Stories from the Puranas

Famous stories from the Ramayana, the Mahabharata, the Puranas and the vrat kathas, retold in plain English. Each names the text it comes from.

Vrat kathas

• The Story of Ahoi Ashtami — A mother's unknowing mistake, her sincere repentance, and the joy that returned to her home by the grace of Ahoi Mata. (Traditional vrat katha (Ahoi Ashtami))
• Bhai Dooj: Yama and Yamuna — Sister Yamuna's invitation of many years, her brother Yama's sudden visit, and the boon that began the festival of Bhai Dooj. (Traditional katha (Yama Dwitiya))
• Dhanteras: King Hima's Son and the Lamp for Yama — A young bride's wisdom and the light of many lamps, which turned a fateful night into a blessed one. (Popular folk katha (Dhanteras, Yama Deepdaan))
• Diwali: The Story of Lakshmi Puja — A simple girl who poured water at a peepal tree every day, and whose friend Goddess Lakshmi herself came to her home. (Folk tale (the merchant's daughter and Lakshmi of the peepal tree))
• Indira Ekadashi Vrat Katha: King Indrasena — King Indrasena, who received his father's message from the sage Narada, kept the Indira Ekadashi fast and offered its merit to his father. (Traditional Ekadashi vrat katha (traditionally attributed to the Brahmavaivarta Purana))
• Karwa Chauth: The Story of Veeravati — Veeravati, the beloved sister of seven brothers, who mended her mistake with faith and patience and won back her husband's life. (Traditional vrat katha (Karwa Chauth))
• Sharad Purnima: The Kojagari Lakshmi Story — On the night of Sharad Purnima the Devi Lakshmi asks, “Who is awake?”, and a grieving Brahmin's fortune changes. (The traditional vrat katha of the Kojagari (Kojagara) vow, as popularly told)
• Mokshada Ekadashi: King Vaikhanasa — King Vaikhanasa, who saw his father suffering in a dream, and freed him by offering him the merit of the Mokshada Ekadashi fast. (Traditional Ekadashi vrat katha (traditionally attributed to the Brahmanda Purana))
• Papankusha Ekadashi Vrat Katha — Krodhana, a hunter of the Vindhya hills, who at the end of his life took refuge with the sage Angira, and whose life was turned around by a single Ekadashi. (Traditional Ekadashi vrat katha (traditionally attributed to the Brahmavaivarta Purana))
• Rama Ekadashi Vrat Katha: Chandrabhaga and Shobhana — Prince Shobhana, who kept the Ekadashi fast though it was hard for him, and his wife Chandrabhaga, whose stored-up merit made his fortune unshakeable. (Traditional Ekadashi vrat katha (traditionally attributed to the Brahmavaivarta Purana))
• Savitri and Satyavan — The wife who, with patience, wisdom and dharma, won her husband's life back even from Yama. (Mahabharata, Vana Parva (Pativrata Mahatmya Parva))
• Utpanna Ekadashi: The Appearance of Goddess Ekadashi — When the asura Mura tried to strike the sleeping Lord Vishnu, and a radiant goddess emerged from the Lord's body, who was named Ekadashi. (Traditional Ekadashi vrat katha (Ekadashi Mahatmya))

Stories of the Devi

• Brahmacharini — Parvati's fierce austerity that won the heart of the ascetic Shiva. (Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda; Kalidasa's Kumarasambhava; the Navadurga tradition)
• Chandraghanta — When Shiva's strange wedding procession filled everyone with fear, the form the Devi took. (The popular Navadurga story (folk tradition); the wedding procession episode: Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda)
• Kalaratri — Raktabija, from every drop of whose blood a new demon was born, and the fearsome form of the Devi that ended him. (Markandeya Purana, Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati), chapter 8; the Navadurga tradition)
• Katyayani — The Devi who appeared in the hermitage of the sage Katyayana, and whom the gopis of Vraja worshipped too. (Vamana Purana (the Mahishasura episode); Bhagavata Purana, 10th Skandha, chapter 22; the Navadurga tradition)
• Kushmanda — When nothing existed, the universe was born from the Devi's gentle smile. (Popular Navadurga tradition; the state before creation: Rig Veda, Nasadiya Sukta (10.129); the Devi as creator: Durga Saptashati, chapter 1)
• Mahagauri — When Parvati's body, darkened by fierce austerity, became radiant again, she was called Mahagauri. (The popular Navadurga story (folk tradition); Parvati's austerity: Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda)
• Mahishasura Mardini — How the Devi Durga, born from the radiance of all the gods, ended the demon Mahishasura. (Markandeya Purana, Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati), chapters 2–4)
• Shailputri — Sati is born again as Parvati, daughter of the Himalaya, and Narada makes a prophecy that startles everyone. (Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Parvati Khanda; the Navadurga tradition (Devi Kavacha of the Durga Saptashati))
• Shumbha-Nishumbha and Chanda-Munda — The arrogant demons Shumbha and Nishumbha, their generals Chanda and Munda, and the Devi's vow that challenged them to battle. (Markandeya Purana, Devi Mahatmya (Durga Saptashati), chapters 5–10)
• Siddhidatri — The Devi who grants every siddhi, and Shiva's Ardhanarishvara form, half of which is Shakti herself. (Shiva Purana, Shatarudra Samhita (the Ardhanarishvara avatar); Shiva receiving siddhis from Siddhidatri: popular Navadurga tradition)
• Skandamata — The story of Skandamata, mother of Kumara Kartikeya, who was born to end the demon Taraka. (Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Kumara Khanda; the Navadurga tradition)

