Story 36

Prahlada is a character from the Puranic texts of Hinduism, wherein he is famed for his exclusive devotion (bhakti) to Vishnu, despite attempts in the story by his father, Hiranyakashipu to turn him to the contrary. He is considered a mahajana, or great devotee, by followers of Vaishnava traditions and is of special importance to devotees of Narasimha avatar. A philosophical treatise is accredited to him in the Bhagavata Purana wherein Prahlada describes the process of loving worship to his lord, Vishnu. The majority of stories in the Puranas are based around the activities of Prahlada as a young boy, and thus he is more commonly depicted as such in paintings and illustrations.


The story of Prahlada

Despite several warnings from his father Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada continues to worship Vishnu. His father tries to poison him, get him trampled by the elephants, and put him in a room with venomous snakes, but Prahlada survives each and every time.

Holika, the sister of Hiranyakashipu, has a special shawl that would prevent fire affecting the person wearing it. One day, Hiranyakashipu orders Prahlada to sit on a pyre on the lap of Holika. Prahlad prays to Lord Vishnu to keep him safe. When the fire starts, Holika burns to death, while Prahlada remains unharmed. This incident is celebrated as the Hindu festival of Holi.

After tolerating much abuse from his father Hiranyakashipu, Prahlada is eventually saved by Vishnu in the form of Narasimha, the half-man, half-lion avatar.


The story of Prahlada gives a number of moral instructions such as:

* God prevails everywhere.
* God will always save his devotees.
* Devotion can be practised at any point of time. Age does not matter.
* Constant faith in God leads to devotion.
* The people who are practising evil will be punished.

Within the Bhagavata Purana, Prahlada eventually becomes king of the Daityas and attains a place in the abode of Vishnu (Vaikuntha) after his death.

Raghavendra Swami in the 17th century is considered by his devotees to be a reincarnation of Prahlada.

Ganesha (Sanskrit: गणेश; IAST: Gaṇeśa; About this sound listen (help·info)), also spelled Ganesa or Ganesh and also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka, and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most widely worshipped deities in the Hindu pantheon.His image is found throughout India and Nepal.Hindu sects worship him regardless of affiliations.Devotion to Ganesha is widely diffused and extends to Jains, Buddhists, and beyond India.

Although he is known by many other attributes, Ganesha's elephant head makes him easy to identify.Ganesha is widely revered as the Remover of Obstacles and more generally as Lord of Beginnings and Lord of Obstacles (Vighnesha, Vighneshvara),patron of arts and sciences, and the deva of intellect and wisdom.He is honoured at the beginning of rituals and ceremonies and invoked as Patron of Letters during writing sessions.Several texts relate mythological anecdotes associated with his birth and exploits and explain his distinct iconography.

Ganesha emerged a distinct deity in clearly recognizable form in the 4th and 5th centuries CE, during the Gupta Period, although he inherited traits from Vedic and pre-Vedic precursors.His popularity rose quickly, and he was formally included among the five primary deities of Smartism (a Hindu denomination) in the 9th century. A sect of devotees called the Ganapatya, (Sanskrit: गाणपत्य; gāṇapatya), who identified Ganesha as the supreme deity, arose during this period.The principal scriptures dedicated to Ganesha are the Ganesha Purana, the Mudgala Purana, and the Ganapati Atharvashirsa.

Krishna (कृष्ण in Devanagari, kṛṣṇa in IAST, pronounced [ˈkr̩ʂɳə] in classical Sanskrit) is a deity worshipped across many traditions in Hinduism in a variety of perspectives. While many Vaishnava groups recognize him as an avatar of Vishnu, other traditions within Krishnaism consider Krishna to be svayam bhagavan, or the Supreme Being.

Krishna is often depicted as an infant, as a young boy playing a flute as in the Bhagavata Purana,or as a youthful prince giving direction and guidance as in the Bhagavad Gita.The stories of Krishna appear across a broad spectrum of Hindu philosophical and theological traditions.They portray him in various perspectives: a god-child, a prankster, a model lover, a divine hero and the Supreme Being.The principal scriptures discussing Krishna's story are the Mahābhārata, the Harivamsa, the Bhagavata Purana and the Vishnu Purana.

