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's try to close our excursion into the names of the days ("vaaras"), and the planets - real or unreal - they are named after ("grahas"). So let's strike out into the forest of stories, and seize the day! Interestingly the word "graha" means the one's who hold or seize. And the … Continue reading 27 – Counting Out Days! Part Four.
Hi Friends! Today let us take forward the twisting-turning tales we started quite some time back, about the weekday names, and the divine/semi-divine entities they are named after. As usual, there are stories that are new, and some which are repeated. Those that are new, let's discover together; and those that are repeated, let's rediscover … Continue reading 26 – Counting Out Days! Part Three.
Hi Friends! Today let us continue the meandering tales we started last time, about the names of the days, and the individuals they are named after. Some repetitions may be expected. And as usual, as we are trying to connect various tales, there is some pick-and-choose, and some inconsistencies. I promise, I will try and … Continue reading 25 – Counting Out Days! Part Two.
Hi Friends! I have been quite irregular in posting, the past few days (and months)! So, I thought that it would be a good idea if we look at a few stories about days. Or the names we know them by, and see where it takes us. Fair warning, this may take longer than usual! … Continue reading 24 – Counting Out Days! Part One.
Hi Friends! Today let us finish the story about the (first) battle between Taraka-Asura ("The Strong Saviour") and the Devas ("The Bright One's"), fought to avenge the disrespect to Taraka's mother by Indra Deva in the form of a monkey. As mentioned earlier, the Deva army was led by eight of the dasa-dikpalas ("Guardians of … Continue reading 23 – When The Victorious Saviour Spared The Bright Monkeys
Hi Friends! Today let us explore some background stories that would help us understand the further stories better. Let us (for the time being) leave the Saviour Strong-One (Taraka-Asur) and his army facing the King (Indra) and the other Guardians of various Directions, and the various Devas, with the support of the Preserver (Vishnu). In … Continue reading 22 – Of Mountains, Rivers and Stars
Hi Friends! Today let us take the story forward from where we left the action last time. Two battle-ready armies stood in front of each other, to fight for respect and supremacy. Let us learn a little more about their leaders, and champions. The Asura Army - The Saviour and Other Strong Ones The Asuras … Continue reading 21 – When The Divine Guardians Fought The Strong Saviour
Hi Friends! Today let us continue from where we ended last time. Vajranga fulfilled his promise to his mother, Diti, by defeating Indra. He had also obeyed his father, Sage Kashyapa, by sparing the life of Indra. On the suggestion of his great-grandfather, Lord Brahma, he started an intense penance, while submerged in a huge … Continue reading 20 – The Tale of the Saviour and the Disrespectful Monkey
Hi Friends! Today let us continue the tale of the underdogs, the one’s everyone expects to lose. Last time we looked at the story of the powerful unborn son of Diti. We saw how (as an embryo) he got broken before his birth, from a single daitya (“son of Diti”) who was pre-destined to defeat … Continue reading 19 – The Unbreakable One and his Unbroken Promises
Hi Friends! Today let us explore a story of the underdogs, the one’s everyone expects to lose. How would that affect their families? When a son or daughter wins, the happiest is their mother. What happens when the son or daughter loses? How does she cope with it? Keeping that in mind, let us talk … Continue reading 18 – Please Don’t Cry Brother Mine
Hi Friends! Today let us look at Daksha Prajapati, the Skillful Master of Creation, and the story of a famous yagna of his. Daksha, the Skillful One, was one of the sons of Lord Brahma. He along with his nine brothers, together the Prajapatis, was entrusted with the work of creation. Daksha with his wife … Continue reading 15 – When Creativity of Skill and Ferocity of Nature Fought
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 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 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
Tales from Indian Mythology from a Story Keeper 