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In one version of his birth Andhaka was a daitya (demon), born of Diti and KasSyapa. He had a thousand arms, a thousand heads, and thus two thousand eyes, hands, and feet (in another version, two thousand arms, two thousand legs). And even though he could see, it was said that he walked like a blind man. Andhaka means “blind” or “blind one.” In another version Andhaka was born from the love play (lila) of Parvati with her husband, Lord Siva. Parvati placed her hands over Siva’s eyes in jest, … Continue reading →

Anasuya was the wife of the sage Atri. As with all major figures in later mythol­ogy, her lineage was completely spelled out: granddaughter of Svayambhuva- Manu (Manu of his Yuga) and his wife Satarupa; daughter of Kardama-prajapati (progenitor of his age) and Devahuti. Anasuya (charity) was famous for the power of her austerities (tapas). Once Anasuya used her powers to bring rain when there had been a continuous drought; even the Ganga had dried up. Another time Anasuya changed ten days into night to help the gods. And when Sita … Continue reading →

Ananta literally means “without end,” “infinite.” It was a descriptive term used of Vishnu and other gods. It was also used as a name of Vishnu’s serpent. Ananta was the giant serpent that floated upon the Milky Ocean and formed the bed for Vishnu as he slept during the involution of the universe (pralaya). Ananta (also known as Sesha) was the son of KasSyapa, the grandfather of all beings, by his wife Kadru. Other serpents, such as Vasuki, Takshaka, and Karkkotaka, were his brothers. Bala-Rama was a partial incarnation of … Continue reading →

In the Vedas, amrita was a characteristic or quality of a suitable offering in the fire sacrifices to the gods. Soma (the divine plant) had more amrita than other offerings. Later amrita (or amritam) was a substance produced by the Churning of the Milky Ocean (kshirabdhi-mathanam). There were different versions of this myth in the Mahabharata, the Ramayana, and the Puranas. According to one version the demons (asuras) had triumphed over the gods (devas), so the devas sought Lord Vishnu’s help. He told them about amrita and how it would … Continue reading →

  Ambarisha, king of Ayodhya (birthplace of Rama), was one of the sixteen great kings who ruled Bharata (Marutta, Suhotra, Paurava, Sibi, Rama, Bhagiratha, Dilipa, Mandhata, Yayati, Ambarisha, Sasabindu, Gaya, Rantideva, Bharata, Prithu, and Parasu-Rama). In the Valmiki Ramayana there was a story about the theft of one of Ambarisha’s sacrificial cows by Indra. (In the Bhagavata Purana the theft was from King Hariscandra.) Ambarisha was forced to find a proper sacrifice to com­plete his rituals. So he bought the second of three sons, named SSunahsSepha, of a greedy brahmin … Continue reading →