Indian Epics Blog

  Krishna: Victory Over Kamsa Author: an Amar Chitra Katha Publication Again, Nanda, Krishna's foster father is in danger and gets attacked by a python. Krishna reveals that the python is actually a celestial being and was turned into a python by a curse. Shankhachuda the demon kidnaps the gopikas but is stopped by Krishna and Balarama. Narada reveals to Kamsa that Krishna is still alive so Kamsa plots to kill him. Krishna battles more demons and of course comes out unscathed. Then, a demon disguised as a cowherd kidnaps the boys herding sheep. Krishna goes to rescue them and Kamsa sends Akrura to find Krishna, when he does find them he reveals Kamsa's plot to kill them in a wrestling match. He takes them to Mathura where he sees Krishna's divine manifestation. When they arrive Krishna heals a woman and snaps the enormous sacrificial bow. Krishna topples the elephant sent after him by Kamsa and he and Balarama defeat the wrestlers Chanura and Mushtika, as well as, kills Kam...

  Krishna: The Upholder of Govardhana Author: an Amar Chitra Katha Publication The story starts by telling that the gopikas which are actually cowgirls are enchanted by Krishna's flute. Then he steals their clothes while they are bathing (wth lol) and makes them chase him. After being refused by the priest to receive food Krishna gets the wives to give them all of theirs. Krishna questions the point of sacrificing to Indra and even suggests they make a sacrifice to the mountain they live by instead (Mount Govardhana). Indra is infuriated and begins attacking people. Krishna lifts up Mount Govardhana to protect the people and save them from Indras rain (no pun). A demon tries to drown Krishna's foster father. Krishna had to call upon the water god to restore his life. Finally, at night the gopikas are drawn to dance with Krishna in the moonlight and become fully absorbed in his being. In the (Ras-Lila) afterlife I'm assuming each gopika has their own Krishna to dance with. I...

 Krishna: The subduer of Kaliya Author: an Amar Chitra Katha Publication Following the story from Part A after the people relocated. Krishna and Balarama take cattle through the forests and defeat a demon in the form of a calf and a demon in the shape of a crane. Then there is the demon Aghasura who tricks the boys by taking the form of a serpent. Krishna defeats him. Next, they confront another demon, this time in a form of a donkey, and defeat him as well. Then Krishna decides to challenge the illustrious water snake Kaliya who has 101 heads. He gives the demon an ultimatum: that if he promises that he no longer poison the water in the watering hole he will spare him.  The last demon is the asura Pralamba who can disguise himself as a cowherd. He tricks the boys in a game and flies away Balarama, but Balarama fights back and kills the asura. Krishna saves the boys and cattle from fire by sucking all the flames. *pause* Watering hole (Source: Needpix )

  Bhagawat: The Krishna Avatar Author: an Amar Chitra Katha Publication The Darling of Gokul.: Story begins with introducing Parikshit, the grandson of Arjuna. He wanted to hear the story of Krishna. Following that the story goes on to talk about how it began with the marriage of the prince of Dwaraka and Devaki. A known prophecy tells that the eight born of Devaki will slay Kamsa (her cousin). Kamsa takes over and puts both the prince and his bride in prison and kills their children one by one. By way of a miracle, the 7th and 8th children are smuggled away to live in Gokul, one of them being Krishna. Krishna is an incarnation of the god Vishnu. Kamsa sends Pootana to kill the newborn babies but Krishna defeats her. Krishna does enormous feats simply as a toddler. Krishna also reveals his divine form to Yashoda but later makes her forget what she saw. The different supernatural events occurring in Gokul forced the people to move.     Funny meme about erasing memory....

  How the Turtle Saved His Own Life Author: Babbitt In this story, there was a king who had a lake made for his young princes to play in. The king one day decided to have some men put some fish in the lake. Along with the fishes, there was also a turtle. When the young princes were playing they really enjoyed the fishes but were quite frightened by the turtle. They had never seen a turtle before and thought it was a demon, the young princes ran to the king crying.  The king ordered his men to go catch said demon and bring it back. The turtle was caught and brought to the palace where the young princes again cried and ran away. The king's fondness for his sons led him to order his men to kill it. The men asked how they should kill it, and a bunch of ideas had begun to be thrown around.  Then one old man who has always been afraid of the water suggested they throw the turtle into the lake where it flows into the rocks and that should kill him. Then the turtle took advantage...

The Elephant Girly-face Author: Babbitt This story discusses the time of a king owning an elephant named Girly-face. The name was derived from the elephants gentle and kind looking nature. It was often said that Girly-face never hurts anybody. This was until one night some robbers were outside of where Girly-face slept discussing how they would break into the house and kill anyone who wakens. Specifically, they said “A robber must be cruel and have no pity. He must never be good, even for a moment.” Girly-face took those words and decided this how he should act. The next morning when the elephant keeper arrived he killed him by throwing him with his trunk. Another keeper arrived and was killed as well. This went on for days to the point people would not even approach Girly-face.                               He picked him up in his trunk and threw the poor keeper to the ground. This triggered the K...

