The Story of the Brahmin and the Crooks…

Hi!! Today's story is about three crooks who tricks Brahmin into giving them a lovely dinner. Let's start…

Ages ago, in a clearing in a forest not far from here, lived a Brahmin. He was a simple-minded, God-fearing man. A very learned man was he. Every day, he would bathe in the river near his house. Then, he would perform pooja in front of the gold idols he had in his small hut. He had a wife and two children, who were very small and loved animals. They would pet their cow, Saraswati, and give her green, fresh grass. Saraswati would graze on the bottle-green grass, and the children would run about and play in the grass. Their mother would call them in for lunch, and along with them they would bring Saraswati back and tie her to a tree. After their lunch, they would help their father in any poojas or in collecting for the whole afternoon. They spent their whole day doing this. This was their life.

One day, the Brahmin had to go do a pooja for a very rich landlord, in a huge mansion. It was on a very auspicious day.
When the pooja was over, the Brahmin's friend gave him a fat and healthy goat as a gift. The Brahmin bowed down to the noble and said, "Thank you, kind Sir." He then departed from the mansion with the goat on his shoulders. When the Brahmin reached the edge of the forest, he saw three men. They were dressed up like rowdies. The Brahmin waved to them. They waved back. But, little did the Brahmin know that they were crooks!!

One of the crook looked at the goat and licked his lips. Another one closed his eyes and prayed to God for the goat. And the leader of the crooks' eyes widened in desire. He told his accomplices, " Let's get that goat. It will make a hearty meal for us," the other two agreed. Another one of the crooks added, "But Master, we must think of a plan. We must put our heads together and come up with a fool-proof plan." They thought for some time, and came up with a brilliant plan. They went in three different ways and executed their plan.

The first crook went in front of the Brahmin and stopped him, "What is this?! Such a respected priest, carrying a dog with him!! O Brahmin, you are a holy man. Why do you carry such a dirty dog on your shoulders?!" The Brahmin was confused. He asked the crook, "What are you saying? I have a perfectly clean goat with me. Stupid fellow, Can't you see?" He looked at his shoulders, and saw that the goat was there, bleating away. "Okay, sir. Do not get angry. If you don't think that thing on your shoulders is a dog, then so be it." With that, the first crook walked away. The Brahmin thought he was mad!! There was no dog on his shoulders, there was a plump goat!!

The Brahmin hadn't even walked for a kilometre, when the second crook walked up to him. "Oh My God!! How can such a reputed priest hold a dead calf on his shoulders?! This is too much!!! Don't you know that it is a sin to kill a cow?!" The second crook pestered the Brahmin. Infuriated, the Brahmin shouted, "Are you a fool?! Can't you see that this is a proper goat?! Are you going mad, or am I going mad?!!" The Brahmin clenched his fists in anger. He marched off, leaving the second crook to himself.

As soon as he could see his house, the Brahmin was confronted by the third crook, "Sir, you are a very strange man. Why do you carry a donkey on your shoulders?! It brings misfortune." The Brahmin lifted the goat off his shoulders and examined it. He was bewildered!! Three people had said that the animal wasn't a goat, and it was a different animal!! He left the goat on the floor and started to shiver, " O God, what have I done to deserve this? Three people have told me that this goat is a different animal! I think this is a supernatural being!! O Lord, relieve me of this!!" He then dropped the goat on the grassy floor and ran back to his hut. The three crooks, who were stalking him as he walked, came and caught the goat as it tried to run away. Lifting the goat in their hands, the three crooks laughed to themselves, as they tricked the Brahmin into giving up the goat, and giving them a hearty dinner. They all walked back to their den, joyfully singing a harikathe about their cunning and their wit. They had a hearty meal. The tale of their wit and skill lived on for generations to come…

Moral: Bookish knowledge won't get you anywhere unless you have common sense.

Thanks for reading my take on the Story of the Brahmin and the Crooks!!! Please follow with your email and click the blue follow button to receive emails about my posts!!!!!!!

The Story of Tulabhara…

Hi!! Today's story is a beautiful tale about Shri Krishna and two of his 16,108 wives!!!!!! Their names were Satyabhama and Rukmini. Satyabhama belonged to a royal lineage and was very proud of her origins, whereas Rukmini, even though being the avatar of Goddess Lakshmi, was very humble. Let's start…

One fine morning, in the palace of Dwaraka, Shri Krishna's wife, Satyabhama, was giving away alms to the needy, when the revered sage Narada walked into the palace. He recited the same shloka that he always said, "Narayana! Narayana!" Satyabhama was astonished! She bowed to Narada, "Welcome, o venerable sage. To what do I owe the pleasure of your arrival?" Narada blessed Satyabhama. "O Satyabhama, may you live in prosperity. I had just come to see the happy faces of the poor, who are in ecstasy after they receive their alms." Satyabhama agreed, that seeing the joy in the faces of the families was lovely. Satyabhama added, "You have arrived at an auspicious time. Please do me the honour of accepting a gift from me." Narada thought for a while, then said, "Narayana! Narayana! I shall accept a gift from you!" Satyabhama was elated! "Please tell me what I can give you that is worthy of being accepted by your Holiness," Satyabhama said. Narada asked, "Will you give me anything I ask for?" Satyabhama nodded her head. "Then, umm… I'd like what is most precious to you," proclaimed Narada. Satyabhama thought for a while, then escorted Narada to a room, with gold pillars and silver walls. The walls had carvings of peacocks and flowers on it, with beautiful swirls and curls surrounding the peacocks.

"These are all of my most precious jewels and ornaments. Which one would you like, O holy one?" Narada went and inspected the jewels. He picked up a shining diamond and looked at Staybhama, "I asked you to give me what is most precious to you!!! Is it this diamond?! Or this necklace?! Or this earring?! Tell me, Satyabhama!!" Narada started to impose on Satyabhama. She was a little nervous. Narada walked towards her. She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands. Suddenly, Krishna shouted, "Bhama?! Where are you?! Bhama?!" Satyabhama ran to Krishna and looked at Narada. "Well, my question is answered," said Narada. Satyabhama looked nervously at Krishna and explained the gift that Narada had asked for. Krishna understood, "Ooohh… So that is what happened! I shall do as Bhama says. Do you want me to go with Narada?" Krishna asked Satyabhama whether he should go or not. Satyabhama was thinking. She finally concluded, "O Krishna, I don't want you to go! Please stay in Dwaraka. O revered Sage Narada, please do ask me for anything, but not Krishna. Anything but Krishna! " Narada reluctantly agreed. "I shall agree with your wish. But, I have a condition. You must give me anything equal in weight to him." Satyabhama was overjoyed. "Thank you, O sage!" She bowed to Narada. Satyabhama was thinking to herself, "The Lord can't weigh more than all the gold I have!"

A giant balance was bought. It had two huge pans attached to iron chains, which were hanging from a metal rod. Satyabhama asked Krishna to sit on one of the pans. Krishna willingly obliged. He sat on one of the pans, and the other was lifted into the air by Krishna's weight. Krishna got ready, and Satyabhama pulled off her earrings, and dropped them into the pan. Then, she pulled off her nose pin. She pulled off her other nose pin. She pulled off every last piece of jewellery from her body, but Krishna's pan didn't move an inch higher!! She was confused. "Bring out all of the gold that we have, " she told her handmaidens. They brought out cart-loads of gold, and they put it on the pan. It became so heavy!!!! Not even a thousand elephants could lift that much gold!!!!! But, Krishna's pan didn't even move a hair's breadth off the ground!!!! Satyabhama was shocked!! She had put all of the gold, ornaments and jewels that she had onto the plate, but it was of no use!!! Krishna just wouldn't budge!!!! She closed her eyes in despair.