The various traditions dedicated to different manifestations of Krishna, such as Vasudeva, Bala Krishna and Gopala, existed as early as 4th century BC. The Krishna-bhakti Movement spread to southern India by the 9th century AD, while in northern India Krishnaism schools were well established by 11th century AD. From the 10th century AD, with the growing Bhakti movement, Krishna became a favorite subject in performing arts and regional traditions of devotion developed for forms of Krishna such as Jagannatha in Orissa, Vithoba in Maharashtra and Shrinathji in Rajasthan.

Karna (Sanskrit: कर्ण written Karṇa in IAST transliteration) is one of the central characters in the epic Mahābhārata from ancient India. He was the King of Anga (present day Bhagalpur). Karna is considered to be the greatest warrior of Mahābhārata by authorities including Krishna and Bhishma, as stated in the original text by Maharishi Ved Vyasa.He was the son of Surya (the Sun god) and Kunti. He was born to Kunti, before her marriage with Pandu. He is described as the closest friend of Duryodhana. Karna fought on his behalf against the Pandavas (his brothers) at the Kurukshetra war. Karna fought against misfortune throughout his life and kept his word under all circumstances. Many admire him for this courage and generosity. It is believed that Karna founded the city of Karnal.

Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: शिद्धत्थ ङोतम Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher in the north eastern region of the Indian subcontinent who founded Buddhism.In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha (Sammāsambuddha) of our age, "Buddha" meaning "awakened one" or "the enlightened one." The time of his birth and death are uncertain: most early 20th-century historians dated his lifetime as c. 563 BCE to 483 BCE; more recently, however, at a specialist symposium on this question,the majority of those scholars who presented definite opinions gave dates within 20 years either side of 400 BCE for the Buddha's death, with others supporting earlier or later dates.
Gautama, also known as Śākyamuni or Shakyamuni ("sage of the Shakyas"), is the key figure in Buddhism, and accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death and memorized by his followers. Various collections of teachings attributed to Gautama were passed down by oral tradition, and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Early Western scholarship tended to accept the biography of the Buddha presented in the Buddhist scriptures as largely historical, but currently "scholars are increasingly reluctant to make unqualified claims about the historical facts of the Buddha's life and teachings."

Parashurama (Sanskrit: परशुराम, Paraśurāma) (also known as Parasurama, Bhṛgupati, Bhargava, Bhargava Rāma, Jamadagnya (Sanskrit: जामदज्ञ्य़) as Jamadagni's son), a Brahmin, the sixth avatar of Vishnu, belongs to the Treta yuga, and is the son of Jamadagni and Renuka. Parashu means axe, hence his name literally means Rama-with-the-axe. He received an axe after undertaking a terrible penance to please Shiva, from whom he learned the methods of warfare and other skills. He fought the advancing ocean back thus saving the lands of Konkan and Malabar. The coastal area of Kerala state along with the Konkan region, i.e., coastal Maharashtra and Karnataka, is also sometimes called Parashurama Kshetra (Parashurama's country). Parashurama is said to be a "warrior Brahman" ,according to puran"brahmins can raise astra and brahmins boy can marry with other caste girl",god parshuram was followed the brahminism, the first warrior saint. His mother is descended from the Kshatriya Suryavansh clan that ruled Ayodhya and Lord Rama also belonged to.

Valmiki (Sanskrit: वाल्मीकि, vālmīki) (ca. 400 BC, northern India) is celebrated as the poet harbinger in Sanskrit literature. He is the author of the epic Ramayana, based on the attribution in the text of the epic itself.He is revered as the Adi Kavi, which means First Poet, for he discovered the first śloka i.e. first verse, which set the base and defined the form to Sanskrit poetry. The Yoga Vasistha is attributed to him. A religious movement called Valmikism is based on Valmiki's teachings as presented in the Ramayana and the Yoga Vasistha.

At least by the 1st century AD, Valmiki's reputation as the father of Indian poetry seems to have been legendary. Ashvagosha writes in the Buddhacarita,

"The voice of Valmiki uttered poetry which the great seer Chyavana could not compose."

This particular verse has been speculated to indicate a familial relationship between Valmiki and Chyavana, as implied by the previous and subsequent verses


Early life

The Uttara Khanda chapter of the Ramayana tells the story of Valmiki's early life, as an unnamed highway robber. Once, the robber tried to rob the divine sage Narada for the benefit of his family. Narada asked him if his family would share the sin he was incurring due to the robbery. The robber replied positively, but Narada told him to confirm this with his family. The robber asked his family, but none agreed to bear the burden of sin. Dejected, the robber finally understood the truth of life and asked for Narada's forgiveness. Narada taught the robber to worship God. The robber meditated for many years, such that ant-hills came to grow around his body. Finally, a divine voice declared his penance successful, bestowing him with the name "Valmiki": "one born out of ant-hills".

