According to legends, Lakshmi emerged from the cosmic ocean during the Samudra Manthan done by the Devas and Asuras to obtain Amrit. Similarly, a pure white, seven-headed horse called Uchhaisravas also emerged from the ocean at the same time. Since both Lakshmi and Ucchaisravas were “born” from the Kshirsagar, they are considered siblings.
The word Kapila has several references in the Puranas. Here are some of them:
The word ‘Dharana’ finds many mentions in the Puranas. Some of them are:
Kunti was the first-born child of Shurasena, a Yadava ruler. She was the sister of Vasudeva, Krishna’s father, the wife of Pandu and the mother of Karna and the Pandavas. Here are some lesser-known stories from the life of Kunti.
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Born as the daughter of Shurasena, a Yadava ruler, Kunti was named Pritha at birth. Shurasena gave his first-born child to his childless cousin, Kuntibhoja, due to a promise he’d made earlier. In her new home, Pritha came to be known as Kunti. Later, Arjuna also came to be known as Parth since he was the son of Pritha. As a maiden, Kunti served Sage Durvasa with reverence. Pleased with her hospitality, he gave her a special boon, due to which she could summon any celestial being of her choice in order to beget children from them.
After the birth of Yudhishthira and Bheema, Pandu wanted a son who would win the admiration of the world. Pandu wanted to invoke Indra, to obtain a son from him. Hence to gratify Indra, Pandu suggested a year-long observance for Kunti. He also observed dire penances and mediation, standing on one leg from sunrise to sunset. Pleased with their penance, Indra came to Pandu and said he would give him a son who would be famous in all three worlds. As soon as Arjuna was born, Kunti heard voices from realms that addressed her. The voices said that this invincible child of hers would make her famous. The voices added that her son would win the admiration of Shiva in combat. Hence, he would obtain the Pashupatastra from him.
Following the death of Pandu, Kunti told Madri, Pandu’s second wife, that she would follow Pandu in death as she was his first wife and asked Madri to take care of her children. However, Madri, full of grief, told her that if she survived, she would not be able to rear Kunti’s children as her own. Madri was convinced that Kunti would raise all the children with equal affection. Madri also added that since she was the cause of Pandu’s death, it was her wish to leave the world with her husband. With these words, Madri ascended the funeral pyre of her husband.
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After their escape from the forest of Varnavrata, the Pandavas went into hiding and lived in disguise in the house of a Brahmana family in a village named Ekachakra. One day, Kunti noticed that the family was distressed and weeping due to the misfortune that had befallen them. When asked the reason, they explained that a rakshasa named Baka was protecting their land and in return, demanded a meal of a cartload of rice, two buffaloes, and also the man, who took them to him, as his food. Kunti consoled the family and ordered Bheema to take the food to Baka, instead of one of the members of the family. When Yudhishthira questioned his mother about sending Bheema to the rakshasa, Kunti said that she assigned this task to Bheema as she was aware of his strength. She also added that it is the duty of a Kshatriya to protect those in distress. As expected, Bheema killed Bakasura, thus ending his tyranny.
When Krishna visited Hastinapura as an envoy to make a peace offering on behalf of the Pandavas, he was given a warm welcome at the court. After exchanging some pleasantries with the Kauravas, Krishna went to visit Kunti, his paternal aunt. Kunti asked about the well-being of her sons and daughter-in-law. She told Krishna to convey her message to her sons. Kunti declared that the time had come for them to show themselves as true Kshatriyas. She added that if they failed to uphold Dharma now, she would forsake them forever.
After the coronation of Yudhishthira, Gandhari and Dhritarashtra decided to retire to the forest. But when the couple emerged from the palace, the Pandavas were surprised to see Kunti leading their way. Surprised Yudhishthira asked Kunti how could she leave them now when she was the one who encouraged them to fight for the throne. Kunti calmly replied that whatever she did so far was for the welfare and safety of her sons. Now that they were secure, she decided to follow Gandhari and Dhritarashtra on their last journey. Accompanied by Vidura, Sanjaya, Dhritarashtra and Gandhari, Kunti left Hastinapura to spend the rest of her days in the forest.
The last days
Kunti and Gandhari, with Dhritarashtra, spent their days in the forest in prayers and fasting. One day, a storm broke and with it, a forest fire. Vidura had already passed, but the trio persuaded Sanjaya to escape as they had become too weak and helpless to run away from the fire. Sanjaya reached the Himalayas. Unfortunately, Gandhari, Dhritarashtra, and Kunti were consumed by the forest fire.