Just then, Rukmini (Krishna seniormost wife) came running into the gold-pillared room. She was shocked!!!! "Bhama!!!! What is this?!?!" she questioned Satyabhama. Satyabhama told her the story, about Narada's request, and that she had no more gold left. Rukmini was enraged!! "How could you use gold as a measure?!" She was so angry!! Suddenly, Narada butted in, " Satyabhama, either honour your promise, or allow me to take Krishna," Satyabhama fell on the floor in tears, "Krishna! NO!!!" Narada asked her, "Don't you wish to bid him goodbye, Satyabhama?" She just shook her head, wailing. Suddenly, Rukmini shouted, "Wait!!!! Remove all of the gold and jewels from the plate and put it back in its respective place." Her order was obeyed. All of the gold was gone from the plate opposite Krishna. Rukmini proclaimed, "Krishna is not a commodity to be possessed, evaluated and disposed of. If at all he has to be evaluated, only the power of his own name uttered with selfless love could be the measure."With that, Rukmini started chanting Krishna's name, "Om Shri Krishnaya Namaha… Om Shri Krishnaya Namaha…" After chanting Krishna's name many times, Rukmini placed a small tulsi leaf on the other scale. And lo!!!! Krishna's pan went higher, and higher, until it was level with the tulsi leaf's pan!!!

As Krishna stepped off the scale, Narada picked up the tulsi leaf and showed it to Satyabhama, "This is what I sought, Satyabhama. The symbol of love and devotion. I now take your leave. Narayana! Narayana!" Narada left to Vaikuntha. Satyabhama turned and hugged Rukmini, "O sister!! Until today, I was proud of all my wealth… I was proud that it could buy me anything I wanted. Now I know better. All my wealth is mere dust compared to the wealth you possess… The wealth of selfless love…" Thus, Satyabhama realised that material wealth is nothing compared to spiritual wealth.

Moral: Happiness comes from spiritual wealth, not material wealth.

Fun Fact Nº 1: The story of Tulabhara is named after this:            Tula = weighing scales, Bhara = weight.

Thanks for reading the story of Tulabhara!!!!! Please follow by typing your email in the box above followers to receive emails about my posts!!!!

The Story of the Loyal Mongoose…

Hi!! I was inspired to write today's story because of my mom, who used to tell these tales to me and my sister when we were little kids. We used to gasp in awe and laugh with joy at the funny acts that the characters would do. This story is about a mongoose, and his loyalty to the family he lived with. Let's get on with it, then…

Disclaimer: Some or most of the story is based off my imagination…

In a small village, not far from here, lived a family. It was a small family. There was a Brahmin and his wife. They had a small baby, not more than two years old, who would crawl and gurgle throughout the day. They had a pet mongoose, with brown, stubby legs and a long body, with sharp teeth and blue eyes, that were hypnotizing. A cow stood outside their small, wooden hut, with a rope tied to its neck. They lived a happy life in the bustling village. Life went smoothly. But, one day, a hair-raising, spine-chilling, blood-curdling incident occurred.

On an ordinary day, when the sun shone and the wind blew, the baby of the house wriggled out of the house, and into the garden where the cow laid, sleepy. The baby gurgled and pinched the nose of the cow. "MOOO!!" mooed the cow. It stood up and started to shake its body. Black houseflies buzzed off the snow-white skin of the cow. It stared at the baby with its pitch-black eyes. Staring back, the baby started wailing. The cow got so scared, that it also started wailing!! The racket caused by the cow and the baby was enough to upset the whole village! Men with giant pitchforks came running to the cow, and ladies took off their chappals and started to throw them at the baby and the cow. After hearing the commotion, the mother and the father came running to shelter the baby.

They tried to assure the residents that everything was okay. They rushed into their home with the baby and shut the door. They could hear the cows screams of agony, and as the residents cut the rope off the cow's neck and drag the cow out of the garden, the baby shouted from inside the house. He tried scampering up to the window. His mom helped him up. They watched the villagers beat up the cow, and reduce it to ashes. Its body was burnt and put in a small river. The cow was never heard from again.

That family never owned a cow ever again. They bought their milk, butter and cream from the local vendor, AlooRam, who lived two houses from theirs. One day, the lady of the house walked into the kitchen to look for some milk to give her child. There was no milk in the pot. She checked in the underground pots. It was finished. There was no more milk in her home!! She went to tell her husband, "Ri?! I'm going to AlooRam's to get some milk. We don't have anymore! Watch the baby!!" Her husband, who was mending a small crack in the wall replied, " Go fast and come back!! I can't watch the baby forever!!!" So, the Brahmin's wife went to AlooRam's hut.

A few minutes later, the Brahmin heard a knock on the door. "Who is it?" Nobody replied. He asked again, this time with a louder voice, "Who is it?!" He went to open the door. When he went to open the door, he saw his friend, GobiRam. GobiRam was his best friend since his school days. "Hey, GobiRam!! How have you been?!" asked the Brahmin. "Arrey, yaar! Not too good. Come, I'll tell you what happened on a walk!" GobiRam was pleading the Brahmin to come with him. The Brahmin was in deep thinking. He didn't know what to do! He couldn't leave his baby on his own, but he couldn't leave his friend alone too! Finally, he decided, "I guess the mongoose could protect the baby!! Come, let's go!!" He walked off with GobiRam. The baby was left alone with the mongoose. The baby slowly fell asleep. Dozing off in his cot, the baby was only left under the protection of the mongoose.

The mother of the baby, who had gone to AlooRam's to get milk, returned after around twenty minutes. She reached the porch and saw a horrifying sight!!! The mongoose was standing near her feet, with blood spewing from his mouth. He growled at his owner. She screamed, "AAAAHHHH!!!!! THE MONGOOSE KILLED MY BABY!!!!!!!!!" and dropped her freshly-bought pot of milk right down on the head of the brown mongoose. The mongoose clutched its head in pain, and fell on the floor, lying dead. The mother ran inside and saw the baby's body. It was lying in the cot, slumbering in peace. The mother was confused. She thought that her baby was dead. Suddenly, she saw a green cobra, slit in two pieces, with a pool of blood surrounding the body of the dead snake. She realised that the poor mongoose had saved her baby and killed the snake who had come to harm the baby.

Her husband came running rapidly. He saw the same sight as his wife. "You fool!!! Why did you kill the mongoose??!?! He tried to save our baby!!!" He held the body of the mongoose, and tried to revive it, but to no avail. The mongoose had lost his life. The wife lived to regret her choices for a long time. They never had another pet ever again. They remembered the loyalty of the Mongoose for years to come.

So, one needs to 'think before they act.'

Moral: A moment of patience in a moment of anger can save you from a thousand moments of regret.

Thanks for reading the Story of the Loyal Mongoose!!! Please follow to receive emails on my posts!!!!

The Story of Pradyumna…

Hi!!! Today, I'm going to tell the story of Krishna's son, Pradyumna, and how he killed the demon Sambara. Let's go…

So, you must know by now, that Krishna was born in the Dwapara Yuga. But, the story of Pradyumna doesn't start in the Dwapara Yuga, nooooo. It starts a LONG time before that, in the first Yuga, the Satya Yuga.

Atop the cold Mount Kailash, lived Lord Shiva. One day, Shiva was doing tapas and meditating on a rock in a small garden on Mt. Kailash. Green bushes were surrounding him, and there were beautiful trees, with flowers blossoming from the tips. A serene atmosphere covered the garden, with a fragrant aroma of jasmine wafting to Shiva's nose. He was deep in a trance. Even though there was so much activity around him, Shiva remained calm and cool. But, what Shiva didn't know, was that Kamadev, the God of love, was hiding inside a bush next to Shiva. He was waiting for the chance to strike. 

Stringing his sugarcane bow, Kamadeva shot a floral arrow in front of Shiva, oblivious of the arrow, sat continuing his meditation. There was no response. Kamadeva shot another arrow in front of Shiva. No reply again. Shiva was busy concentrating on his meditation. Kamadeva strung his last floral arrow, and it flew past Shiva's face. He felt the breeze of wind zoom past him. Both of his eyes opened. He was enraged. "WHO HAS DARED TO DISTURB ME?!?!" 

