Category: Cosmic Tales
Narrative, editorial astrology — stories that illuminate the sky.
The Wedding of the Mountain and the Destroyer
The wedding of Shiva and Parvati is one of the best-loved stories in Hindu tradition. Shiva is the great ascetic god — ash-covered, living on mountain peaks and in cremation grounds, sunk in…
The Dance That Holds the Universe: Shiva Nataraja
Shiva Nataraja — “Nataraja” means “king of dancers” — is the form of Shiva shown dancing inside a ring of flame, one foot pressing down on a small crouching figure, the other lifted free. It is one…
Neither Day Nor Night: Narasimha and Prahlada
Narasimha (Narasiṃha, “man-lion”) is the form Vishnu took to protect the boy Prahlada from his father, the demon king Hiranyakashipu. He is counted as the fourth of Vishnu’s ten principal avatāras,…
The Goddess Who Gave the World Its Voice
Saraswati (Sarasvatī) is the Hindu goddess of speech, learning, music and the arts. Students bow to her before exams, musicians before a performance, and in many homes children are taught their first…
The Hill on a Fingertip: Krishna and Govardhan
The lifting of Govardhan Hill is one of the best-loved episodes of Krishna’s childhood. Krishna — understood in the tradition as Vishnu himself, born among cowherds — persuades his village to stop…
The Mountain of Herbs: Hanuman’s Greatest Journey
Of all the stories told about Hanuman — the monkey hero of the Rāmāyaṇa and the most devoted follower of Rama — none is pictured more often than this one: a giant figure flying through the night sky…
When Lakshmi Rose from the Sea
Lakshmi (Lakṣmī) is the Hindu goddess of prosperity, good fortune and beauty, and the wife of Vishnu. Her name is often paired with śrī, a word meaning radiance, auspiciousness and well-being, and…
Nine Nights: The Nine Forms of the Mother
Navratri — literally “nine nights” — is one of the great festivals of the Hindu year, dedicated to the Goddess, Devi, in her form as Durga. In much of India, especially in the north, each of the nine…
How Ganesha Came to Wear the Elephant’s Head
Ganesha (Gaṇeśa) is the elephant-headed god of Hindu tradition, the son of Parvati and Shiva, honoured as the lord of beginnings and the one who removes — and sometimes sets — obstacles. His image is…
The Blue-Throated One: Why Shiva Drank the Poison
Shiva is often shown with a throat of deep blue, and one of his most loved names is Nilakantha, “the Blue-Throated One”. The name comes from one of the best-known episodes in Hindu mythology: the…