Dhruva is a devotee of Vishnu, a Hindu god, in the Bhagavata Purana and Vishnu Purana. Dhruva’s story is often told to Hindu children as an example of perseverance, devotion, and fearlessness. Manu, the…
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Devotion to duty is the true virtue
This story from the Mahabharata highlights that our spiritual achievements are useless if we neglect our duties, or dharma: Kaushika was his parents’ only son. “Mother,” he said one day, ”I want…
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A story from the Ramayana
I relate to the different stories and anecdotes, mainly from literary sources in Tamizh and Sanskrit, which are not likely to be that well-known. One of such anecdotes which I have found…
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The Bhishma way or the Jatayu way?
No two people react to the same situation in a similar way. Here are examples of two legendary personalities who were faced with very similar situations, but their responses were diagonally apart. It…
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Garden of delights
When the mystic came down from the mountain, he was accosted by the atheist who said, sarcastically, “What did you bring us from that garden of delights you were in?” The mystic…
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The inventor of fire
After many years of labour, an inventor discovered the art of making fire. He took his tools to the snow-clad northern regions and initiated a tribe into the art – and the…
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The applauding angel
An ancient legend has it that when God was creating the world, he was approached by four angels. The first one asked, “How are you doing it?” The second, “Why are you…
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The prayer of the frog
When Brother Bruno was at prayer one night, he was disturbed by the croaking of a bullfrog. All his attempts to disregard the sound failed, so he shouted from his window, “Quiet!…
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The saint
There once lived a man so godly that even the angels rejoiced at the sight of him. But, in spite of his great holiness, he had no notion that he was holy.…
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“He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver”
“He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled some women in a Bible study and they wondered what this statement meant about the character and nature of God. One…