His fists clenched in anger. He turned his head to the left. The was no one. He turned to the right. There was no one. But, Shiva could see that Kamadeva was hiding in the bush. Kamadeva came running out of the shrubs, and tried to apologise to Shiva. Shiva didn't listen. Shiva closed his eyes, and Kamadeva felt relieved. Suddenly, the third eye on Shiva's forehead opened. It saw that Kamadeva was the culprit.  To the horror of Rati, Kamadeva's wife, Shiva burnt him to cinders. Rati pleaded Shiva to give back Kamdeva's life, but Shiva said that he wouldn't be able to. But, unknown to Rati, Kama was to be born as Pradyumna, the eldest son of Krishna and Rukmini.

Fast forward to the Dwapara Yuga. Rukmini gave birth to a baby boy. The people of Dwaraka rejoiced. "My son, you shall grow up to be a valiant hero like your father," said Rukmini to the small boy in a hanging cot. 
Dwaraka was having a party in the streets.

A week later, an evil asura king called Sambara had a dream, " Beware, wicked Sambara. You shall be killed by the son of Krishna!! Beware!!" But Sambara wasn't perturbed. He knew what to do. The next day, Sambara woke up and made himself invisible, 'HahaHa!!! Before he kills me, I shall kill Pradyumna!!" He flew from his palace and into the palace of Dwaraka. "I shall finish him before he turns in his cradle!! HaHa!!" He reached the palace of Dwaraka. He sauntered around the palace, still in his invisible form. He pushed open door after door, trying to find Pradyumna's room. He opened a very heavily decorated gateway, and saw him. A small baby, rolling around in his cot, with his mother sleeping by his side. He walked in and picked up the snoozing kid. "Ooohhoho. So you are the one destined to kill the mighty Sambara? Ha!Ha!" He picked up Pradyumna and flew out of the window.

A few minutes later, Rukmini woke up and peered into the cot, "AAAAAAHHH!!!!!! He's gone!!! AAAAAAHHH!!!!!!!" The sleeping handmaidens, woken up by the queen's cries, came running to her, "What happened, Your Majesty? Where is the prince? Where is he?" the handmaidens were shocked! The prince was not in his cradle!!! The queen was too upset to even speak, "He's gone. HE'S GONE!!! WAAAAHHH!!!" the queen wept in despair. The handmaidens ran to Krishna. "The prince is missing from his cradle!!! The prince is missing!!!" Krishna wasn't scared or shocked by this news. "Do not worry. I shall send out a search party." The residents of Dwaraka were struck with grief. Their heir to the throne had gone missing!!! Families wept, and dogs howled in dismay, as they mourned for their lost prince.

Meanwhile, Sambara had soared far, far away from Dwaraka. He was now above the deep, blue ocean. "Aha!! Do you think you will be able to destroy me now, Pradyumna? Ha! You will die in these waters. Even if you want to kill me, you will have to remain alive to do so!" Then, Sambara came to a halt over a deep trench in the middle of the sea. "Goodbye, Pradyumna!!!!" He screamed at the boy. He flung Pradyumna into the depths of the ocean. "Yawn!!!! Now I may finally return and sleep in peace."
Pradyumna sank into the ocean, but he did not die!!!! He was swallowed by a huge fish, with green-yellow scales lining its body. Its tail had sharp, needle-like spikes on the end. Its mouth was as big as a truck!! It swallowed the baby, and swam off, into the deep.

Later during the day, Sambara ordered his fishermen to catch fish, "I feel like having fish today, to commemorate the death of Pradyumna!!!" The fishermen sailed into the turquoise sea to catch some fish.
They eyed a gem of a fish. It had green-yellow scales lining its body. Its tail had sharp, needle-like spikes on the end. Its mouth was as big as a truck!!! It was the same fish that swallowed Pradyumna!!!!! The fishermen stared at the creature with awe. "Let's catch it. It will make a fine meal for Sambara!!" They launched their fishing net into the water. It engulfed the monster fish. The poor creature struggled hard, but in vain. The fishermen hauled the beast onto their boat. Laughing at themselves, they dreamed of the money that Sambara will give them.

A long way away, Rati, the widow of Kamadeva was about to immolate herself. She had lit a pyre, and hoped to get to heaven and be with her husband. Just as she was about to jump into the fire, a heavenly voice stopped her, "O Rati, wait!! Don't immolate yourself!! Wait for some time, then Kamadeva will be yours once more!!!" Rati was shocked!! "What should I do meanwhile?" she asked the voice. "You must disguise yourself as a mind and seek work in the palace of the evil asura, Sambara!!" Rati bowed down and thanked the voice. 
So Rati disguised herself as a maid and, with her magical powers, flew to Sambara's palace."I can't believe that my husband will be mine once more!"

Rati walked into the palace kitchen. The head cook shouted at her, "Who are you?" Rati replied, " My name is, ummm, Mayavati! I seek work in the kitchen of Sambara." The head cook was impressed with her. He thought to himself, "Hmmm... She seems clean and looks lively. I shall take her," He called her and told her that she had been chosen for the spot of chief maid. She was elated. Rati immediately started doing the day's work which had been assigned to her.

A few hours after she had started, there was a commotion in the corner of the kitchen. Rati rushed to see what had happened,  she pushed through the crowd and saw a huge fish, lying on its side. "Oh! What a large fish!!" Rati exclaimed. The head cook stated that the fishermen had brought it in from the sea and he was going to cook it for Sambara's dinner tonight. He began to chop the fish. He slit open the dead fish from the waist, and lo and behold!! A beautiful baby rolled out of the stomach and gurgled at him. "Wh-Wh_What?!?! What is this?!" the maids exclaimed at the beauty of the baby.

Utterly confounded, the head cook turned to Mayavati (aka Rati), and said, "Please take him and look after him. Perhaps someday his parents will come for him." Mayavati was surprised. She took the cute baby in her arms, and strolled into the royal garden. As Mayavati wondered thus, sage Narada appeared in front of her, "Welcome, O venerable sage. You will certainly be able to satisfy my curiosity. Who is this lovely child?" asked Mayavati. Narada told her, "He is none other than your husband, Kamadeva!!" Mayavati was astounded. She begged him to tell her more. Narada told her the whole episode, how Kamadeva was reborn, and how he was abducted by Sambara, etc. Narada vanished after telling her about the baby in her hands.

Pradyumna became a favourite in the kitchen. He soon grew up to be a mischievous child. He would steal butter from the earthen pots, and pretended that he never did anything. Mayavati knew that he was the son of Krishna, with the same love for butter and the same injured innocence after being caught red-handed.

The days passed and Pradyumna became a strong, handsome young man. Mayavati became anxious as he became older. She longed to tell him who he is. One day, she finally broke the news to him. " You are Pradyumna, the son of Krishna," Pradyumna asked why he was here. Then, Rati explained everything that happened since his birth. Pradyumna felt angry. He wanted to strangle Sambara!! Before that, Mayavati said, "I shall teach you the magic arts."Pradyumna was a clever pupil and he soon mastered the magical spells. After a long process of training, Mayavati proclaimed, "You are finally ready to kill Sambara!" He rode a golden chariot to the palace of Sambara and shouted, "Come out, Sambara. Come out, you valiant asura, who stole a baby from his mother!!" Sambara was enraged, "AAAAHH!!! He is alive!!" he rushed out of the palace in rage.

A mighty battle ensued between the two. Maces were swinging, swords were clashing, heads were bashing. With a thunderous roar, Sambara swung his mace at Pradyumna, but Pradyumna deflected it with his own. Sambara was losing badly. Resorting to magic, Sambara became invisible. Pradyumna quickly cast the spell that Mayavati had taught him. He blinded Sambara. Drawing his sword, Pradyumna severed Sambara's head from his body. The evil asura king Sambara was dead. He ran to Mayavati and said, "I have killed Sambara." Mayavati proclaimed, "Then we must go!! Let's not waste time!!" She flew to Dwaraka, with Pradyumna clinging on to her hand. 

As they landed in Dwaraka, the residents mistook Pradyumna for Krishna. He strode into the palace and ran to Rukmini. "Who could this be? He looks like my son if he were alive," said Rukmini. "Who are you?" she questioned Pradyumna. At that instant, Narada appeared. "Narayana, Narayana!! Do not worry, Rukmini!! He is your son, Pradyumna!! Do not worry, I shall explain," Narada told the long story of - well, you know what- and then Rukmini hugged Pradyumna. Magical flowers were thrown from above. Then, Narada said, "Pradyumna, your wife is none other than Mayavati!!" Then Pradyumna embraced Mayavati. They got married, and they all live a happy life thereafter.