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The word Vamana has many references in the Puranic texts. Some of them are:
By Srinidhi Murthy
Shakuntala was the daughter of Sage Vishwamitra and Menaka, a heavenly nymph. She was raised by sage Kanwa and married to Dushyanta, the king of Hastinapur. Later, she gave birth to Bharata, the ancestor of the Kuru clan. Her story is an important part of the Mahabharata.
Menaka, a heavenly nymph, left her newborn baby, near the hermitage of Sage Kanwa. The baby girl was adopted by the sage and was named Shakuntala. The name Shakuntala was bestowed upon her by Kanwa as she was found surrounded by the Shakuntala birds. Shakuntala spent her entire childhood under the care of Kanwa and enjoyed taking care of the animals around her. Soon, she grew into a beautiful maiden.
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Gandharva Marriage
One day, Dushyanta, the king of Hastinapur, visited the hermitage of Sage Kanwa. As the sage was not there at the time of Dushyanta’s arrival, Shakuntala received him with all due honour. Impressed by her beauty and grace, the king asked her to marry him. Shakuntala asked the king to wait for the return of her father as he would be the one to bestow his blessings upon their marriage. Upon hearing this, Dushyanta suggested Gandharva marriage, which required only the sanction of those who were to marry. Shakuntala agreed to wed him through Gandharva marriage with a condition that the son, born of their union, would be declared as his heir-apparent. Dushyanta agreed to her condition and they soon got married. He then left her, with a promise to send his troops to escort her to the capital as his wife and queen.
When Kanwa returned, he learnt about the events that happened in his absence, through his ascetic power. He was pleased with the marriage and blessed Shakuntala, telling her that her son would be mighty and illustrious. Soon, Shakuntala gave birth to a healthy boy. Six years passed since Dushyanta had left Shakuntala, with a promise of return. The son of Shakuntala and Dushyanta grew into a strong boy and showed great courage. Soon, the sage decided that it was time for the boy to meet his father. Hence, Kanwa, Shakuntala and her son started their journey toward Hastinapur.
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Upon her arrival, Shakuntala presented her son to Dushyanta. Though he remembered everything, Dushyanta refused to acknowledge both Shakuntala and their son. Shakuntala felt angered and hurt by his rejection. She said, “God has witnessed everything. The truth cannot be hidden. I cannot bear this disrespect. I shall return to my father’s hermitage but acknowledge and accept our son.” However, Dushyanta refused to do so. Enraged, Shakuntala stated that one day her son would rule the earth.
As soon as Shakuntala spoke these words, a voice from the realms above addressed Dushyanta, confirming Shakuntala’s statement. The voice then asked Dushyanta to willingly accept her and their son. Hearing those words, Dushyanta was overjoyed. Addressing the court, he said that he knew that the boy was his son. He further stated that had he accepted the boy only because of Shakuntala’s claim, his paternity would always have been questioned. Now that the celestial voice had confirmed their truth, Dushyanta happily embraced Shakuntala and their son. He named their son, Bharata and announced him as his heir. Bharata, the son of Shakuntala and Dushyanta, reigned after his father, conquering all other kingdoms, and giving birth to our nation, Bharatavarsha.
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By Komal Narwani
Long ago, in a small village, lived Sage Shilada. He sat in deep meditation, praying to Shiva for a child. Years later, Shiva appeared before him and blessed him. The next day, Sage Shilada found a little boy lying in the field near his ashram. Thanking Shiva for his boon, he picked up the boy and named him Nandi.
Nandi grew up to be a bright child with unparalleled wisdom. One day, two sages, Mitra and Varuna, visited Shilada’s ashram. They received a warm welcome from the sage and Nandi, who made their stay very comfortable. When it was time to leave, the sages blessed Shilada with a long life and Nandi with a happy life. The evident difference in blessings got Shilada curious. When questioned by Shilada, they revealed the bitter truth of Nandi’s short lifespan. Shilada was in tears. When Nandi learnt of this, he assured his father that Shiva would not let anything harm his true devotees.