Writer of the Ramayana

The Rāmāyaṇa, originally written by Valmiki, consists of 24,000 verses in six cantos (some say seven i.e. including the Uttara Ramayana) (kāṇḍas). The Ramayana tells the story of a prince, Rama of Ayodhya, whose wife Sita is abducted by the demon (Rākshasa) king of Lanka, Rāvana. The Valmiki Ramayana is dated variously from 500 BC to 100 BC, or about co-eval with early versions of the Mahabhārata. As with many traditional epics, it has gone through a long process of interpolations and redactions, making it impossible to date accurately.

The first śloka

Valmiki was going to the river Ganga for his daily ablutions. A disciple by the name Bharadwaja was carrying his clothes. On the way, they came across the Tamasa Stream. Looking at the stream, Valmiki said to his disciple, "Look, how clear is this water, like the mind of a good man! I will bathe here today." When he was looking for a suitable place to step into the stream, he heard the sweet chirping of birds. Looking up, he saw two birds flying together. Valmiki felt very pleased on seeing the happy bird couple. Suddenly, one of the birds fell down, hit by an arrow; it was the male bird. Seeing the wounded one, its mate screamed in agony. Valmiki's heart melted at this pitiful sight. He looked around to find out who had shot the bird. He saw a hunter with a bow and arrows, nearby. Valmiki became very angry. His lips opened and he uttered the following words:

/*ॐ माँ निषाद प्रतिष्ठा त्वमगमः शास्वती समः यत् क्रोच मिथुनादेवकमवधी काममोहितं*/

mā niṣāda pratiṣṭhāṁ tvamagamaḥ śāśvatīḥ samāḥ
yat krauñcamithunādekam avadhīḥ kāmamohitam

You will find no rest for the long years of Eternity
For you killed a bird in love and unsuspecting

Emerging spontaneously from his rage and grief, this was the first śloka in Sanskrit literature. Later Valmiki composed the entire Ramayana with the blessings of Lord Brahma in the same meter that issued forth from him as the śloka. Thus this śloka is revered as the "first śloka" in Hindu literature. Valmiki is revered as the first poet, or Adi Kavi, and the Ramayana, the first kavya.

His first disciples to whom he taught the Ramayana were Kusha and Lava, the sons of Rama.

Sudama (सुदामा) was a childhood friend of Krishna from Mathura, the story of whose visit to Dwaraka to meet Krishna, is mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana. He was Narada born as a poor Brahmin in order to enjoy the transcendental pastimes of Lord Krishna.


The Story:

Sudama was from a poor Brahmin family, while Krishna was from the royal family. But this difference in social status did not come in the way of their friendship. They lost contact over the years and while Krishna became a military leader and King of great repute at Dwaraka, while Sudama stayed as a humble, and somewhat impoverished Brahmin living in a village.

Some time later when Sudama was going through some bad times, not even having enough money to feed his children, his wife reminded him of his friendship with Krishna.

Though initially reluctant to go to his friend for help, Sudama finally agrees to go. He leaves with nothing but some beaten rice tied in a cloth as a present. He remembers that beaten rice (powa/poha in Hindi) is Krishna's favorite and decided to give this as a gift to the Lord.

Krishna is greatly pleased to see his old friend. He treats him royally and with much love. Overwhelmed by all this Sudama forgets to ask for what he actually came to ask. But the Lord realises what His friend needs, and the lord's consort Rukmini incarnation of Lakshmi, gifts him with his desires. On his return journey, Sudama ponders his circumstances and is thankful for the great friend he has in Lord Krishna. When Sudama finally returns to his home, he finds a palatial mansion instead of the hut he had left. He also finds his family dressed in extremely nice garb and waiting for him. He lives an austere life after that, always thankful to the Lord.


Lessons:

This story is told to illustrate that the Lord does not differentiate between people based on their finances and that he will reward devotion always. Another moral taught by this story is to never expect anything free in life; God will provide for your good deeds. Another moral is not to trade bhakti for anything in return. Sudama did not ask Krishna for anything. Despite being poor Sudama had given Krishna everything he had (poha) hence in return the Lord gave Sudama everything he needed.

