A Journey To Discover Life

Hastinapur was the most powerful empire in the north of the Vindyas, in the subcontinent once ruled by King Bharata. When its long-reigning and prosperous king Shantanu passed away in old age, he left behind his ambitious wife Satyabati, her two sons, Chitrangad and Bichitravirjaya and his first surviving son from his first wife Ganga, Devabrata, who took the lifelong oath of not being king nor marrying or having any progeny and hence earned the name Bhishma. When Chitrangad was about to ascend the throne, he died in an unfortunate accident, leaving the minor Bichitravirjaya as the only contender on the throne. Bhishma almost outspokenly took over the role of guardian to the throne of Hastinapur upon this event. However, the rules suggested that the young prince must marry before he could be crowned. Upon hearing of this, Bhishma sent his spies around the subcontinent to find eligible princesses who would not only marry the heir apparent but also be the future queen and queen mother of...

The night of the Bhadra Amavasya saw a funeral pyre in the Pandavas' camp. Wails of the ladies filled the air as the young brave heart was turning into ashes. The ashes lit up a celebration in the Kauravas' camp. Duryodhan, Dushyasan, Shakuni, and Jayadrata all succeeded in their mission. Breaking the Pandavas' backbone, killing their favourite son. Karna joined in the celebrations reluctantly; he had released the boy from the pain. The face kept coming back to him. After all, he was his nephew. He shut his eyes in pain. The air tonight seemed cursed. The pyre burning made the teenage widow run towards it. She had no hope of living without him. Life was already tough; each day, he went to war with a smile on his face. She had already lost her brother. Now she had none to return home to her. "Stop!" His mother pleaded between the wails. "Stop her, someone, please!" None could move. The 13th day of war had turned everyone into stone-cold statues.  "Ut...

She was born to the King and Queen of Mithila after they waited decades for a child. Having adopted a girl child already, King Janaka accepted yet another girl child with open arms, unlike King Dasharatha, who was desperate for sons so much that he gave away his only daughter for it. She was named Urmila, meaning the waves of Passion. From her very childhood, she grew up listening to tales of bravery and sacrifice, legends and Gods from the sages who were patronised by their father. The sisters were taught to be brave enough to question all the rites and rituals rather than blindly follow them like most others. Janaka was too happy to answer all of his daughter's curiosities. She used to travel to various Ashrams of well-known hermits with her father and sister. One such time, she was visiting the annual Yajna of the King-Priest Vishwamitra. They arrived there, amongst other Kings and Royals of Aryavarta and were shocked to hear how time and again the demon Taraka and her son Maric...

Shiva - Sati/Parvati:  The Destroyer of the Trinity, the supreme God of Gods, was a loner, vagabond, refusing to settle down and be tied down by earthly relationships. Enters Sati, the daughter of Prajapati Daksha of Kankhal. At such a young age, her love moves everyone except her father. The reluctant Shiva had to answer her calls, and for the first time, somebody wanted to marry him as a boon. What followed was wrath between Shiva and Daksha, a clash of egos that ended the soft maiden Sati's life. She chose death after overhearing her father insult her husband. Shiva's sorrow turned to the angry tandav that destroyed the world. He roamed around as a vagabond again, this time with a broken heart!  A few years passed by in her memory as he roamed the land of Aryavarta, making a Linga at every Sati Peeth beside her. In that way, this time, he will always be there by her side to protect her. Enters Parvati, the daughter of Parvat Raj. She was believed to be Sati reborn by everyo...

He grew up in the care of his grandparents, being the sole heir to the throne. He was a great warrior, skilled with the Bow like his grandfather , Arjun  and the sword like his father,  Abhimanyu . The  Raaj Guru Kripacharya  trained him in warfare. His mother,  Uttara,  told him stories of the father he never knew, how valiant a warrior he was and how their struggle for this kingdom was the greatest battle ever fought. He loved to hunt and often indulged in hunting expeditions encouraged by his grandparents. At 35, he was made the king while his Grandfather and his brothers retired from the cycle of responsibilities and decided to live in a hermitage. His mother and grandmother stayed back to help him rule the vast kingdom. The first king of the new era was thus crowned. As king, he started his peaceful reign. He called upon the sages and the  Kul Guru Vyas Dev  to start the new yug with something very important.  " Guruji, I want you to rea...

The mystic lands of the far East, Aryavarta, were a mystery to many. The warrior prince was exiled from his own kingdom and was forced to live in a hermitage due to a condition he agreed upon with his brothers and broke. He decided to visit the lands to the east and see the natural beauty himself. Wherever he travelled, his name was famous, and people welcomed him with open arms. After all, he was the son of the great Emperor and the greatest archer of the land. While travelling through the forest dressed as a hermit, Gandhiva in hand, he stopped to rest. An arrow shot across, inches from his ears. He held up his Gandhiva. From the clearing emerged a Prince who wore the traditional local dress. Holding up the bow, the Warrior Prince was ready for combat. " Who are you? A stranger with the bow? Do you threaten Manipur or seek peace?" The voice was that of a woman. The Prince was surprised. Initially, he thought the way this person dressed and shot an arrow was more like a Prin...

This fascinating story of Tulabharam first originated in Vijayanagar during the reign of Krishna Deva Raya. It is believed that the story was written by his court poet using Krishna as a metaphor for their own king, who was a namesake, whose first wife thought he gave more importance to the second. Nowhere before that was this story originally found, and most interestingly, Tulabharam became quite a ritual in medieval India after this story, especially in the courts of the Mughals and Rajputs. Satyabhama  was the second wife of Lord Krishna. He married her after his marriage to Rukmini. Proud of her nature, Satyabhama was very confident; her husband's heart was hers, and she had full control over him, unlike his other wives. Every girl dreamt of his  Leela,  but she was the one who stole his heart by helping him kill the  rakshas . Her arrogance was such that she told his 16000 other wives that she was his chief consort.  Narad   Muni  seemed amused wa...

The great Rishi Saunak and his students had once gathered at the Naimisharanya at the beginning of the Kali Yuga to save themselves from the effects of this age. Here, Ugrasrava Sauti, the great Sage and son of Sage Lomharshana, came to meet them. He surprised them with stories of King Janamejaya's strange Swarpa Yagna and the strangest tales he heard from Maharshi Krishna Dwaipayana Vyas Dev there, at this strangest of events. The eager Rishis asked Sauti about the story of Bhrigu and Agni. Bhrigu was a powerful Rishi. His wife was Puloma, the Daughter of Daksha Prajapati and granddaughter of Brahma. One day, when his wife was pregnant, he left her in the darkness of the awaiting dawn to go for a dip in the holy Ganges far away. She was alone in the hut when a Rakshasa attacked her. Scared and alone, Puloma cried helplessly for aid. Her beauty had mesmerised the animals who wanted to marry her by force. The demon leader took her into the hut and shut the door. But inside the hut, ...