Fun Fact Nº 1: It is said, that Pradyumna had the same amount of skill as Arjuna, and could rival him in anything!

Thanks for reading the story of Pradyumna!! Please follow to receive emails about my posts!!!

The story of the Akshaya Patra…

Hi!! Did you guys know, that today is Akshaya Tritiya!! It is a very auspicious day for Hindu people. Technically, Akshaya in Sanskrit means 'Neverending' or  'Endless' in terms of prosperity, and Tritiya is the third day of the Vaishaka Maasa (Second month of the Hindu calendar). Akshaya Tritiya is the day of prosperity. There is a legend, that states that any good that is done or bought (like gold, or knowledge, or any kind of property) shall be multiplied throughout the year!!

There are many stories relating to Akshaya Tritiya. Today, I'll be telling the story of the Akshaya Patra, and how Krishna saved the Pandavas from the anger of Sage Durvasa. Let's go...

A long, long time ago, during the time of the kings of Hastinapur, the Pandavas played a fateful game of dice with their uncle, Shakuni. What a fateful game it was! Yudhistira was to play with Shakuni. As they played, Yudhistira bet many things. He bet his crown, his palace, his jewels. He was even going to bet his wife, Draupadi!! But, his brothers warned him against it. They eventually lost the game, and fell prey to the consequences of Dhritarashtra, the king of Hastinapur. He was influenced by his son, Duryodhana, to exile the Pandavas for thirteen years!!

The Pandavas led a simple life in the forest. They built themselves a small hut, with wooden logs for walls and a green garden, filled with little saplings of fruits and vegetables. A frugal life they led. They received visits from many dignitaries, sages, kings and ministers who were horrified at the turn of events. They came to discuss matters with the Pandavas and show their support. Draupadi, the lady of the house, found it very difficult to extend their hospitality to these numerous guests because they were destitute in exile and living in the forest where nothing was available.

One day Krishna suddenly came to visit the Pandavas. Along with him came his large regiment of numerous men. The Pandavas received Krishna with a grand ceremony (Which wouldn't have been actually grand. What do you expect, they lived in a forest!), and they all sat outside and began to talk happily. However, Draupadi wasn't anywhere to be seen. She didn't come out to greet Krishna. Instead, she was weeping in the kitchen. After some time, Krishna sensed that something wasn't right. Something was fishy. Krishna, being all-powerful, saw what had happened to Draupadi using his magic. He made a very simple excuse and said that he was thirsty and would go to drink water. He ran inside to the kitchen, and tried to console Draupadi. 

"Draupadi. Draupadi! What happened? Are you all right?" he asked her. She said nothing, but just showed him an empty pot. She exclaimed, "O Krishna, you bring along a whole army of men without any notice. What am I supposed to do? Anyways, even if you did tell us that you were coming, I still wouldn't have been able to give you and your followers any food. Look at this patra. It is empty! There is no food left!" Krishna inspected the copper pot, and the inside of it too. "O Panchali, you say there is no more food? But can't you see this?" Krishna questioned Draupadi. He lifted a mere grain of rice out of the pot. " A single grain of rice, if offered to God with love, becomes the Beeja, and fills everyone's tummies," stated Krishna. He ate the rice, and for that day,  the whole universe was full. "I am pleased with your devotion to me. I shall give you the Akshaya Patra. Until you eat YOUR day's fill, it shall keep producing food."

The news of Draupadi's new patra reached Duryodhana's ears. He was enraged!!! He wanted to curse them so badly!! His face turned red. His fists clenched in anger. He roared to the skies!!! "How is this possible?!! I banish them, and then they get unlimited food?!! What is this?!!" Hearing his uproar, Shakuni limped up to him, "Putta, don't get agitated. We must think of a plan. Don't worry, I shall have one by tomorrow. Then, we can say goodbye to those Pandavas. MwaHaHaHa!!!!" He assured Duryodhana.

The next day, Shakuni told Duryodhana, " Chinna, I have a plan. We must invite Sage Durvasa to our palace. Then, we can send him to the Pandavas' place. They would've finished their food, and Draupadi certainly would've finished hers, too!! Durvasa will be angry on them for not serving him food, and then he shall curse them! Ha! My plan is foolproof!! I shall go and personally invite the sage myself." Duryodhana hugged his uncle and told him that he would gladly accept his plan.

Durvasa walked into the palace of Hastinapur, and shouted, "Hey Duryodhana!! What do you want? I am hungry. Where is the food?!?!?!?!" Duryodhana answered, "O sage, we are very thankful that you are here - " He was interrupted by Durvasa, "WHERE'S THE FOOD???!?!?!" Duryodhana told him that the palace cooks had gone to sleep, and it would be rude to wake them up. He also said that he and his tribe of followers ( who were right by his side ) may eat at the Pandavas' hut. Durvasa was happy. he would finally get some food after a long days' travel.

He reached the river-side hut, and stormed in (Durvasa had a habit of storming into places). "I'd like some food, please!!!!!!" shouted Durvasa. Krishna was currently staying with the Pandavas, and he told them to bow at the feet of the sage. "Namaskara, acharya. We didn't get word that you were coming!" said the Pandavas. They were worried. They had no food to give to Durvasa! Durvasa shouted, "Me and my clan shall go and bathe in the nearby river. If the food is not ready by then, I shall give you the worst curse I have ever given!!!!" The Pandavas were scared. The Akshaya Patra had finished making food, because Draupadi had finished eating her day's fill. They all prayed to Krishna, "O Madhusudhana, please save us; Please!!!" Krishna told all of them to come into the kitchen. He then stared into the Akshaya Patra. As usual, there was only one grain of rice left in the pot. "You people are strange, I say! You say there is no food to feed Rishi Durvasa, but when I see your kitchen, you bestow a feast!! Really, you people have gotten your screws loose since you came to the forest!" He picked up the grain of rice and dropped it in his mouth. He swallowed it as if he were eating a feast, "Mmmmmm... Yummmmm…"

He reminded them, "Remember when I came here and asked for water? I gave this pot to Draupadi that day. I told her that - " He was interrupted by Draupadi, "A single grain of rice, if offered to God with love, shall become the Beeja, and fill everyone's tummies." Instantly, Durvasa's starving stomach filled itself with food. All of his men's tummies filled themselves with food. They couldn't eat another morsel. They felt sooo sleepy!! " Gurugale, I don't feel hungry. We should leave now. It would be bad to reject the Pandava's food. We shall run away." said one of Durvasa's men. He agreed. They quickly dried their bodies, and disappeared into the night. The Pandavas couldn't thank Krishna enough. Krishna just wanted their devotion. They promised him that they would remain ever faithful. And for that day, the whole universe fell fast asleep, with bellies full of food.

Moral: Sow your seeds of belief in God and you shall reap the                    fruits of devotion

Fun Fact Nº 1: There are many other stories relating to Akshaya Tritiya.                                  For instance, there is the Birth of Parashurama                                                  (Parashurama Jayanthi), VedaVyasa started to recite 

                                the Mahabharata to the writer, Ganesha, Ganga flew                                        down to Earth, and many more!!

Thanks for reading my rendition of the Story of the Akshaya Patra!!! Please follow with your email to receive updates on my posts!!!

P.S: To follow, you must:

 type your email into the email box above the followers,

Then, you will get a confirmation email, and there will a link,

Click on the link to activate your subscription!!!!!!! 

The Story of the Atma Linga

Hi!!! Today I'll be telling the story of the Atma Linga. The Atma Linga is said to be Shiva's soul, caught in a small, black carved rock in the shape of a tall semicircle, with a lamp-like structure under it. It looks like this:

Today's story is about how Ganesha duped Ravana for the Atma Linga. Here we go...