With his father’s blessings, Nandi left to embark on a deep devotional journey. He sat on the banks of river Bhuvana and chanted verses in honour of Shiva. Later, when Shiva asked for Nandi’s wish. He said, “O Shiva! Give me strength to chant verses in your honour for another year.” Shiva blessed him. However, after the first year, when Shiva appeared before him the second time, Nandi sought the same boon, which Shiva granted happily. The cycle repeated and formed a continuous loop until, one day, Shiva said, “Open your eyes, Nandi, you do not have to do this anymore. You are already immortal. Ask for any other wish.” Delighted, Nandi replied, “All I wish is to be at your side forever.”
Transforming the boy into a divine bull, Shiva said, “So be it. You will be my vahana and my closest aide. Let’s head to our home, Mount Kailash.” Since then, Nandi has been Shiva’s most loyal and trusted ally. Every Shiva temple has a statue of Nandi directly in front of the main sanctum sanctorum. Nandi sits there guarding his lord through eternity. Legends say it was Nandi who taught Hanuman the hymns to praise Shiva.
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The word ‘Soma’ has many references in the Puranic texts, here are some of them –
By Kayva Gokhale
Once, a mighty demon called Mahishasura received a boon from Brahma which made him invincible against any man. In his arrogance, he did not ask for protection against a woman and so, the Gods combined their powers to create Durga, who slew Mahishasura.
Upon learning of his death, Mahishi, the wife of Mahishasura, swore revenge. She undertook deep penance and prayed to Brahma for a boon. Brahma appeared before her. Mahishi asked him to ensure that she would not meet her death at the hands of either Shiva or Vishnu. Her boon granted, Mahishi became bold and started harassing mortals and gods alike.
When he came to know of Brahma’s boon to Mahishi, Shiva realised that only a child born to him and Vishnu could put an end to the demoness. Shiva then approached Vishnu, who took the form of Mohini, the divine enchantress. Vishnu, as Mohini, gave birth to Shiva’s child – a boy who was fated to end Mahishi.
The divine child was left in a forest with a golden bell tied to his neck. Soon, a king named Rajashekhara found him. Since the king had no heir of his own, he took the boy home and raised him as his own son. The boy was named Manikanthan, after the golden bell at his neck. As Manikanthan grew up, he showed wisdom and skill beyond his age. He also started performing miracles and healing the subjects of the kingdom.
When Manikanthan was twelve years old, the queen gave birth to a son. Wanting to see her biological son ascend the throne, she plotted to have Manikanthan killed. Pretending to be gravely ill, she asked the boy to get a tigress’ milk as a cure. Though he was a young boy, Manikanthan was brave and dutiful. He willingly went to the nearby forest to fetch what the queen desired.
The forest that he had ventured in was the domain of Mahishi, the demoness. Upon seeing Manikanthan in her territory, she decided to slay him. A fierce battle ensued, and Manikanthan emerged victorious. As his divine purpose was fulfilled, Indra appeared before him and transformed into a tigress. Other devas too turned into tigresses and Manikanthan rode into the kingdom with a horde of tigresses.
Soon, a divine voice announced the boy’s real identity to the king and his subjects. Manikanthan asked the king to forgive the queen for her evil plot and then left his earthly abode to inhabit his true form as a god. The king then built a grand temple dedicated to the divine child, who later came to be known as Ayyappan.
By Srinidhi Murthy
Sanjeevani, also known as Vishalya Karani, was a magical herb that grew on the peaks of Mount Gandhamadana. This herb saved Rama’s brother, Lakshmana, during their battle with Ravana. Read the story of how Hanuman brought this herb in time to save Lakshmana’s life.
During the final battle between the army of Ravana, the king of Lanka, and Rama, the prince of Ayodhya, Ravana hurled a spear at Lakshmana. Rama came forward to save his brother as he fell and drove away Ravana. Unfortunately, Lakshmana fell unconscious as the spear had already struck him before Rama’s arrival. The injury brought Lakshmana to the brink of death. Distressed, Rama asked Sushena, the Vanara physician, to save his brother’s life. Sushena examined him and declared that Lakshmana could still be saved with the magical herb called Vishalya Karani, or Sanjeevani, that was available on Mount Gandhamadana. He further added that the herb would need to be fetched before sunrise. However, soon Sushena revealed that it would take eighteen years for them to reach Gandhamadana. It seemed as though getting the herb was an impossible task and Rama and the army had lost hope for Lakshmana’s life.
