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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. The god (deva) Agni had gone to King Kartaviryarjuna and asked for food. The king gave Agni permission to take as much food as he wanted, any time, anywhere. Agni went on a rampage, burning forests and mountains. A sage … Continue reading →

Parasara was born to Saktri and his wife Adrisyanti. Parasara’s father Saktri was eaten by a rakshasa (night-wandering demon) before he was born. So Parasara grew up with an immense hatred for Rakshasas. So this great sage of the sacrifi­cial lore performed a mighty sacrifice (yaga) that began destroying all rakshasas. Thousands died in the fire pit. His grandfather, the Maharishi (great sage) Vasishtha, felt sorry for the rakshasas and advised his grandson to abandon the yaga. Vasishtha said that anger burned up a lifetime of honorable deeds and aus­terities … Continue reading →

Pandu was born of the sage Vyasa and Ambalika. The child was named Pandu because of his pale skin. It was a substitutionary parentage—one in which a king used a sage to have a child by his queen. (For more details see the entries on Dhritarashthra and Vyasa.) One day Pandu was hunting in the forest. He saw two deer and shot one of them. But the deer was a sage named Kindama. He had changed into a deer to sport with his wife, and now Pandu’s arrow had separated … Continue reading →

Three sons were born to Pandu and his wife Kunti, and two sons were born by his second wife Madri. They were in the order of birth: Dharmaputra (Yud- hishthira), Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula, and Sahadeva.

Literally, panca-kanya means the five “girls” or “daughters,” but it is used in Hindu mythology to refer to five heroines. The list does vary, especially as some of the heroines were defamed by the mythmakers of the Puranic period. The five ideal women are role models for all Hindus. They are not perfect but they fulfill their dharma as mothers, sisters, wives, and occasionally leaders in their own right. They are most often listed as Ahalya, Draupadi, Mandodari, Sita, and Tara.

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 vibratory nature of the universe. Om was the name given to the one sound that contained everything else (ekakshara), the one thing that was not perishable (akshara), and it was the one sound that should begin and end every … Continue reading →

Narayana was one of the four sons of the god (deva) Dharma. Dharma-deva had been born from the breast of Brahma. Dharma-deva married the ten daughters of Daksha. His four sons were Nara, Narayana, Hari, and Krishna. Nara and Narayana became great Rishis (sages) practicing severe penances. They stayed in the Badarika asrama (hermitage) doing tapas (austerities) for a thousand years. Hari and Krishna became great yogins. Narayana shared many of the episodes of Lord Narayana, an incarnation of Mahavishnu, with his wife Lakshmi, goddess of wealth (TRIP) his life … Continue reading →

Narasimha was the man-lion incarnation of Vishnu. He was the fourth of ten incarnations and was half man (nara) and half lion (simha). An appearance of Lord Vishnu was needed to defeat each of the rebirths of the demon twins, Jaya and Vijaya, who sprang from a curse by Vishnu of his doorkeepers in heaven. Vishnu had already incarnated as a boar to take care of Hiranyaksha, and now he incarnated in a special way to kill Hiranyakasiipu. To begin at the beginning, once again Brahma’s vanity had allowed an … Continue reading →

Hiranyaksha in the form of a boar had abducted the earth, Bhumi, and taken her to Patala, one of the netherworlds. On the way his tusks touched Bhumi, and she became pregnant with Naraka. Vishnu came in the form of a boar, Varaha, and killed Hiranyaksha. Vishnu rescued Bhumi and had pity on her baby asura son, Naraka. Vishnu gave him the divine weapon Narayanastra and a boon that no one could kill him but Vishnu. This is the formula for certain tragedy in the Puranas—but it was usually caused … Continue reading →

After Brahma had created the seven sages (sapta-rishis) from his mind (manasa- putras), he created Rudra (a storm god) from his anger, Narada from his lap, Dak­sha (a progenitor) from his right thumb, and Virani from his left. The Puranas accounted for seven of his rebirths, including as a gandharva (celestial musician) named Uparbarhana, as emperor Drumilla’s son Narada, then again as Brahma’s son Narada (but ending that lifetime as a monkey), as the son of Daksha as Narada, as a worm, and even as a woman sage and mother … Continue reading →