Additionally, the story of Sudama and Krishna contrasts the difference between how Krishna treated Sudama and how Drupada treated Drona. Drona spent his youth in poverty, but studied religion and military arts together with the then prince of Panchala, Drupada. Drupada and Drona had become close friends as students and Drupada, in his childish playfullness, promised to give Drona half his kingdom on ascending the throne of Panchala. The two students later parted their ways. Drona later married and had a son. For the sake of his wife and son, Drona desired freedom from poverty. Remembering the promise given by Drupada, he decided to approach him to ask for help. However, drunk with power, King Drupada refused to even recognise Drona and humiliated him by calling him an inferior person. By contrast, Krishna never forgot His friend and treated Sudama with utmost respect. By His example, Krishna is teaching us about how to treat one another.

Another important lesson learnt here is about how Krishna rewards true Brahmins. Krishna did not reward Sudama just because he was a friend. Sudama spent all of his time and effort in cultural efforts befitting a true Brahmin which explained why he was financially not well off. This included teaching religion, moral duties, and spreading spirituality through society. It is for this effort that Krishna rewards Sudama's family with wealth so that Sudama may continue to do that work. In contrast, Drona does not receive the support that he needs from Drupad. As a result, Drona compromises his principles and accepts refuge from the kingdom of Hastinapur. Eventually, that compromise forces Drona to take the side of evil in the battle of Kurukshetra. So the real lesson learnt here is that when kings (and society at large) does not take care of its Brahmins (true moral and philosophical guides), it may drive them into the hands of evil.

Did Sudama himself lead an autere life after returning from Krishna ? It is said that Sudama continued to lead the life of a hermit while his family enjoyed the generous gifts of wealth from Krishna.


Other Names:

Kuchela

In the Mahābhārata, Bhima (Sanskrit: भीम, IAST: Bhīma) was the second of the Pandava brothers. He was son of Kunti by Vayu, but like the other brothers, he was acknowledged son by Pandu . He was distinguished from his brothers by his great stature and strength.
Bhima and Draupadi' 'as depicted in "yakshagana"

His legendary prowess has been mentioned in glowing terms throughout the epic. Eg: "Of all the wielders of the mace, there is none equal to Bhima; and there is none also who is so skillful a rider of elephants. In fight, they say, he yields not to even Arjuna; and as to might of arms, he is equal to ten thousand elephants. Well-trained and active, he who hath again been rendered bitterly hostile, would in anger consume the Dhartarashtras in no time. Always wrathful, and strong of arms, he is not capable of being subdued in battle by even Indra himself. Bhima a Maharati is he, capable of fighting 60,00 warriors at once, so mighty was he that when he were to roar in anger he would put to shame the proudest lion and frighten the most fearless warrior"[1]

He was furious when the game of dice between his brother, King Yudhisthira, and Duryodhana reached its final stages. Duryodhana told draupadi to sit on his lap (thighs)enraged by this bhima he swore to himself and Duryodhana that he would with his mace crush those very thighs that he told draupadi to sit on But when Dushasana dragged draupadi into the royal court by her hair and attempted to strip Draupadi in the court, bhima swore that he would kill him one day and drink his blood, and that he would wash draupadi's hair with dushaasan's blood During the second exile of the Pandavas, he visited Alakapuri and was blessed by Kubera. At the end of their exile at the court of Virata, he disguised himself and acted as a palace cook.

Although there are several instances of Arjuna and others doubting or questioning the will of Krishna (Draupadi), the portrayal of Bhima's devotion to Krishna (Draupadi or Panchali) is umblemished in the original Mahābhārata.


Marriage Alliances

He lived for a time in hiding with his brothers during their first exile. In this period, he came across Hidimba, alias Smritika and Hidimbi,alias Pallavi, a rakshasha brother and sister. Because of the enmity of the rakshasha to the people of the Kuru kingdom, Hidimba asked Hidimbi to lure Bhima to a trap. However, Bhima and Hidimbi were attracted to each other. Bhima fought and killed Hidimba, and lived for a year in the forest with Hidimbi, by whom he had a son, Ghatotkacha.