  Mahabharata-   The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Author: Richard Wilson (1914) Part B: 7. Duryodhana objects to Yudhishthira being named king of his own realm and prepares for war His decision is absolute and Duryodhana insists on war despite what others say 8. The great armies meet in the battlefield Bhishma leads Duryodhanas army and they have the advantage Bhishma informs Duryodhana that the gods are not on their side because their cause is not just Arjuna beats off all attacks Bhima slays many of Duryodhanas brothers but barely escapes with his life 11. Karna and Arjuna face off in battle and result in a draw Following day Karna vows either he or Arjuna will die that day  Karna encounters Yudhishthira and they fight and this too results in a draw Arjuna then rides out to face Karna Karna breaks Arjunas bow and by the rules of war asks to retain another weapon but Karna continues to attack him In the middle of fighting Arjuna fixes his bow and Karna and Arjuna continue to ...

Mahabharata- The Five Tall Sons of Pandu Author: Richard Wilson (1914) Part A: 1. Pandu is the father of five tall sons and when he dies his brother Dhritarashtra becomes king He has 100 sons and Duryodhana is the oldest and he hates his cousins the sons of Pandu Drona trains the princes in the arts of war  Has tournament when they are of age  During the tourney Karna a mysterious warrior arrives and challenges Arjuna A charioteer arrives and Karna bows to him as his father this makes Bhima outrages 2.  Duryodhana tries to trap the Pandavas in a burning house Drupada has heard of Arjuna and wants him to win tourney To be sure hill win Drupada sets a target he thinks only Arjuna can hit All but Karna was able to string the bow but Draupadi declares he is low born and wont accept him Arjuna in disguise hits the target Suitors are angry and begin to attack the hermits Krishna puts a stop to it Yudhishthira becomes king. (Source: Yudhishthira’s Rajasuya) 3.  The Pandavas...

      Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Part D: The Mongoose A mongoose appears, his body is half golden and he spoke His audience was confused and so he began to tell a story He told the story of a Brahmin who lived off of corn and ate it once a day at a fixed hour A famine occurred, forcing the man his wife, and kids to grow weak until they were living skeletons One day the brahmin had sum barley and divided it into 4 portions to get ready to eat Right before eating a guest arrived and they welcomed him with water and a seat The brahmin gave him his share of food and the guest ate it but was still hungry The wife then brought her share to her husband and ended up giving it to the guest as well Though the guest's hunger was still not appeased Next, the son brought his share as he wanted to share in his fathers hungry The guest took the sons share and was still hungry The last person remaining was the daughter in law, reluctant at first gave her s...

    Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Part C: The Battle Begins Both armies awaited the sunrise and when the air cleared the battle began Abhimanyu  perceived that there was a strong advantage was with the Kauravas because of Bhishma Bhishma advanced to make an attack upon the Pandava army The two heroes Bhishma and Arjuna fought until dusk until Bhishma retired and the first days battle came to an end The second day Bhishma attacked the Pandava forces again and Arjuna drove him back Arjuna forces were shortened though The third day the army of the Pandavas using a different formation Headless men rose up and fought against one another  Duryodhana, after seeing the carnage told Bhishma that he should yield to Karna because of Arjuna Bhishma thought he was foolish and exclaimed that he would lead the Kauravas until the triumph Bhishma took his charioteer and drove back the enemy and even Arjuna Bhima was the hero of the fourth day of battle On...

  Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Part B: The Gambling Match Duryodhana knew he cold not overcome the Pandavas in open conflict  He plotted with his people to accomplish their fall by artifice Shakhuni plays with loaded dice and is renowned for his skill as a gambler Duryodhana went to his father and requested that he plan a friendly gambling match Pandava brethren were at first reluctant to the gambling match but came to pass and journeyed to Hastinapura All the princes and great chieftains gathered at a pavilion decorated by gold and lapis lazuli for the gambling match Yudhishthira announced that having been challenged they cannot withdraw and wanted to know who claims this challenge  Doryodhana announced he will provide the stakes but his uncle Shakuni will throw the dice Yudhishthira exclaimed that this request is odd and different from normal practice but will abide by these rules Rajah of Inda. Knew the match would not be played fairly but...

Mahabharata Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Part A: The Arrival of Karna There is a tournament where warriors can display their skills Right before the tournament is ending and unknown warrior arrived The unknown warrior was Karna the son of Surya and of Kunitz Karna approached the youngest son of Kunti, Arjuna. And they are both unaware that they are actually brothers Karna vowed to surpass any challenges that Arjuna faced today in the contest if permitted by Drona Drona gave the warrior permission to display his skills, where he then completed each that Arjuna was given Duryodhana embraced Karna while Arjuna detested the idea of him showing up and making this display Both brothers cried out eachother, Karna told Arjuna that field of combat is free and that is where you win by strength and skill Imagery created by the sun god Surya and the mighty Indra Kunti the mother of the Brothers was divided as she knew who Karna was by his voice and armor Duryodhana and his group ...