There once was a king called Ravana. He was the king of the asuras (aka the Demons!!) A Brahmin by caste, Ravana was the most smart and knowledgeable man of his time! A great scholar, a veena maestro and an efficient ruler, Ravana was treated well in his capital, Lanka. And he treated his subjects well, too. He had ten heads, each representing his knowledge of the six Shastras and the four Vedas. But, even the knowledge of these scriptures wasn't able to provide him with the virtue which was needed to keep his pride in check. Ravana always wanted more from life. He wanted to be the most powerful person in the three realms (Earth, Heaven and Hell). This greed of Ravana's was inextinguishable. He wanted immortality and invincibility. He wanted to stop death running towards him. If he was immortal, Death couldn't catch up to him. He would run from Death forever. And ever. And ever.

As Ravana continued his search for immortality, He came across a piece of information. He got to know that at the top of Mt. Kailash, in the abode of Lord Shiva, was the Atma Linga. Shiva owned the Atma Linga. It was a piece of his soul, stuffed into a linga. He who possesses the Atma Linga shall gain immortality and invincibility. He won't be questioned of his power ever. He would be the most powerful being in the whole universe!!! Ravana was elated. "Aaaahhh… If I obtain the Atma Linga, then I will be the most powerful being in the whole universe!! MwaHaHaHa!!!" Ravana let out an evil laugh.

Ravana decided that he would have to please the Lord by meditating for him. He stood on a smaller peak of Mount Kailash, and raised his arms. He stood on one leg, and chanted, "Om Nama Shivaya…" He continued to do this for an hour. Then a day. Then a week. He continued to do tapas for months on end, until he lost his patience. "O Lord, why haven't you turned up in front of me? Why, O Lord?" Then, he thought, "Maybe he didn't want penance only. He wanted a sacrifice." He looked around. There were no living things around him in the icy terrain. He had no choice. "Kkkchaccckkk!!!!!" His sword went through one of his heads. He picked up the fallen head from the blood-stained floor, "I offer this to you, my lord." He portrayed the head up to the skies. No one came. He chopped one more. The same reaction. No Shiva. He cut off another head. Shiva didn't come. Ravana screamed, "Why are you doing this to me?" into the skies.

He cut off nine of his heads, and there was no reply from Shiva. He was ready to sacrifice his last head, the one with his life stored in it. He was drawing his crimson sword and placed it next to his neck. He swore to himself, "If Lord Shiva doesn't come, I shall slit my throat!" He waited for another five minutes. His sword was squeezing his neck now. A small trickle of blood came out of his neck. A flash of light blinded Ravana. He dropped his sword and covered his eyes. A blue figure flew out of the light. Around his neck, a green snake with a giant hood hissed. Tigerskin draped his waist. His six-pack ABS bounced the rays of light of them, like a pinball machine. He stared at Ravana. It was Shiva. His feet landed on the red, icy floor. " O Ravana, you have pleased me with your penance. Ask for anything, and I shall give it to you." 

Ravan bowed down to Shiva's feet. " My Lord, I bow down to you. I feel elated to have you in my presence. I shall ask for only one thing. I would like the Atma Linga." Shiva was shocked! No one had ever asked for the Atma Linga. But, Shiva was true to his word. He gave a black linga, with kumkum applied on the front. " But, I have a condition. You must not put the linga down before you reach Lanka, otherwise, it will take root there and never shall you be able to lift it up again," said Shiva. Ravana heartily accepted the Atma Linga. He once again bowed down to Shiva and ran down from the mountain. He joyfully sang a little tune to himself as he went down.

As he walked down, he saw the gods hurdled up in a small conference. He boastfully walked through the group and said, "Look! I have the Atma Linga!! HaHaHa!!" The gods were shocked. They all ran around in a tizzy. Bramha had an idea. "Let's go to Ganesha! He'll know what to do!!" They all ran to Ganesha, who was busy eating laddoos under a tree with Mooshika, his rat. "What seems to be the problem? I want to eat my laddoos in peace," said Ganesha. Then, Bramha explained the whole incident to Ganesha. "Ooohhohho... So I have to stop Ravana? Ok, let's have some fun!"

Ravana was walking along the west coast of India, and he saw the sunset. He was shocked! "Wow! I have travelled for so long!!" He remembered that he had to perform sandhyavandhana, the evening prayers. He settled down near the coast, and suddenly realized. "Oh no!! I forgot!! I can't keep the Atma Linga down!! But I must perform the prayers!!!! Oh, what do I do!!!!" He sat down in a dilemma. Just then, a small Brahmin boy, who was walking his cow, came to Ravana. "Hello, sir. You look sad. would you like any help?" Ravana was overjoyed. "O boy, you have saved me!!! Please do hold on to this linga. Whatever you do, don't put it down on the floor!! DO NOT PUT IT DOWN!!!" He pleaded the boy. He thrust it in his hands and got ready to do the sandhyavandhana. 

As Ravana was performing the rituals, the boy shouted, "O Ravana!! Do you know who I am? I am Ganesha, Shiva's son!" Ravana turned around and saw that the brahmin boy had transformed into an elephant-headed boy!!! Ganesha dropped the Atma Linga onto the floor. It got stuck on the floor, and Ravana could never take it back to Lanka with him ever again. He screamed in agony, "NOOOOOO!!!!!!!" and tried to chase Ganesha, who was running away with his cow. Ravana managed to catch up to them. He tried to catch the cow, but Ganesha had teleported somewhere else, magically, with his cow (Who was actually Nandi). Ravana only managed to get a hold on one of Nandi's ears. He wailed in dismay. His lifelong dream had now been shattered to pieces.

Moral: Evil will ultimately fail.

Fun Fact Nº 1: The place where Ravana pulled off Nandi's ear is called Gokarna (Go - cow and Karna - ear)

Fun Fact Nº 2: The linga in Gokarna was called Mahabaleshwar, because even the mighty Shiva couldn't lift it! (Maha - very, Bala - strong and Eshwar - Shiva)

Thanks for reading the Story of the Atma Linga!!!! Please follow to receive emails about my posts!!!!!

The Story of the Foolish Lion and the Clever Rabbit...

Hi!!! Today's short story is about how a scrawny, old rabbit saved the lives of all the animals in the jungle. I love this story, because it says that anyone, even the meekest of the lot, can make a difference and, maybe, do a huge act of kindness. Let's go…

Deep in the centre of the dense, thick jungle lived a kingdom of animals. There were birds and bugs, stripy zebras and spotty giraffes, giant bears and gallant deers, hilarious monkeys and hefty elephants. And to top it all off, the king of the jungle, the lion. He had a burgundy mane, which fluttered in the warm, humid wind. He had fur as soft as cotton, which engulfed his body in a fluffy coat. Sharp teeth lined his huge jaws. All of the animals feared him. And rightly so, because the lion was a murderer.
It is the natural instinct of a lion to hunt for food, but not as crazy as this one. He would pounce on a running gazelle, and rip its flesh from the bones. He wouldn't eat the meat, nooo. He would just fling it away. He would have eaten his fill long before, but he would kill other animals for the fun of it. With a roar, he would bound off, into the distance…

This continued, day after day. The other (living) animals couldn't stand it at all. Such massacre was only to be for terrorists (in the animal world, they consider terrorists as hyenas)!!! This upset all of the animals. They decided to talk to the king, and reason with him.

"Your majesty, we are all blessed to have you as a king. We are all the more happy to have you in this meeting," said the representative of the animals. "What is the matter, animals? Why have you called me here?" questioned the lion. "Sir, it's natural that you have to kill us for your food. But killing more than what is required is not a good approach. If you go on slaughtering us without any purpose, a day will come where there will be no more animals left in the jungle." The lion roared in anger, "SO WHAT!! I will do what I want. But, I do agree with you. I shall stop my excessive hunting ways. How shall I get my food?"

The animals quickly stated, " Your Majesty, we have already discussed this problem and have come up with a solution. We shall send one animal to your den, every day. Then, you may eat them. This will also save you the trouble of hunting. The lion replied, "Fine. I agree to this proposal. But, I have one condition. You must make sure that the animal comes to my den on time, otherwise, I'll kill all of the animals in the jungle!!"  The animals all went home, happy that the lion had given up his ways.
This process continued smoothly, with animal after animal going to the den of the lion. The king would then munch on the animal, and have a hearty meal. The whole jungle kingdom lived in harmony, until it was the turn of an old, skinny rabbit. 