Stories of Shiva

• Daksha's Sacrifice and Sati — Sati could not bear the insult to her husband at her father's sacrifice, and then Virabhadra arose from Shiva's wrath. (Bhagavata Purana, 4th Skandha, chapters 2–7; Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Sati Khanda)
• Markandeya and the Mahamrityunjaya — The Shiva devotion of the boy Markandeya, born with only sixteen years of life, before which even Yama's noose was defeated. (The story of Shiva as Kalantaka, told in the Puranas and in Shaiva tradition; the Mahamrityunjaya mantra: Rig Veda, Mandala 7, Sukta 59, mantra 12)
• Neelkanth: Why Shiva Drank the Poison — When the Halahala poison rising from the churning of the ocean began to burn creation, Shiva drank it and saved all. (Bhagavata Purana, 8th Skandha, chapter 7)
• The Slaying of Tripurasura: Shiva as Tripurari — Asuras with three flying cities that could be destroyed only by a single arrow, and the moment Lord Shiva came to be called Tripurari. (Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita (Yuddha Khanda))

Stories of Vishnu

• The Story of Ajamila — How the Lord's name, spoken at the very end, set a man who had lost his way for a lifetime on a new path. (Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 6, Chapters 1–3)
• Devutthana Ekadashi: Vishnu Wakes from His Yogic Sleep — How a loving request from Goddess Lakshmi began Lord Vishnu's four-month yogic sleep, and why the whole world waits for him to wake on Devutthana. (Popular vrat katha (Prabodhini Ekadashi); the Chaturmas observance is described in the Puranas)
• The Appearance of Dhanvantari — Lord Dhanvantari, who rose from the churned ocean carrying the pot of nectar, and who gave the world Ayurveda. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 8 (chapters 5–9, the churning of the ocean))
• Dhruva's Penance — A five-year-old boy pushed off his father's lap won, through devotion, the unmoving place we still call the Pole Star. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 4 (chapters 8–12); Vishnu Purana, Book 1 (chapters 11–12))
• Gajendra Moksha — Caught in a crocodile's jaws, the king of elephants let go of every other support and called on the Lord alone, and the Lord came running. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 8 (chapters 2–4))
• The Matsya Avatar and Manu — A king who took pity on a tiny fish was carried safely across the ocean of dissolution by the Lord himself. (Srimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 8, Chapter 24 (also in the Matsya Purana))
• Prahlada and Narasimha — No cruelty of his father could shake a child's devotion, and to protect him the Lord burst out of a pillar. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Skandha 7 (chapters 3–10))
• The Churning of the Ocean and the Appearance of Lakshmi — How Lakshmi, lost through Durvasa's curse, appeared again from the churning of the ocean, and whom she chose. (Vishnu Purana, Book 1, chapter 9; Bhagavata Purana, 8th Skandha, chapters 5–8)
• Satyanarayan Katha: Sadhu the Merchant — The merchant named Sadhu, who kept forgetting his promise to keep the fast of Lord Satyanarayan, and how he learned the lesson of truth. (Shri Satyanarayan Vrat Katha (traditionally attributed to the Skanda Purana, Reva Khanda), chapters 3–4)
• Tulsi Vivah: Vrinda and Jalandhara — The devoted Vrinda, whose chastity made the asura Jalandhara invincible, and whose purity is worshipped in every courtyard as Tulsi. (Shiva Purana (Rudra Samhita, Yuddha Khanda) and Padma Purana; the tradition of the Tulsi–Shaligram marriage)
• The Vamana Avatar and King Bali — A tiny brahmana who came asking for three steps of land, and the generous King Bali who gave up everything for his word. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 8 (chapters 15–23))