  Ramanaya -   The Divine Archer Author: F. J. Gould (1911) Part B: Rama slays Vali with an arrow Word is told to Hanuman who is running a search party for Rama that she is in Lanka Hanuman reaches Lanka and gives her Ramas ring and informs her Rama is coming Ravana sets Hanumans to tell on fire which ends up causing Lanka to go up in flames Hanuman returns to camp with a jewel given by Sita Vibishana goes to Rama's side and preparations for war begin Rama takes the advice of the ocean god and builds a bridge to Lanka There are days of battle and Lakshmana is injured during a battle The god Indra gives Rama a chariot as well as weapons With the help of India’s bow, Ravana is slain by Rama Rama tells Sita she must prove her fidelity by walking through fire After walking through unscathed Rama and Sita embrace each other Even after the test of fire Rama listens to the gossip of the people and sends her into exile After many years there is a special horse sacrifice where twins re...

Ramanaya - The Divine Archer Author: F. J. Gould (1911) Part A: Birth of the four sons to Dasharatha by his three queens Rama is the greatest amongst the four brothers The King lets Rama go to help Vishvamitra defeat demons Sita and Rama fall in love at first sight To win Sita's hand Rama must bend the bow of the god Shiva Rama bends the bow until it breaks Parashurama is a rival suitor and is angry about hearing someone broke Shivas bow Paras. Challenges Rama to string the Vishnu’s bow  Rama does so with ease and earns his respect/honor Rama as well as his four brothers all get married on the same day There are plans for Rama to become the successor to the king Manthara manipulates the queen (mother of Bharata) to oppose Rama  She is owed two wishes so the King obeys and Bharata becomes the successor and Rama is exiled for 14 years Sita and Lakshmana insist on going into exile with Rama The king foreshadows that Rama's exile is to fulfill a life long curse caused by one of hi...

  Ramanaya Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Part D: King of the ocean helped Rama form a bridge to cross the ocean to get to Lanka Ravana tried tricking Sita into thinking Rama was dead Ravanas son Indra fights the monkey Rama  Rakshasas wake Ravanas demon brother and send him towards the monkey army Indra enters the battle and killed a lot of monkeys but they were being healed by the herbs released when Hanuman threw the mountain  Indra like his father can create illusions, so he tries to trick Rama into thinking Sita is dead Lakshmana kills Indra and Ravana gets revenge by attacking Laksh. And stabbing him in the heart Lakshmana was healed and rescued by Hanu A sage named Aga appeared and told Rama how Ravana could be defeated Rama shot one of Ravanas heads off but another grew back Rama used the celestial flaming weapon he obtained from Brahma and killed Ravana After the battle, Rama and Sita face another hardship Rama believes that Ravana has tainted Sit...

  Ramanaya Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Part C: Rama and Lakshmana set out to find Sugriva for his protection. Hanuman takes them Vali destroyed his younger brother Sugriva’s life. Sugriva asks Rama for help to confront his older brother in battle Tara is Vali’s wife and she asks Vali not to battle Sugriva because she knows of Ramas power Rama ambushes Vali from the bushes and kills him with an arrow Following Valis death, Sugriva is appointed from prince to king and everyone mourns their late king Sugriva tells Rama he will help him find Sita but they must wait for the end of the rainy season Rama is still exiled so he cannot enter any city The rainy season ended. Rama receives the help from Sugriva who sends four armies looking for Soita Simpatico informs them that Sita is being held captive on the island of Lanka Hanuman battles the Rakshasi and defeats him Hanuman finds Sita but she is being guarded by Rakshasis Rakshasis guarding Sita . (Source: PDE Ramayana)...

  Ramanaya Online: Public Domain Edition Author: Multiple Bharata Returns Bharata has not known that that his father Dasharatha is dead He returned to the palace and found out about his father  He vows to bring his brother Ramahome who his banished Dasharatha's Funeral Bharata was endowed with words from the saint Vashishtha The king was placed on a car and was carried by servants They spent 10 days mourning lying on the ground (wives of the monarch, counsellors, priests, Bharata) Rama and Bharata Bharata seeks out Rama in the forest to persuade him to come back They embraced each other and mourned their father Bharata vowed to stay in the forest for 14 years so that Rama could return to Ayodhya However Rama said neither of them can change the commands of Dasharatha The Sandals Since Rama could not be convinced Bharata wanted to take something to represent his absence He took a pair of sandals which have touched Ramas feet  Bharata have Rama a pair of new sandals decked i...