He protested against going, "Nooo!!! I won't go!!!!!! NOOOOOO!!!!!" The other animals fight with him (Do you know who won? Guess. It was......drumroll please......... The ANIMALS! Obvious, right?). The grey bunny was kicked out. He was told that the lion's den was three miles west. The bunny was in a deep trance. He was thinking of a plan to save his life, and the other animals'.

The bunny sauntered around the whole kingdom, visiting places he had never been to. He went to New Stork City, Grizzlybaad, Pandatown, and many other places. He almost forgot that he had to execute his plan and go to the lion's den.

"ROAR!!!!!!!!! Why are you so late!!!!!! You puny rabbit!!!! Do you know who I am?" bellowed the lion. "I am so sorry, my liege." murmured the bunny. "You are the only thing they have sent? First, they starve me. Then, when they give me food, they send so little of it!!!! I shall slaughter them!!!!!!!!!!!" The king roared. The bunny stated to the lion, "Your majesty, the subjects didn't send only me. They sent six bunnies!! All were eaten up on the way, except me." The lion was confused. "Who ate my food? Who, I say?!!" questioned the lion. The bunny said, "He claimed to be the king of the jungle. He was another lion!!!" The lion roared in rage, "RRROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Let us go find that so-called 'king of the jungle'. I shall murder him!!!!!!" The bunny got on the back of the infuriated lion. Then, they burst out of the den, and the lion ran like the wind. 

The rabbit directed him to a well,  full of water. If you fell, you wouldn't be able to climb back up. The lion shouted into the water, "O you fool!!!! You ate my food!!!! I shall murder you!!!!! RRROOOOOOAAAAARRR!!!!!!!" He looked left. There was no lion. He looked right. There was no lion. Then, the bunny suggested, "O king, why don't you look down into the well?" The lion immediately looked into the water and saw his own reflection. He mistook it to be the 'other lion'. "You… I'll kill you!!!!" He jumped into the water, but he found that the lion was nowhere to be found. He pleaded the rabbit to pull him out, but the rabbit just walked off. The lion eventually drowned to his death. He was fooled by an old, scrawny rabbit. The other lion was fake. There was no lion. The bunny just made up the six other bunnies and the killing of those bunnies.

He returned to the jungle and all of the residents were shocked! He then narrated the whole story to the animals, and they treated him like their new king. He had saved them from imminent death!! Thus, the jubilant bunny saved the animals and they lived cheerfully thereafter.

Moral: Brain is always better than brawl.

Thanks for reading the Story of the Lion and the Rabbit!!! Please follow with your email to receive alerts about when I post!!!!!

The Story of Bheema and Hanuman's Tail...

Hi!!! Today's short story is from the Mahabharata. It's a story about why one should never be proud of themself. It's a fitting example of why the Pandava's were faltering most of the time, and then got enlightened by Lord Krishna's words. Let's go...

After the fateful gambling game played by Yudhistira and Shakuni, the Pandava's had lost everything, even their homes!! They were sentenced to 13 years of exile, and one year of anonymity (which means they had to live their last year hiding from the Kauravas, being anonymous). The Pandava's had embarked on their journey to the Unknown, when Draupadi (The Pandava's wife) saw a wondrous sight!! There was a magical lotus, flying in the air! It had golden petals, with a stem of vibrant colours. The flower danced in the air, and attracted Draupadi. "O husbands, look at that beautiful flower! It looks so lovely!! Can any one of you go and fetch it for me, please?" 

The five Pandavas turned towards the flower, and were astonished by its beauty! "Wow! Look at it! How charming!" They all exclaimed. Suddenly, Nakula proclaimed, "I shall be the one to get the flower for Draupadi." "No, I shall!" shouted Arjuna. "No, I will get the flower!" Shouted Sahadeva. Then, all of the brothers broke into a fight about who should get the flower. After a long time, Draupadi intervened, " STOP!!! I shall decide who gets the flower for me. He should be the one most capable, if anything harmful comes his way. He should be a very strong man. I choose......... Bheema!" Bheema cheered in celebration. He stuck his tongue out to all of his brothers, "Llll!! I won! I won! HaHaHa!!!" Bheema strode off into the denser part of the forest.

As Bheema wandered through the forest, he came across an odd-looking tree. There was a small clearing next to the tree. He had to go that way, because the flower was hovering right above the clearing. But in his way, there was an old-looking animal, sleeping facing away from Bheema, with its tail covering the whole area. "O animal, let me pass! Do you know who I am? I am the strongest man alive!! I am Bheema!!" howled Bheema to the animal. The animal just replied, "I am a monkey, call me like that!!HaHaHa!!" Bheema was outraged. "HEY!!!! DO YOU HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR ME? I am the strongest man alive!!!!!" he bellowed. The monkey casually added, "If you're so strong, then lift my tail and go!" he chuckled. Then, Bheema was infuriated. He accepted the challenge gleefully.

Bheema bent down to pick up the chalky-furred tail. His hand felt the bottom of the fluffy tail, and tried lifting it up. "Hhhhhhhmmmmmpppphhhh!!!!!!!" It didn't move. He tried again. "Hhhhhhhmmmmmpppphhhh!!!!!!!" It didn't budge. He tried once more. "Hhhhhhhmmmmmpppphhhh!!!!!!!" He was confused. It was a normal monkey, with a normal tail. "What sorcery is this, monkey?" he asked angrily. "This is no magic, brother." said the monkey. Bheema was astonished, "Brother? Who are you?" he asked. The monkey turned to Bheema's side and showed his face. "I am Hanuman, one of the sons of Vayu - the Wind God. You are one of them, too," said the monkey. Bheema was amazed! He thought that the only brothers he had were the Pandavas! Hanuman got up and embraced his half brother (because their mothers were different). Bheema felt happy. He, too, hugged Hanuman. 

"You are a very proud fellow, Vrikodhara. You are a little bit too proud. You boast too much about your strength. You are an arrogant fool. Change your attitude and be a kinder person." exclaimed Hanuman. Bheema changed his facial expression from joyful, to sad. "I accept your words, O brother. I shall change myself and become a better person. Thank you, Anjaneya." said Bheema. "O Bheema, if you do keep up your word, I shall aid your soldiers in the war you're going to have against the Kauravas." Bheema was overjoyed. They embraced each other, and Bheema ran back to the troop of Pandavas waiting, as a changed man.

Moral: Arrogance and pride will end your life


Thanks for reading my rendition of Bheema and Hanuman's Tail!!! Please follow for updates about my posts!!!

The Story of the Decietful Stork and the Brave Crab

Hi!!! Today, I'm going to tell a story from the Panchatantra. This story is about wit in the face of adversity. The crab is a very courageous fellow, because- Wait, I can't spoil the story!! Let's get on with it, then...

in the centre of the dense forest of Tiruchiropolly, was a small pond. What a lovely pond it was! It had so many fish, it was like a city! Olive green lilypads littered the surface of the water, brightening up the murky water. Mottled stones stood like soldiers, guarding the pond from any unwanted visitors. Above the water, all was peaceful. But you should see how it was under! There were fish, bustling with life and activity! There were frantically swimming fish. There were cool, calm crabs who meditated throughout the day. There were oddly-small, odorous octopi, who farted black, stinky ink into the freshwater. There were frivolous frogs, who bounded over the fish, like fireworks that didn't explode. Overall, the whole pond felt like a miniature Bannerghatta Main Road, with fishes waiting to move just an inch in a looooong line. Little cracks in the pond walls provided homes for clownfish, angelfish and whatnot. There was also a stork, who lived on the small hawthorn tree next to the pond. He would eye a large, fatty salmon, who would be minding his own good business, and -SNAP-. The stork would lunge into the water, and the fish would scatter like holi colours, flying from a thrower's stained hand. the salmon would have been dead by now; caught in the sharp beak of the stork. This way, the stork lived a happy life, snacking on a fish or two when he wanted.