With his brothers, he was married to Draupadi, who give birth to a son by him by the name Sutasoma. The child that Draupadi bore to Bhimasena was born after Bhima had performed a thousand Soma sacrifices, he came to be called Sutasoma. Bhima also obtaining for a wife Valandhara, the daughter of the king of Kasi, offered his own prowess as dower and begat upon her a son named Sarvaga. Chedi king Sisupala's sister also was wedded to Bhima.

Ghatotkacha

Bhima's wife Hidimbi bore a child named Ghatotkacha, He was giant same like his uncle Hidimba and his mother. Ghatotkacha possessed magical skills and war tactics same like his father who use mace as his primary weapon. His father strength is equivalent to 1000 elephants whereas Ghatotkacha is 10 times of his father, huge and valiant person brought great havoc and distress to Kaurava army. Karna killed him upon request of Duryodhana with divine power that Indra granted.

Miscellaneous

Two characters in Hindu mythology are great cooks. One is Bhima and the other is Nala. Bhima is credited with the invention of the famous dish "Aviyal".

While he did possess superhuman strength, he has been portrayed as a man with no lenience for duplicity or tact in many cases - he is portrayed as the only pandava who constantly pointed out the faults of others, even if they were older or much respected. Being highly sensitive, he swayed between extreme emotions of love and hatred. Draupadi is often seen to turn to him to salvage her honor (be it in the case of Duryodhana's defeat or in the case of Kichaka's slaying).

Also, his name is synonymous with anyone who has short-temper or a large appetite. It is said that Bhima's appetite was so huge, that he always had to eat below his means, because there wasn't enough grain in the world at one time. He hence had a very thin waist and hence was called "Vrikodara" or wolf-bellied, because wolves seem to lack a belly even if they are well-fed.

Bhima is also infamous for having sown the seeds of hatred between the two collateral branches of the Kuru family by mercilessly beating up his cousins, almost unto the point of death, during his childhood & adolescence, when they tried to harass the pandavas. Bhima is also condemned for his brutal killing of Dushasana, where he tore open his cousin's chest and drank his blood in deference to his promise to Draupadi who had been insulted by Dushasana. However later he reveals to Gandhari that he spat out Dushasan's blood without swallowing it.

Kumbhakarna (Sanskrit: कुम्भकर्ण, kumbhakarṇa, spelled Kumbhakarno in Indonesia), in the Hindu epic Ramayana, was a Rakshasa and brother of Ravana. Despite of his monstrous size and great hunger, he was somewhat described of having a good character, though he killed and ate many Hindu monks to show his power only.

When he asked for a boon (blessing) from Brahma, his tongue was tied by goddess Saraswati. So instead of asking "Indraasana" (seat of Indra), he asked for "Nidraasana" (bed for sleeping). His request was granted. But his brother Ravana asked Brahma to undo this boon as it was in reality a curse. So Kumbhakarna slept for six months and then woke for one day only to fall asleep for another six months. However, when he woke up, he ate everything in the vicinity, including humans.

During the war, Ravana went into battle and was humiliated by Rama and his army. He decided he needed the help of his brother Kumbhakarna, who was awakened with great difficulty. When he was informed of the circumstances of Ravana's war with Rama, he tried to convince Ravana that what he was doing was wrong.(Some sources do not imply that he said any such thing to Ravana. Rather, they mention that he sided with his brother wholeheartedly.) However, he chose to fight in the battle due to his loyalty to his brother. After becoming drunk, Kumbhakarna went into battle. He devastated Rama's army, injured Hanuman, and knocked Sugriva unconscious and took him as a prisoner but was killed by Rama.[1] When Ravana heard of his brother's death, he fainted and proclaimed that he is truly doomed.

Kumbhakarna had two sons, Kumbha and Nikumbha, who too fought in the war against Rama and were killed.

Kumbhakarna is certainly one of the most interesting characters in the Ramayana epic. Whereas most characters perfectly embody either virtue or vice, Kumbhakarna is a more complex figure. Able to realize the mistakes and wrong-doings of Ravana, even trying to intervene and moderate at certain times, he is unable to openly oppose him, feeling bound by his warrior ethics. Fighting on what he knows is the wrong side, he is ultimately killed in combat. When he has finally been defeated, even his adversaries, Rama and his companions, pray for him in order to release his soul to heaven.

The battle between Kumbhakarna and Rama is prominently featured in the Balinese Kecak dance.