Stories Made Simple

Krishna’s meeting with Chandra, the Moon God went off well. The interaction took place a few years before the Kurukshetra war, and Krishna, the beloved friend and mentor of the Pandavas, was preparing the ground for them. Krishna needed the Moon God’s help to restore fast-eroding dharma on earth. Although Chandra was reluctant to give what Krishna had come for, as a Deva, he was obliged to participate in the annihilation of adharma. So, he agreed to Krishna’s request that Varchas, the son he loved more dearly than anything or anyone else, be born on earth to fulfill certain obligations in the Kurukshetra war. However, Chandra had two conditions before he agreed to part with his son for a few years; one was that Varchas should be born as the son of Arjuna, the mighty Pandava; and two, he should return to his heavenly abode after 16 years on earth, not a day more.  "I cannot bear to be separated from my beloved son beyond that," emphasized Chandra. Krishna promised to abide by

It was a combination of fabulous fascination, unexpected astonishment, and overwhelming mother’s love that created a torturous turmoil in Kunti’s heart. She watched dazedly as the young, strapping, handsome warrior walked into the competition arena challenging her third son, Arjuna, in the archery competition. It was the graduation day ceremony of the Pandavas and Kauravas passing out from Dronacharya’s school.  Kunti had never expected to see him again ever in her life although his memory remained an indelible mark in the depths of her soul. But, here he was, clad in the unforgettable, dazzling armour and matching earrings. She almost swooned in shock. The other women sitting around her in the gallery from where they were watching the competitions rushed to her aid.  For a moment, everyone’s attention was on Kunti, and in that fleeting second, she made eye contact with the armoured lad. While there was no sign of recognition in his eyes, they were clouded with concern, the same concer

Aryamba looked on with loving affection as she served her husband, Sivaguru, his evening meal. The happy couple was highly respected and loved by the people of Kalady, a tiny village in Kerala. They had been married for many years but were childless, yet. The sadness of being childless only enhanced the bond between the highly revered husband and wife. They looked at each other knowing their desire would not go unfulfilled. After their evening meal, they retired to bed as usual.  Shiva, looking down from His heavenly home, knew fully well that the time for manifesting the karmic outcomes of two of His favourite devotees and the time for His birth on earth to serve a higher purpose were reaching a resonating crescendo. And it is during these resonating moments that divine beings are conceived. Shiva, accompanied by his consort Parvati, appeared in their dreams and said, "Your desire for a child will be fulfilled soon. Do you want a son with a long but ordinary life or do you want a

King Indra’s court was at its resplendent best. The floors and walls shone like mirrors reflecting light from the dazzling jewels and colourful garments worn by the gods, goddesses, and illustrious invitees of the human world gathered there. The ceiling was the open, dark sky decorated with millions of stars twinkling merrily around the luminous moon both vying for attention with the floors and walls in beauty and splendour. King Indra’s throne was made of glittering gold and embellished with rubies, emeralds, pearls, and all sorts of precious and semi-precious stones. He was dressed in the best of silks and wore jewels that dazzled the eyes of onlookers.  He sat on a raised platform at the eastern end of his vast courtroom. The others were seated on smaller but elegantly decorated gold and silver thrones placed in two symmetrical rows on either side of the raised platform. A mesmerizing and magically alluring dance recital was being performed by the graceful and glorious Apsaras in th

It was the same nightmare that awoke Kausalya in a fit of panic every night. She hears frantic knocking and banging on the door and the heart-wrenching pleas of a little girl calling out to her, "Mother! Mother! Open the door. I'm afraid." Kausalya is unable to move because her hands are tied. She is trapped in a closed box and is trying hard to wriggle out of the tight knot on her wrists. She wants to open the door, to console the little girl,  to tell her to wait, and that everything will be alright soon. But no voice comes out of her throat. She can feel herself screaming silently. The nightmare continues. The little girl is grown into a beautiful woman. She is a great warrior, adept at wielding the most dangerous and powerful weapons with ease. And yet, she stands outside the closed door pleading with her mother, "Why are you not opening the door? Why can't I come in? Why are you sending me away?" Again, Kausalya tries hard to speak. She wants to tell th

Torrential rains accompanied by incessant thunder and lightning threatened to tear apart Mathura that dark, ferocious night. River Yamuna was bursting at the seams as her banks overflowed. The entire city of Mathura stayed indoors.  No one dared to face the wrath of nature. The sounds of thunder drowned the screams of Devaki as she writhed in the agony of labour pains even as the prison chains rubbed against her skin turning it to a horrific scarlet colour. Finally, she gave birth to her eighth child. She passed out due to exhaustion without even glancing at her much-awaited child. Her harried husband, Vasudev, looked at his newborn son. His heart overflowed with love even as despair and hopelessness filled his mind with dread.  As Devaki passed out, miracles started to take place. Vasudev noticed the soldiers guarding the prison cell had all mysteriously swooned. The locks opened on their own. The chains that bound Vasudev's hands and feet came free.  A voice in his head commanded

Nandi had done it again! Parvati was furious. Despite warning him repeatedly, Nandi had left her work half-done and had run off behind Shiva who called him to go and watch a wrestling match.  From her bath, she had heard her husband’s voice as he called out to Nandi who didn't even bother to check with her before leaving. He had mutely (and perhaps, happily too) followed Shiva. The worst thing was the feeling of desolation she experienced each time something like this happened. She felt alone and uncared for.  Parvati's orders and commands always took second place to those of Shiva in Kailash. Shiva's bidding was considered more prominent than hers. Then, why did Shiva carry on the pretence of being an ‘ardhanarishwara’ giving equal importance to man and woman? He preached, "There is no Shiva without Shakti," to everyone. Parvati had many names and one of them was Shakti.  But when she approached him to resolve the inequality meted out to her by Nandi and everyone