But alas, these days were long gone. The stork became old and didn't have any energy left in him, to do the skilful task of hunting. He could fly, no doubt, but his hunting spirit had gone with the wind. He would go days without any food, and occasionally be able to catch a few, small anchovies for food. The stork was a very melancholy person. Though he was wise, he felt that he would die of starvation. "Oh, woe is me!" He would think to himself occasionally. He saw all of the lovely fish, prancing about in the pond, but restrained himself. He couldn't do it. "If I don't do anything, I will surely starve to death. I must come up with a plan." He thought for days, meditating not as a hungry stork, but a calm one. He finally found a solution, but was unsure that it would work. He went with it anyway. It was the best shot that he had.

The stork looked very sad one day. All of the residents of the pond asked him, "What's the matter, uncle Stork?" He didn't answer. He just turned his head at them, and back, then started to cry. The residents were confused, in a sad way. They continued asking him, but he didn't reply. Finally, he gave in. "Oh friends, I weep to see you. I heard that construction workers from Central Tiruchiropolly were going to empty the pond, and convert it into a child's park!!!" The whole gathering of residents were shocked!! They were going to die!! Their pond was going to be converted into a play area!! Kids started crying, octopi started farting for their lives, and frogs lept in terror. The whole pond went into a tizzy!! 

The stork tried to assure everyone that everything would be okay, but no one listened. They all just kept running for their lives. "Run for your lives!!!! Everyone will die!!!! I WANT MY MOMMY!!!!!!!!" were the screams that the stork heard. He cawed for everyone to be quiet. "CAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!! EVERYONE KEEP YOUR MOUTHS SHUT!!!!!!!!!" The whole pond fell silent. "I can help you, don't worry. All of you will make it out alive, if -and only if- you cooperate with me. I have an idea. My brother's mother's father's uncle's granddaughter's aunt's mother-in-law's sister's aunt's uncle's brother's sister's dad lives near a pond around, let's say, a mile southwest from here. I can fly you guys towards the pond and you can start your life anew!" The whole pond shouted with happiness and danced happily. They thought that they would live. But little did they know, that the stork was planning the biggest massacre of animals the whole of Tiruchiropolly had ever seen!!

The day of the first travel to the 'pond' had come. A bachelor tuna fish volunteered to go first. The stork held him in his water-filled mouth (So the fish could breathe) and flew off into the distance.
"Wow! What a view, uncle Stork! It looks so pretty!" chirped the tuna. The stork thought to himself, "What's pretty is your body going to be ripped into pieces and eaten!! HaHaha!!" He landed on a rocky mountain, with only a few shrubs growing from the ground. "Uncle Stork, this isn't a pond..." the tuna got concerned. He started shivering. The stork put him down on the dusty surface, and spit the water away. The tuna started flopping around for air, "Air! Air! I need air!!!!" He gasped. The stork laughed a heinous laugh. The tuna's flopping slowed, then gradually stopped. It was dead. The stork gobbled it up with ease, happy with his plan. "The plan works... Super!" cawed the stork.

This continued for two long weeks. The stork munched up most of the fish, crabs and octopi in the pond!! He thought it was smooth sailing until a red and brown crab came up and said, "I want to go!!!! I haven't got a turn!!!" The stork was eager to eat some crab. "Let's see... What would I like to eat today... I'll take the crab..." He thought to himself. The crab got into the stork's mouth, and then they flew from the pond. As they were approaching the mount, the crab saw a scary sight. Bones of various fish and frogs were lying there!! "Uncle Stork, why are these bones here?" He asked curiously. "Well, some stork would've eaten them," replied the Stork. The stork's feet touched the sandy killing spot. The crab was deep in thought, thinking about something...

He pinched the stork's neck with his pincers, and blood oozed out. "AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!" Screamed the stork. The crab said, "It is you who have been killing these innocent creatures, o Stork!" The stork fell down, with his eyes closed. The crab ripped his head off his neck, and the blood exploded out of the neck. Jumping off the body of the stork, the crab crawled back to the pond with the stork's gory head. When he got back to the pond, he told them of the stork's greed and his killing, and how the stork's head was ripped off by none other than the crab himself. Everyone applauded and praised the crab for many days to come. The pond resumed it's old life, and all was peaceful...

Moral: An excess of greed will bring an excess of punishment.

Thanks for reading my variation of the Story of the Deceitful Stork and the Brave Crab!! Please follow for announcements about my posts!!!!

The story of Jaya and Vijaya...

Hi!! Today, I'm going to tell an unknown story. It's not from the Ramayana, not from the Mahabharata, nor from any of the Vedas!! But, this story literally shapes all of the most well-known stories in Hindu mythology!! Let's get started...

A long, long, long, long, long, long (a million more longs!!) time ago, even before the first avatar that Vishnu took, there were two brothers, called Jaya and Vijaya. They were the grandsons of the God of the Sky, Varuna. They had amazing jobs (I mean, they had DAMN GOOD jobs!!!). They were the gate-keepers to the abode of Vishnu ( aka VAIKUNTA!!! The heavens!!!) !! They were in charge of keeping Lord Vishnu safe. That must have been a tiring job, with sooooo many demons around!! The brothers were excellent at hand-to-hand combat!! They used to wield maces, with gold inscriptions, that gave them extra strength!! They were capable of defeating an army of demons, with a few swings of their maces!!

One fine day, Jaya and Vijaya were doing their normal job; standing outside and guarding the gates of Vaikunta, when Lord Vishnu came out and told them, " Don't let anyone in for the next, ummm, few hours or so, please?" They were to obey their master's orders. But, as all mythological stories have, a twist appeared... (TWISSSSSSTTT....) The Four Kumaras, namely Sanaka, Sanatana, Sanandana and Sanatkumara, came to visit Lord Vishnu. Suddenly, Jaya and Vijaya thrust their maces in front of the golden entrance. "You may not enter, kids," said Jaya. (The Kumaras has a magical power to appear as kids, though they were EXTREMELY old!!!). "Lord Vishnu has given us orders not to let anyone into Vaikunta!" added Vijaya. They were adamant that no one shall go into Vishnu's abode. 

The Kumaras grew angry. "O gatekeepers!!!! You have no right to tell us where we can go, or where we can't!!!! We are the sons of Bramha, the Kumaras!!!!!" shouted the Kumaras. Suddenly, Jaya and Vijaya started to tremble. Their courage was turned into fear!! They were scared. "O sacred ones, we have upset you. Accept our thorough apologies. " The Kumaras weren't convinced by their devotion. They became even more furious. " You insolent fools!!! We are not at all convinced by your act!!!! WE CURSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR DIVINITY, AND BE BORN ON EARTH AS HUMANS!!!!!!!!!!!!" The two brothers were frightened to lose their dignity as divine persons. Vishnu came running out as fast as he could, to see what the commotion was about. Vishnu appeared before Jaya and Vijaya and asked, "O Vijaya, what is this all about?" The weeping brothers narrated the whole incident to Vishnu. "Aaaaahh... I see..." said Vishnu. "Well, the curse of the Kumaras cannot be lifted, but it can be altered. I shall give both of you two choices. You may be born on Bhuloka seven times as a sheer devotee, or you may be born thrice as my arch-enemies. After serving these sentences, you may return to Vaikunta as my gate-keepers and live here permanently.

Jaya and Vijaya thought about it lengthily, but finally came to a decision. "O Lord, we already are ardent devotees of you. But, we shall not be able to bear seven lives without your presence. We choose to die at your hands, three times, then return to Vaikunta." They proclaimed to Lord Vishnu. So, Vishnu gave them their sentence. They were to be reborn as Vishnu's enemies thrice.

Birth No. 1

Jaya and Vijaya were both born as the two demon brothers, Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu respectively. They were very frightening demons. Hiranyaksha had challenged Vishnu to a duel, arrogantly. Varaha (The boar avatar of Vishnu) finished off Jaya's first rebirth.
Vijaya was born as Hiranyakashipu. He had a son called Prahlad (That's another story for later!!) and wanted to kill him for his devotion to Lord Vishnu. (Hiranyakashipu had a grudge against Vishnu 'cos he killed his brother) But, Vishnu came as Narasimha (The lion-man) and murdered Hiranyakashipu. Thus, Jaya and Vijaya finished their first sentence.

