Work is worship
Narada is a devotee of Lord Vishnu. But he wonders if he is the greatest devotee. However, Lord Vishnu has an interesting take on devotion.
Sheikh Chilli’s Grand Plan
One day Sheikh Chilli set out to sell mustard oil. He walked with an oil vessel on his head and dreams in his head. “I will get a good price for the oil. What shall I do with the money I’m going to earn?” he wondered. Just then a herd…
The secret is out
Baluram, the barber, was carrying a secret in his head. But that secret had made his tummy big. Finding this unbearable, Baluram shouted the secret into a tree hollow. Baluram’s tummy shrunk back to its normal size, and the secret was safe. (Read the previous story) Let’s see what happens…
Baluram’s secret
Baluram was the royal barber. Every month, a chariot would come to his house, to take him to the palace where he would give the king a royal haircut. Baluram’s friends teased him, “The king must be generous. A big tummy is a sign of prosperity.” Baluram would join his…
Ganesha the scribe
Sage Veda Vyasa decided to compose the Mahabharata. He thought he would dictate the epic and someone could write it down. But who would write down the great epic? After a careful search, Veda Vyasa selected Ganesha, Lord of Wisdom. “Only you are capable of writing down the epic as…
Hanuman discovers his potential
Sampati was an old eagle. He lived alone on a rock on the southern seashore. One day, he noticed that the beach was crowded with monkeys. He asked the monkeys what had brought them to the seashore. Where were they from? Jambuvan, an elderly bear, spoke, “Rama, the prince of…
Krishna in Sudama’s village
When Sudama went to Dwaraka, his childhood friend Sri Krishna and his wife Rukmini, received him with affection. They persuaded Sudama to stay with them for a few days. Then they took him back to his village in their chariot. Meanwhile, in the village, word spread that Sri Krishna was…
Krishna meets Sudama
He was a visitor to Dwaraka. Draped in an ordinary looking cloth round his waist, a piece of cloth across his shoulders, and a bag hanging from his left shoulder, the stranger walked barefoot. His hair was combed and tied. He walked leisurely, neither too fast nor too slow, looking…
Spirit of Freedom: Call of Vidula
In India, the first ever Call to Freedom was given by a mother. Her story is told in the Mahabharata. Prince Sanjaya was young and inexperienced. When his father died, he became the king of Sauvira. The king of the neighbouring kingdom of Sindhu felt this was the right moment…
The guru and the silent disciple
Adi Shankara was loved and respected by his disciples. Three of his disciples were intelligent and spent most of their time studying. Their classmate, Totaka, hardly studied. He made himself busy by washing the guru’s clothes, collecting flowers for his worship, making his bed and pressing his feet. The other…