In the Puranas, Gunasharman’s story is nested within an episode about his father Adityasharman. The father used his great spiritual powers (tapas) to cre­ate an apsara (heavenly damsel) for himself, whom he named Sulocana. When a son, Gunasharman, was born to them, Adityasharman became a deva (god) and went to Brahmaloka (heaven). One day Indra came to visit Adityasharman, who could not be aroused from his contemplation. Indra was insulted and cursed him to be born a mortal again on earth. Adityasharman immediately became alert and tried to placate Indra’s … Continue reading →

This sage was probably a historical person of the Vedic period. Gotama, son of Rahugana, was not the sage Gautama, husband of Ahalya. There were many ref­erences to Gotama in the Rigveda. He wrote hymns contained in the seventy- fourth sukta of the thirteenth anuvaka of the first mandala of the Rigveda. There are two versions of a story about a well. Once Gotama was very thirsty and asked the Maruts for some water. The Maruts took a whole well to him and poured the water into a pot at … Continue reading →

Ghritaci was an apsara, a heavenly nymph. Her beauty was so overwhelming that many great brahmins, whether married rishi (sage) or ascetic, fell victim to her charms. Several, Bharadvaja and Vyasa, saw her and after years of ascetic practice (tapasya) had seminal emissions, followed by miraculous births of sons. Later Bharadvaja saw her again and lost control a second time, only to have a noble daughter, Sirutavati. Others of her conquests included King Pramati, sage Ashthavakra, and sage Visivakarman. She danced at Arjuna’s birthday celebra­tion without any serious disruption. Her … Continue reading →

Ghosha was mentioned in the Rigveda several times. She was born from a fine lineage of sages. Her grandfather was the maharishi Drigata and her father was Kakshivan. As a child she contracted leprosy, and consequently no one would marry her. Consequently, she studied and practiced great austerities and became a great magician (tapasvini). However, her greatest accomplishment was a hymn in praise of the Asvins, the twin physicians of the devas. Greatly flattered, the Asvins cured her of leprosy. Then she married.

In the Devi Bhagavata the sage Nagabhushana (“one having snakes as his orna­ment,” a sage whose name was a pun, pointing to the object of the story, Siva) was deep in meditation at his forest hermitage. King Parikshit, grandson of Arjuna, came to him desiring water after a long hunt. But Nagabhushana did not respond. Parikshit put a dead snake on the sage’s neck, but there was still no response. The king returned to the palace thirsty. Nagabhushana’s son, Gavijata, was teased by companions that his father really was “one … Continue reading →

There were references to Gautama’s name in the Rigveda. In a hymn that was later literalized, Indra as a metaphor of the morning carried off night. Indra’s character became that of a seducer of sages’ wives, and Ahalya (“unplowed”), the wife of Gautama, became one of them. The number of versions of the seduction of Ahalya showed how many ways it could be utilized in Puranic mythology. (For another version see the entry on Ahalya). In a version where Ahalya was innocent, Indra came to the ashrama, was given fruit … Continue reading →

Garuda, or Garutman, as he was known in the Vedas, was appropriated in the devotional myths of the epic and Puranic periods as the servant vehicle of Lord Vishnu. The name Garuda has as its verbal root gri (to speak). In the Vedas Garuda is the metaphor for, or, for those who would literalize these concepts, the personification of, the magical words (mantra, rik). Thus it was on Garuda’s wings that one was transported to the realm of the gods (either the mantras or “the self,” which could be understood … Continue reading →

Ganga is the holiest river of India. She is the Mother who washes away all sins and redeems one from the fetters of life. There are many folk songs about the Ganga, which testify just how much the river has been personified, deified, and made an integral part of Hindu spiritual life. The origin of river Ganga is connected with the avatara (incarnation) of Vishnu as Vamana. When Vamana measured the three worlds, the nail of his left foot caused a hole in the upper side of heaven’s shell. From … Continue reading →