Birth No. 2

Fast forward to the Ramayana. Who was the main bad guy in the Ramayana? Ravana, of course!!! He was the second rebirth of Jaya. And Kumbhakarna, Ravana's brother, was Vijaya's second rebirth. They were both killed in the battle with Rama (Vishnu's seventh avatar). Thus, Jaya and Vijaya finished their second sentence.

Birth No. 3

Fast forward to the Mahabharata. Jaya and Vijaya were born as Shishupala and Dantavakra. Shishupala had four hands and three eyes. His parents decided to throw him away, but they heard a voice that said, " Shishupala's deformations will all go once he sits on a certain person's lap. That person will also be the one to kill Shishupala." Then, when anyone came to their palace, Shishupala's mum, Shrutakirti, would seat Shishupala on their lap. Once, Shishupala's cousin, Krishna came. He sat on Krishna's lap. All of his extra body parts at once fell off and rolled on the floor. Krishna promised Shrutakirti that he would pardon Shishupala for 100 sins.
Shishupala wanted to marry Rukmini. But Krishna stole her. This Made Shishupala hate Krishna forever. When Yudhistira did the Rajasuya yajna, he invited Shishupala. When he saw Krishna there, Shishupala started abusing him. This was his 100th sin. Krishna threw his Sudarshan chakra at Shishupala, killing on the spot.

King Salva was a great friend of Dantvakra. He ordered an attack on Dwaraka, to prove that no other warrior was as strong as him, and to avenge Shishupala. But, he was slaughtered by Krishna. Dantavakra was enraged. He marched into the palace of Dwaraka like it was his own. He cracked the guards' bones with his mace. He stormed into the balcony where Krishna was sitting. Maybe drinking an iced tea or something. Dantavakra went to slap Krishna's head with his mace. Krishna flung his Sudarshan chakra at Dantavakra's heart, and split it into two halves. He was killed on the spot.

Thus, Jaya and Vijaya finished their third sentence and went back to Lord Vishnu in Vaikunta, and stayed there permanently, gate-keeping the golden gates of heaven.

Fun Fact: If you observe many Vishnu or co. temples, they will have two statues in front of the main mantapa. Those are most likely Jaya and Vijaya.

Thanks for reading my version of the story of Jaya and Vijaya!!! Please follow to receive notifications on when I post!!!!

The Tale of the Four Friends...

Hi!!! Today I'll be telling the story of the Four Friends. This story is from the Panchatantra. I love this story because it displays a funny style of wit. Let's get started...

Once, in a rural village, there lived four good friends. Their names were Ramu, Shamu, Kallu and Lallu (Funny names, right? HaHaHa). Kallu and Lallu were brothers. They were the best of friends. They all went to a very well-known gurukul in their village. The gurukul was very esteemed because they taught many mystical arts. Since the four friends went to the same academy, you must think that they all learnt cool abilities. For instance, Ramu learnt how to fix anything that is broken. Shamu learnt how to heal any wound, without touching. Kallu learnt how to attach a fallen leaf back onto a plant and let it live again. But Lallu didn't know how to do any of these cool things. He was considered a dud. He didn't care for any studies; he just cared about his survival. He believed that common sense was the only knowledge a man needed. Everybody laughed at him when he tried to fix a broken earthen pot. Everybody chuckled when he tried to heal a cut. Everybody chortled when he tried to lift a small leaf off the ground and snap it back onto the plant. Lallu wasn't good at any kind of studies. Everyone thought that Lallu would be a failure in life.

After completing their studies, Ramu, Shamu and Kallu decided that they would leave their homes to go on the path of life. They were going to seek their fortune. When they were packing their bags, Lallu shouted, "Hey!!!! I'm Kallu's brother!!! I'm your responsibility!!!!" Ramu and Shamu stared at each other, awkwardly. They said together, "We don't want you to come with us. You are a fool! We shall leave you behind." Lallu was sad. He felt as though he would never be able to seek his own fortune. But just then, Kallu interrupted, "He is my brother. We must take him on our journey. He will suffer otherwise." Then, Ramu and Shamu realized that his life simply shouldn't go to waste; everyone can only have one life. "Sure, you can come along. After all, you are our friend too!!" exclaimed Ramu and Shamu. They heartily laughed - with Lallu, not at Lallu.

The day of their departure came in a jiffy. Waving bye to their families, they set out, together, on the path of life. They joked about, sang songs, and altogether had one heck of a time!!

The next day, Ramu, Shamu, Kallu and Lallu were beginning to get tired. Even though they were tired, they resumed walking. By lunchtime, they were exhausted. They continued to walk to find a place to sit and eat their food. As they started to falter and stumble, Kallu saw four large rocks next to each other, all perfect for sitting on. They fumbled and stumbled their way to the mounds of stone. Resting their sore feet, they opened their tins and cans of food and feasted on their beautifully-cooked food. "Mmmmm... Yummmm... So delicious!!" They exclaimed in awe. Just then, Shamu spotted a pile of bones in front of his stone. "Whoaa... What is this? There are bones over here! Guys, come here!! I want you to see this!" They ran to the bone site, and saw the pile of bones. Kallu immediately said, "These are the bones of a lion!!" everyone gasped in shock! "It must have died from starvation, a very long time ago."  Then, Shamu suggested that they try their magic abilities in the heap of bones. Everyone except Lallu agreed (Maybe because he didn't know any of them!). 

Suddenly, Ramu said, "I'll go first. I can arrange the bones and fix them properly to each other!" Ramu chanted some strange words and mantras to fix all of the pieces back together. Suddenly, a bright light was emitted from the bones. They started to hover in the air. Lallu started to run about in terror. Then, one by one, the bones started to stick to each other. The skeleton of a lion was formed instantly!! All four of them were amazed!!

Then, Shamu said, "I'll be able to give it back it's organs and flesh! Then, it will look like a real lion!!" Again, the same reaction was given. Everybody but Lallu approved of it. But, this time Shamu asked Lallu, "Oy Lallu!! Since you do not possess any skill of your own, will you judge who's skill is the greatest of them all?" Lallu reluctantly agreed. Then, uttering some mantras and magic words, Shamu created flesh for the lion. Then the tissues. Then the organs. Within a few minutes, a complete lion was formed!! All of them were shocked!!! A dead lion was lying in front of their eyes!!

Next Kallu was getting ready to chant his spell. It could breathe life into the lion!! Suddenly, Lallu said, "Oh My God!!! You guys are bringing the lion back from the dead!! WAIT!!  You guys would be eaten up by the lion if you make it live!!" Everyone laughed. "Oy Lallu, no one will die!! We can fight a petty lion. Anyways, it just came from heaven. It would've had a feast there." Lallu was still concerned. " Wait! I don't want to die! I'll climb up this tree, then you can start your chant!" Lallu scampered up the nearest tree. He shouted, " START!!!" Then, Kallu did a lot of chants, and then the body of the lion rose up into the air. Its eyes started twitching. Its stomach inflated, then it deflated. Again, and again, and again. It started to breathe. Then, it opened it's crimson eyes. The lion was set on the floor, and it let out a gigantic ROOOOOOOAAAAAARRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The three boys were frightened. They were too scared to move!! Then, the lion turned its furry head, until its eyes were staring right at the arrogant little fools. It pounced on them, and Lallu, from the safety of the tree, saw his friends' bodies being ripped into pieces, and being wolfed down by the beast that they brought back from the dead.

As the lion walked away, Lallu came down from his tree. He stepped down from the last branch and saw that the whole area was repainted with a red colour. It was the blood of his dear friends and brother. He walked forward from the safety of his tree and saw a bush. He saw white bones. Tears rolled from his eyes, as he sat to see his friends' bones. He thought, "They met their desired fate." And so, Lallu travels on, not caring about the traumatizing experience he saw with his own two eyes.

Moral: A wise man thinks before he acts.

Thanks for reading the Tale of the Four Friends!! Please follow to receive updates about when I post!!