After teaching a lesson in humility to King Janak, Ganesha went to the town of Mithila. There lived a poverty-stricken Brahmin named Thrishiras, in Mithila. In the guise of a poor Brahmin, Lord Ganesha decided to visit him. He was extended a warm welcome by Thrishiras and his wife. Ganesha, as a poor Brahmin, told […]
Once, Sage Narad visited King Janak, who was famous for his wisdom. Looking at his prosperity, Narad told Janak, “It seems like Lord Ganesha has blessed you with a flourishing and peaceful life.” King Janak didn’t think so and gave his honest opinion to Narad. He said, “O Sage, I don’t believe that. It cannot
The ox, the donkey and the beggar woman wandered around many places and finally came to a temple built in the name of Lord Ganesha. On the day of Ganesha Chaturthi, the beggar woman who had a pile of Durva grass with her, happened to sit beside the temple. There came the donkey and the
King Sulabh was the ruler of the island of Jambudwip. He and his wife Subhadra worshipped Ganesha, devotedly. Once, a poor Brahmin arrived at King Sulabh’s palace and begged the king to give him something to eat. But the king turned down the hungry and needy Brahmin’s request. He further asked the Brahmin to look
A worried Shiva came forward to help his son. He pulled out his divine serpent and placed it over Ganesh’s stomach. The holy powers of the serpent also didn’t relieve Ganesha from the pain. Everyone was concerned now. The gods then called upon all the sages from the universe. In a short while, eighty-thousand sages
The gods were worried about Ganesha’s fiery stomach. Some even brought chunks of ice from the peaks of Mount Kailash, but Ganesha was not relieved. A huge hullabaloo took place in heaven. A few goddesses also came forward to help. They brought milk, curd, sandalwood powder paste, cool clay and even turmeric, but nothing helped.
Ganesha had swallowed the fire demon Anala. Unfortunately, the demon started troubling his stomach. Ganesha felt like his stomach was on fire! He was unable to lie down or remain still. He shouted in pain, “Oh my stomach! Help me. It is burning!” Ganesha rolled on the ground in immense pain. Tears rolled down his
The terrified gods started worshipping Ganesha. They prayed with utmost dedication. They knew if Vishnu had said that Ganesha could help them, then it must be true. They wanted to get rid of Analasur, anyhow. Ganesha heard their prayers and appeared before them. He listened to all their woes and said, “All right! I shall
Yamraj, the god of death, ruled the city named Yam. He was fond of dance and music. Once, he held a grand event of music and dance. He invited several kings. A beautiful dancer named Tilottama caught Yamraj’s attention. Soon, Tilottama gave birth to a child. The child grew up to become a ferocious demon
Ganesha reached Amaravati and challenged Talasur for a fight. Talasur, under the sense of superiority, accepted the challenge. He even mocked how such a small fat creature could fight against him! He thought he would easily defeat Ganesha. But as the fight progressed, Ganesha seemed to overpower Talasur. He caught the demon in his trunk
Talasur had become overconfident. He was sure that none could kill him. Soon, he conquered Amaravati. He imprisoned several gods while some succeeded in fleeing. Talasur became like a dictator, with his cruelty increasing day-by-day. The gods decided to visit Brahma, as they knew he had given the boon of power to Talasur. Brahma was
As suggested by Sage Shukracharya, Talasur started worshipping Brahma. He prayed with utmost dedication. He performed penance without having food or water. Brahma was happy to see his devotion. He appeared before Talasur and offered him a boon of his choice. Talasur was happy, as his goal was achieved. He said, “Lord, please grant me
Once, there lived a cruel demon named Tala on earth. He was immensely powerful. He defeated all kings and started ruling their kingdoms. People on earth trembled with fear just at the mention of his name. Talasur wanted to rule Amaravati, too. Amaravati was the abode of the gods. When Sage Shukracharya, the preceptor or
Ravan was performing his prayers with deep concentration. Suddenly, he heard the boy shouting, “Oh, this Shivlingam is too heavy! My hands are aching. I have to drop it here.” Ravan was puzzled! He was unable to leave his prayers in between, so he shouted back, “Please hold it for some more time. Let me
Ravan was on his way back to Lanka with the Shivlingam. Soon, he reached a forest. It was early morning and Ravan thought of taking his bath and performing his prayers. But he could not keep the Shivlingam on the ground! So he decided to find a suitable person who could hold it for a