Once upon a time in Kashmir, there was a Sultan (the VIth, to be precise) named Sikandar who was a religious zealot. He destroyed Hindu temples, persecuted… Read more “In the End, Ashes: the Good King of Kashmir”
Category: Hindu Mythology
Rama, the Seventh Avatar of Vishnu
At some 24,000 verses, the tale of Rama, the Ramayana, is tricky to summarize. To further complicate things, there are at least 300 distinct versions from all over… Read more “Rama, the Seventh Avatar of Vishnu”
There Will Be Blood: Parashurama, the Sixth Avatar of Vishnu
Who is Parashurama, the sixth Avatar of Vishnu? He’s different from his predecessors in many ways. The first two Avatars had cosmological roles (Matsya saving one good… Read more “There Will Be Blood: Parashurama, the Sixth Avatar of Vishnu”
One Small Step…Vishnu’s Fifth Avatar, Vamana
Now, if you recall the previous Avatar of Vishnu, Narasimha, you might remember that the crux of that story was a battle of wills between father and… Read more “One Small Step…Vishnu’s Fifth Avatar, Vamana”
Loopholes and Lions: Narasimha, the Fourth Avatar of Vishnu
Imagine this: your father is a powerful Demon king, made all the more powerful after being granted a magic boon from the creator God, Brahma. Now, your… Read more “Loopholes and Lions: Narasimha, the Fourth Avatar of Vishnu”
Wisdom from Ganesha: Work Smarter not Harder
The Hindu elephant headed God Ganesha shares some interesting features with the Egyptian God Thoth, and Thoth’s Greek counterpart, Hermes. Like Thoth, he is the inventor of… Read more “Wisdom from Ganesha: Work Smarter not Harder”
Got the Whole World On His Tusks: Varaha, Vishnu’s Third Avatar
Compared to the two previous Avatars of Vishnu, Matsya the Fish and Kurma the Tortoise, Varaha, Vishnu’s third “official” incarnation, isn’t given much backstory. Historically, there are… Read more “Got the Whole World On His Tusks: Varaha, Vishnu’s Third Avatar”
