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The brahmin, ksatriya, vaisya, and sudra castes originated from the body of Brahma, according to the Rigveda. The later purusha (cosmic man) myth posited their origin from the self-sacrifice of the “first man,” god creating by self-divi­sion. By the late Vedic period four castes, instead of three, and a definite hierar­chy with the brahmins at the top had been firmly established. The first three castes were twice born, leaving the sudras without a second or ritual birth. Therefore, sudras could be not eligible to study Sanskrit or learn the Vedas … Continue reading →

After creation of the world, the five-headed Brahma was resting and thinking about the next creation when a beautiful woman appeared before him. Even though she was born of him, Brahma became attracted to her and let his passion go. For this sin one of his heads broke off. He went to Sthanu tirtha, one of the famous pilgrimage sites on the Sarasvati River. Undoubtedly punning, the myth made Brahma construct a linga with his own four faces (thus the catur-mukha- linga) from the fifth head that had broken off. … Continue reading →

Candrasharman’s story was told along with that of three other sinners in the Padma Purana. These four had committed that period’s four most terrible sins: killing a cow (go-hatya), killing one’s teacher (guru-hatya), killing a brahmin (brahma-hatya), and sleeping with the wife of one’s guru (agamyagamana). The outcaste Vidura, a Pancala desa [Pancama jana—an outcaste], had killed a brah­min and had visited all the pilgrimage sites (tirthas) to no avail. Before commit­ting the greatest of all sins, he had been a ks’atriya. Candrasharman, a brahmin, had killed his teacher (who … Continue reading →

Candrangada’s story has another myth nested within it of a curious gender trans­formation. The Puranic mythmakers did not portray a supreme god or goddess remedying the situation in this case, as they so often did. In fact, neither sages nor the divine mother (Parvati) seemed able to reverse this permanent gender change, which had resulted from cross-dressing. Prince Candrangada has married to Simantini, a brahmin (daughter of Yaj- navalkya and Maitreyi). Later when Candrangada was riding in a boat with his friends in the river Kailindi, a storm broke out, … Continue reading →

Candika was the furious aspect of the Goddess, having ten, eighteen, or twenty hands, each holding a weapon. Her vehicle was a lion, and she stood with her left foot on the corpse of the demon called Mahisha-asura and held his severed head aloft. From the bloody neck of the felled demon emerged a red-headed, red-eyed man with weapon drawn but already noosed by Candika’s rope. In the Dev! Mahatmya Candika has become the sakti of the Goddess her­self so that Durga (or Devi) possesses a feminine manifestation of her … Continue reading →

While hunting in the forest one day Candaka saw a Siva temple in ruins. He reported the dilapidated condition of this temple to Simhaketu, the king of Pan- chala. After consulting the scriptures, Simhaketu allowed Candaka to install a (Siva linga, the phallic symbol of (Siva, and said Candaka could start worshipping it on one condition: that he smear himself with the ashes from the nearby cre­mation ground. Candaka and his wife Pulindi worshipped the linga for a long time. Then one day Candaka did not have any ash and … Continue reading →

Canda and his young asura brother Munda allied with the great demons, SSumbha and NisSumbha. The latter two asura brothers had just returned from heaven after receiving a boon from Brahma that they could only be killed at the hands of a woman. After receiving this boon SSumbha and NisSumbha and their asura armies conquered the three worlds of heaven, earth, and Patala (the nether­world). On the advice of the sage Brihaspati the frightened devas (gods) went to Parvati, the wife of Siva. After hearing their pitiful plea, Parvati-devi went … Continue reading →

Cancalakshmi, the celestial, was raped by the demon Ravana, while her mind was fixed in prayer. She was praying to the goddess Mahalakshmi. Cancalakshmi cursed Ravana, stating he would be killed by Lakshmi. In the course of time Lak- shmi was incarnated as Sita. Ravana abducted Sita, and Ravana was killed by Lord Rama. Thus the curse was fulfilled. Ravana’s act was avenged by Lakshmi, born as Sita, at the hands of her husband Rama.