat region and go to a less-known hill station called Abbot Mount, near Lohaghat. This ancient region has historical and mythological importance. Champawat, once the capital of the rulers of the Chand dynasty, is famous for its natural beauty and well known temples. It is also believed that it was in Champawat that Lord Vishnu appeared as 'Kurma avtar', His incarnation as a tortoise. The River Lohawati originates near this place. Lohagarh and the nearby Tanakpur are huge marketplaces, especially of woolen clothes today. While we were traveling from Bhowali, having crossed many mountain trails and having seen the Himalayan mountain ranges filled to our heart's desire, we came to a ...

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 ...

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...