Category: Cosmic Tales
Narrative, editorial astrology — stories that illuminate the sky.
The First Day: How Brahma Created the World
Brahmā is the creator in the Hindu “trinity” of great gods, alongside Viṣṇu, who preserves the world, and Śiva, who dissolves it. He is usually shown with four heads facing the four directions and…
The Letter That Changed Everything: Krishna and Rukmini
Rukmini was the princess of Vidarbha, a kingdom in the Deccan whose capital, Kundina, was ruled by her father, King Bhishmaka. Her story is one of the best-loved episodes in Krishna’s life: a young…
The Demon Who Almost Touched Shiva: The Bhasmasura Story
Bhasmasura is the demon who won from Shiva a boon so dangerous that his first thought was to use it on Shiva himself. His name says what he became: bhasma means ash, and an asura is one of the…
The First Meeting: Rama and Hanuman
The first meeting of Rama and Hanuman is one of the turning points of the Rāmāyaṇa. Rama, the exiled prince of Ayodhya, has lost his wife Sita — carried off by Ravana, the king of Lanka — and is…
The Handful of Puffed Rice: Krishna and Sudama
The story of Krishna and Sudama is the tradition’s best-loved story about friendship. Sudama is a poor brahmin — a member of the priestly and scholarly class — who once studied alongside Krishna as a…
When a Man Became King of Heaven: The Story of Nahusha
Nahusha was a human king — one of the most righteous alive — who was made king of heaven when Indra, king of the gods, abandoned his throne. For a while he ruled well. Then the power worked on him,…
The General of the Gods: Kartikeya and the War with Tarakasura
Kartikeya is the war-god of the Hindu tradition: a son of Shiva and Parvati, the commander of the gods’ armies, and the one being who could kill the demon Tarakasura. He is known by many names —…
The Eagle Who Was Born for Freedom: The Story of Garuda
Garuda is the great divine bird of Hindu tradition — part eagle, often shown with a human body and face — who carries the god Vishnu across the sky. He is the enemy of serpents, a figure of immense…
Lotus and Ocean: Lakshmi and Vishnu’s Eternal Bond
Lakshmi (Lakṣmī), also called Shri (Śrī), is the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good fortune, beauty and grace. Vishnu is the god who preserves and sustains the universe. In Hindu tradition the two are…
The First Song: Saraswati and the Birth of Knowledge
Saraswati (Sarasvatī) is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, speech, music and the arts. She is the wife of Brahmā, the creator god, and she is worshipped by students, scholars, musicians and anyone…