The story of the poisoning of Bhima at Pramana Koti is an important milestone: it marks the first of Duryodhana’s many plans to get rid of the Pandavas, whether it be through poisoning, the lac house, or the famous gambling game. This is a famous incident, but in this post, I use the original text […]
Pramana Koti: The Poisoning of Bhima Read More »
The Mahabharata War can be described as true “total warfare”. The term “total warfare” means that countries devote all of their resources and men towards the war. During the Mahabharata, the entirety of Bharatvarsha sent its might and men to the battlefield of Kurukshetra. Nearly every kingdom and tribe, from modern-day Iran to Myanmar, participated
How Many People Fought in the Mahabharata War Read More »
The story of Vamana Avatar is a common story in Hinduism. Lord Vishnu takes the Vamana Avatar in order to subjugate the powerful Mahabali, the king of the demons, who had defeated the gods and conquered the heavens. Vamana is a dwarf boy who outsmarts Bali by asking for only three steps of land as
Only Three Steps: Vamana Avatar and Bali Read More »
Samudra Manthan is one of the most well-known tales in Hinduism, a tale told and retold time and time again. The Samudra Manthan was a joint effort of the Devas (gods) and Asuras (demons) to churn the ocean for Amrita, an elixir of immortality. But as you will see, along the way, they discovered many
Samudra Manthan: Churning the Ocean for the Elixir of Immortality Read More »
The Mahabharata family tree of the Kuruvansha spans more than 8 generations and includes dozens of family members and different branches.
The Ultimate Mahabharata Family Tree Read More »
Today, I bring you another family drama, this time about the Moon. If there’s any god in Hinduism that has constantly committed sins and took the immoral path, it is Soma, the Moon god. In this story, Soma kidnaps his own Guru’s wife, eventually leading to a whole war between the Devas and Asuras. I
Tarakamaya: The War Over Tara Read More »
The story of the sun and the shadow, two polar opposites, is Hindu mythology’s version of a family drama. It has everything from a wife upset with her husband to a husband arguing with his in-laws. But even if the story sounds like it is a dramatic retelling of a soap opera, it is truly
Surya and Chhaya: The Sun and the Shadow Read More »
In Hindu and Indian mythology, there is one subject that is a recurring theme across various different stories of gods: Indra’s ego. Indra is always both proud of his position as the king of the gods, but also afraid that he will lose his position. Whenever anyone else gains the slightest inch of power in
The Story of Indra’s Ego Read More »
During the times of ancient lore, Bharatvarsha was home to dozens of kingdoms and tribes. Just like any land, these kingdoms constantly fought for supremacy. Throughout the Puranas and Itihasa, we saw great kingdoms rise and fall. The Rigveda mentions the epic “Battle of Ten Kings”. The Mahabharata ends with the Kurukshetra War, the deadliest
The Eternal Bhargava-Haihaya Enmity Part 1: Ekavira Read More »
Urvashi is the most famous of the beautiful Apsaras, heavenly nymphs, that serve Indra. She was often described as “the most beautiful woman in the entire Universe”, and her looks were very enchanting. The story of Urvashi and Pururavas is one of the most famous tragic love stories in all of Hinduism. The nymph falls
Urvashi: The Enchanting Heavenly Nymph Read More »