One of the most popular heroines in Hindu mythology is Sita. She is known primarily as the wife of Rama, the hero of the epic Ramayana. As one of the protagonists of the Ramayana, Sita is revered as the model Hindu wife, who, although the victim of injustices, always remains loyal and steadfast to her…
Radha, like Sita, is understood primarily in relation to a male consort. Throughout her history Radha has been inextricably associated with the god Krishna. Unlike Sita, however, Radha’s relationship to Krishna is aduherous. Although she is married to another, she is passionately attracted to Krishna. Radha’s illicit relationship with Krishna breaks ail social norms and…
Dattatreya was the eldest son of Anasooya. He was very humble, quiet and wise, as compared to other children. For a child, his behaviour was notably restrained. He always kept his eyes and ears open, for he learned many things from Nature. It was a common sight to see Dattatreya in the company of dogs,…
Rivaling Lashmi in popularity in the Hindu tradition is the goddess Parvati. Unlike Lashmi, Parvati has hardly any independent history of her own. Her identity and nature and nearly all her mythological deeds are defined or acted out vis-a-vis her consort/husband, the I great ascetic god Shiva. Since epic times, when Parvati first appeared as…
Personality of Sai Baba It is on account of Sai Baba that Shirdi grew into importance. He conquered this Sansar (worldly existence), which is very difficult and hard to cross. Peace or mental calm was His ornament, and He was the repository of wisdom. He was the home of Vaishnav devotees, most liberal (like Kama)…
The goddess Kali is almost always described as having a terrible, frightening appearance. She is always black or dark, is usually naked, and has long, disheveled hair. She is adorned with severed arms as a girdle, freshly cut heads as a necklace, children’s corpses as earrings, and serpents as bracelets. She has long, sharp fangs,…
One of the most impressive and formidable goddesses of the Hindu pantheon-and one of the most popular-is the goddess Durga. Her primary mythological function is to combat demons who threaten the stability of the cosmos. In this role she is depicted as a great battle queen with many arms, each of which wields a weapon….
The goddess Sri, who is also commonly known by the name Lakshmi, has been known in the Hindu tradition since pre-Buddhist times. She is one of the most popular goddesses in the Hindu pantheon. She has a considerable body of mythology and is widely worshiped by Hindus of all castes throughout India to this day….
In the Assembly of Lord Indra, the Lord of Gods, amongst a number of beautiful nymphs, one was named Punjiksthala. She was very restive and intemperate by nature. Once she disturbed a sage in his meditation. The sage got annoyed and cursed her, “You have done an evil deed and because of this act, you…
1. ‘”He carries himself (atman) in two parts, the breath and the sun. These are its two paths, the inner and the outer. They both move on in a day and a night. The sun is the outer self, the breath the inner self. The movement of the inner self is measured by the movement…
