Tales from Indian Mythology from a Story Keeper
An attempt for a non-judgemental and non-indoctrination look at Indian mythology
Hi Friends! Today let us look at a story which involves the first maanasputras or mind-born-sons of Lord Brahma, and what happened when they were stopped by two divine Gatekeepers, and the far-reaching consequences of that. As we covered in an earlier post, the first four mind-born sons of Lord Brahma were the Four Kumaras. … Continue reading 10 – Who Kept The Gatekeepers Out
Hi Friends! Today let us try to complete the story we have been talking about in the last post, and the one before that. As we saw that Garuda, the feathered son of Vinata, successfully snatched away amruta from the Adityas, to fulfil the terms for his and his mother’s freedom, set by the Nagas, … Continue reading 09 – The Eagle Landed, but the Vultures Fell
Hi Friends! Today let’s try to take forward the story we started in the last post. The one where two sisters asked for strong children. One sister got as sons a thousand serpents with divine powers. The second sister lost her first-born (half-born?) to impatience, but was blessed with another. As this story has a … Continue reading 08 – One Flew Over Heaven’s Nest
Hi Friends! Today let us explore a lesser known story, about two sisters who fought a lot, and how each suffered from that. As briefly mentioned in an earlier post, various daughters of the Skilled Master of Creation, or Daksha Prajapati, were married to the Sage Kasyapa (who may be the Kachchhapa we met earlier). … Continue reading 07 – The Sisters Who Didn’t Like Each Other
Hi Friends! Today let us quietly stand in the corner of the primeval sea and see what precious things or “ratnas” are received by the grace of the Great Turtle, the Kurma. As we saw in the last post Adityas and Daityas wanted for themselves the Nectar of Immortality or Amruta. So together, they pulled … Continue reading 06 – Gifts of the Turtle
Hi Friends! Today let’s talk about the second aquatic adventure story, which also features the Second Incarnation of the Dashavataar. As mentioned last time while Fishing in Troubled Waters, this is also a Genesis Myth, i.e. it tries to explain how things came to be. So here is “a” version of the Second Legend of … Continue reading 05 – The Churning of the Sea
Hi Friends! Today let’s try and cover the first of the stories about adventures in the water, where “good” wins and/or survives, while the “bad” loses and/or is washed away. These are part of what can be termed as the Series of Ten Incarnations or Dashavataar (link is for your parents - a quick but … Continue reading 04 – Fishing in Troubled Waters
Hi Friends! Today, let’s take a look at how the Indian mythology tells stories about Time. This is the promised “numbers” story. This is quite mathematical, but gives us an idea of the vastness of this universe of stories. Large numbers alert, so you may want to get your calculators ready! Base check first! One … Continue reading 03 – How Old is the Creator, Really!
Hi Friends! As promised last time, in this post we shall try and cover the various ways the world started, as per Indian mythology. As we discussed, the stories of creation are cyclical. In another post we shall look at the highly number-centric way they thought things repeated. It’s awesome fun, but it can wait. … Continue reading 02 – How Did It Start and Grow
Hi Friends! Everything has to start somewhere. Day starts with sun-rise. Some songs start with a beautiful melody. Some start with someone mumbling about something he/she feels strongly about. So, when the tellers and the listeners of stories, gather around a glowing thing (a fire sometimes, sometimes a screen!) this is what needs to be … Continue reading 01 – Who Started These Stories
Hi Friends! I shall try to tell you a few stories. These are episodes, or parts, of the many stories that have been told by older generations to younger generations. Most of these stories will be from India, the country from where I am. But some can be from other places. These are sometimes referred … Continue reading 00 – Letter To My Friends
Tales from Indian Mythology from a Story Keeper 