Suddenly, Hanuman stepped out of the crowd and promised to bring the herb before sunrise. Sushena instructed Hanuman to look for a golden creeper with blue flowers growing on either side of the river flowing down one of the peaks of Gandhamadana. After receiving Rama’s blessings, Hanuman increased his size and then, with one leap, rose high into the sky. As he flew, Ravana saw him from Lanka and immediately guessed that Hanuman was flying to get the magical herb. He was determined to stop Hanuman and ensure that Lakshmana could not be saved.
Ravana summoned Kalanemi to defeat Hanuman. Kalanemi was a fearful monster-magician with four heads, eight eyes and eight arms. Ravana promised half of his kingdom to the monster if he succeeded in defeating Hanuman. Kalanemi was terrified at the thought of a battle with Hanuman. He reminded Ravana about Hanuman’s powers and added that he would be dead if he tried to destroy the son of Vayu. However, Ravana ignored his words and asked him to drown Hanuman in the river in Gandhamadana, as the river was home to a ferocious crocodile. Left with no choice, Kalanemi agreed to the task and quickly transported himself to Gandhamadana. There, he transformed himself into a hermit and created a hermitage. He then waited for Hanuman’s arrival.
When Hanuman arrived, he immediately paid his respect to the disguised Kalanemi and mentioned the purpose of his visit. Kalanemi asked him to go and bathe in the river. He promised Hanuman that if he bathed in the river, he wouldn’t feel thirsty for a whole year. When Hanuman agreed, Kalanemi was delighted at the thought of claiming his reward from Ravana. Soon, Hanuman saw a crocodile approaching him to attack. He quickly caught hold of the reptile and flung it to the shore. To his surprise, a celestial dancer emerged in front of him. She explained that she was cursed by Indra to become a crocodile and decreed to live in the river till she was liberated by Hanuman. The celestial dancer also revealed the real identity of Kalanemi to Hanuman and advised him to be careful. Hanuman confronted Kalanemi upon his return and soon a fight ensued between them. Hanuman threw the rakshasa in the sky and he landed dead in Ravana’s court.
Ravana was disappointed by Kalanemi’s death. However, he wasted no time in planning his next move. Since he was the master of three worlds, he summoned Surya, the sun god, and ordered him to hasten the hour of his rise. Sometime later, Hanuman saw a rosy glow on the horizon, while he was still searching for the herb. To save Lakshmana, Hanuman decided to get hold of Surya’s chariot. The charioteer of Surya was shocked when he saw that the huge vanara had caught hold of the chariot and begun to whirl it around. Surya asked Hanuman the reason for stopping him. Hanuman explained his emergency and requested him not to rise before Lakshmana was restored to health. Surya sympathized with him but told Hanuman that he could not help him as he was under the orders of Ravana. Quick-witted Hanuman immediately asked Surya to lean forward and to hear out a secret. But when he did, Hanuman quickly embraced him in a tight hug, got bigger in size and held him in his arms. He then rushed back to Gandhamadana to continue his search for the herb.
Despite his efforts, Hanuman was not able to find the golden creeper with blue flowers that Sushena had mentioned. While he was wondering about the whereabouts of the herb, he saw some Gandharvas singing and dancing. Hanuman approached them and asked them about the Sanjeevani herb. He told them about the battle between Rama and Ravana and how the herb was essential for the Lakshmana’s survival. However, the Gandharvas informed him that they had never heard of anyone named Rama. Then they crowded around Hanuman and began to tease and torment him. Hanuman struck back at his tormentors, but chaos broke out among the Gandharvas due to the unexpected fight. Witnessing the chaos, Hanuman decided to continue his search, and not waste time-fighting. Unfortunately, try as he might, Hanuman could not find the herb. In the end, to save time, he decided to lift the whole mountain and take it with him to the camp.
After he reached, Sushena himself went and gathered the plants he wanted from the mountain. He made a paste out of herbs and held it to Lakshamana’s nose. Soon, Lakshmana woke up from his unconscious state. After the completion of the mission, Hanuman restored the mountain to its original place and healed the wounded Gandharvas, with the same herb. When Hanuman returned, Rama asked him about the shining object under his arm. Hanuman told him the story of how he had imprisoned the sun in his arms. Upon Rama’s orders, he released Surya, sought his forgiveness and allowed him to rise again. Rama, Lakshmana and the entire army were grateful for Hanuman’s efforts in saving Lakshmana’s life.
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