Stories of Krishna

• The Lifting of Govardhan — When young Krishna had the people of Vraja worship Govardhan instead of Indra, and shielded all of Vraja from Indra's furious storm. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 10 (chapters 24–27))
• Krishna Subdues Kaliya — The boy Krishna danced on the hoods of the serpent Kaliya to free the Yamuna of poison. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, 10th Skandha (chapters 15–17))
• The Slaying of Narakasura — When Shri Krishna flew on Garuda with Satyabhama to Pragjyotishpura and ended the tyranny of Narakasura. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, Book 10 (chapter 59))
• Sudama and Krishna — A poor Brahmin friend reached Dwarka with four handfuls of flattened rice, and Shri Krishna gave him everything without being asked. (Shrimad Bhagavata Purana, 10th Skandha (chapters 80–81))

Stories of Rama

• The Redemption of Ahalya — Ahalya, wife of the sage Gautama, whose long penance was fulfilled by Rama's arrival and respect. (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sargas 48–49)
• Diwali: Shri Rama Returns to Ayodhya — Shri Rama's return to Ayodhya after fourteen years in exile, and the reunion with Bharata that all Ayodhya had been waiting for. (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda (closing sargas))
• Hanuman and the Sanjeevani Herb — When Indrajit's Brahmastra struck down Rama, Lakshmana and the whole vanara army, Hanuman brought back an entire mountain of healing herbs. (Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda (sargas 73–74; second episode sargas 101–102))
• The Sacrifice of Jatayu — The aged king of vultures who took on Ravana to protect Sita, knowing full well he could not win. (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda (Sargas 49–51 and 67–68))
• Shabari's Berries — The ascetic woman who waited for years on her teachers' word, until Shri Ram himself came to her hermitage. (Valmiki Ramayana, Aranya Kanda (sargas 73–74))
• Shravan Kumar and Dasharatha's Curse — The story of young Dasharatha's unseen arrow, whose curse returned years later as the grief of parting from Rama. (Valmiki Ramayana, Ayodhya Kanda, sargas 63–64)
• Vijayadashami: Rama's Worship of the Devi and the Slaying of Ravana — Shri Rama's worship of the Devi before the final battle with Ravana, a missing lotus, and the victory of dharma. (The Devi worship (Akal Bodhan): Krittivasi Ramayana (Bengali tradition); the slaying of Ravana: Valmiki Ramayana, Yuddha Kanda)

Stories of Ganesha

• How Ganesha Got His Elephant Head — What happened when the boy who guarded Mother Parvati's door stopped even Shiva, and how Ganesha came to have an elephant's face. (Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Kumara Khanda)
• Ganesha and Kartikeya's Race Around the World — In the race around the earth, who won between Kartikeya on his peacock and Ganesha with his mouse, and how. (Shiva Purana, Rudra Samhita, Kumara Khanda; the Mallikarjuna episode: Shiva Purana, Kotirudra Samhita)

Stories from the Mahabharata

• Abhimanyu and the Chakravyuha — The young warrior who entered the Chakravyuha knowing he did not know the way out. (Mahabharata, Drona Parva (Abhimanyu-vadha Parva))
• Bhishma's Vow — The prince who gave up both throne and family life for his father's happiness, and so became Bhishma. (Mahabharata, Adi Parva (Sambhava Parva))
• Chhath: A Story of Sun Worship — Karna the generous, who worshipped the Sun standing in water, and who gave away even the armour and earrings that protected his life. (Mahabharata, Vana Parva (Kundalaharana Parva); its link to Chhath is popular tradition)
• Draupadi's Inexhaustible Vessel — The Sun god's inexhaustible vessel, Durvasa's ten thousand disciples, and one morsel of greens that satisfied the whole world. (Mahabharata, Vana Parva (Aranyaka Parva, Chapter 3; the Durvasa episode in the vulgate recension))
• Ekalavya's Gift to His Guru — The Nishada youth who learned archery before a clay image of his guru, and gave his thumb when the guru asked for it. (Mahabharata, Adi Parva (Sambhava Parva))
• Karna's Birth and the Gift of His Armour — Karna, son of the Sun, who knowingly gave away to Indra the armour and earrings that protected his life. (Mahabharata, Adi Parva (Sambhava Parva) and Vana Parva (Kundalaharana Parva))
• Nala and Damayanti — King Nala and Queen Damayanti, whose love held firm through Kali's curse, separation and years of trial. (Mahabharata, Vana Parva (Nalopakhyana Parva))

Stories of the rishis

• Nachiketa and Yama — A boy who turned down every pleasure Yama offered and asked for one answer only: what remains after death? (Katha Upanishad (Krishna Yajurveda), Part 1, Vallis 1–3)

More stories

• The Descent of the Ganga: Bhagiratha's Tapas — Bhagiratha's austerity to free his ancestors, which brought the heavenly Ganga down to earth. (Valmiki Ramayana, Bala Kanda, sargas 38–44)
• The Truth of King Harishchandra — The king of Ayodhya who lost his kingdom, his family and every comfort, but never broke his word. (Markandeya Purana, chapters 7–8 (the Harishchandra episode))