Category Archives: Hindu Mythology

One day a group of hermits led by Sanaka came to Vaikuntha to see Vishnu. They were stopped by Vishnu’s doorkeepers, Jaya and Vijaya. But the sages took offense and cursed the doorkeepers to be reborn three times as demons (asuras). The frightened doorkeepers begged the angry brahmins for forgiveness, but they only slightly lessened the punishment: after their three rebirths they would be redeemed by the weapon of Mahavishnu. In the first birth they were born as Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakasipu. In the second birth they were born as Ravana … Continue reading →

Jatila was the name assumed by (Siva when he was disguised as a brahmin. Siva sought to test Parvati because she was doing tapas (austerities) in order to obtain him as her husband.

Jatayu was one of two sons born to Aruna, chariot driver of Surya (the sun god), and Shyeni, a divine bird. In his youth Jatayu was saved by his brother Sampati as they raced toward the sun, Sampati allowing his wings to be burned as he shielded Jatayu from the sun. It was Jatayu’s role to inform Rama that Sita had been abducted by Ravana. Jatayu saw Ravana escaping with Sita through the air in his celestial chariot. Jatayu intercepted Ravana, and a great air battle ensued. Ravana eventually cut … Continue reading →

Jarasandha, mighty king of Magadha, was born by double magic, first from a brahmin and second from a giant demoness (rakshasi). His parents had been childless. They enlisted the sage Kakshivan (some texts say Candakaushika) to help. As the sage meditated, a mango fell in his lap. He gave the mango to the king, who in turn gave half to each of his wives. They became pregnant. But when they delivered, each gave birth to half a child. They threw these misshapen globs of flesh outside the palace, where the … Continue reading →

According to one version in the Bhagavata Purana Jara was hunting and shot an arrow through a bush at the sound of an animal. But the blind shot hit (Sri Krishna in the foot, that only area of his body not protected by the magical potion from the sage Durvasa. (For more details of this version, see the entries for Durvasa and Krishna.) There is a completely different version. The hunter, Jara, was the demon Bali, who had been killed by Rama and in this rebirth killed Krishna in revenge.

Janaka’s father, Nimi, king of Mithila, was childless and asked the venerable brahmin Vasishtha to preside over a ritual (yajna) for a son. Vasishtha was pre­occupied with another ritual and asked the king to wait. King Nimi left without making any commitment and then found another priest named Gautama to per­form the yajna. When Vasishtha finished his other business, he went to King Nimi, who told the priest that the ritual had already been performed. Vasishtha became so angry that he pronounced a death curse on the king, dooming him … Continue reading →

This tree bore fruit throughout the year, fruit the size of elephants. The branches of the Jambu tree reached to heaven. The juice of the fruit flowed as a river. According to the Bhagavata Purana the Jambu tree was watered by devas (gods) called Siddhacaranas. Near the tree lived the goddess of the tree, who was called Jambvadini or Aruna. She blessed everybody, even people who merely thought about her, and cured them of all diseases. The juice of the fruit mixed with soil and water turned into gold that … Continue reading →

Jambha was the leader of the asuras who snatched away the pot of amrita (nec­tar of immortality) from the sage Dhanvantari when he emerged carrying it dur­ing the churning of the Milky Ocean. Jambha, along with his demon cohorts, was tricked by the beautiful woman Mohini, the form taken by Vishnu to recover the nectar of immortality.