Story
Stories from the Puranas and epics — the tales behind festivals, deities and devotional teachings.
The Story of Markandeya: The Boy Who Conquered Death
Granted to his parents with only sixteen years to live, the boy Markandeya spent his last day clinging to a Shivalinga. When Yama's noose fell around him and the linga together, Shiva burst out as Kalantaka, the ender of Death. The Shaiva story, its parallel in the Linga Purana, where the Mahamrityunjaya mantra really comes from, and how the versions differ.
Read more →The Story of Samudra Manthan: The Churning of the Ocean
Weakened by Durvasa's curse, the gods join hands with the asuras to churn the ocean of milk for amrit, with Mount Mandara as the rod, Vasuki as the rope and Vishnu as the tortoise beneath. The halahal poison Shiva drinks, the treasures that rise, Lakshmi's choice, Mohini and Rahu — told from the Bhagavata, the Vishnu Purana and the Mahabharata, with where they differ.
Read more →The Story of Tulsi Vivah: Vrinda, Jalandhar and the Shaligram
Why is the tulsi plant married to Bhagwan Vishnu as the Shaligram every Kartik? The story of Vrinda, the faithful wife whose virtue made the asura Jalandhar unbeatable, the deception that ended it, and the curse that turned the Lord to stone — told from the Shiva Purana and the Devi Bhagavata, with the popular vrat katha and where the versions differ.
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Chhath Puja Vrat Katha: King Priyavrat and Shashthi Devi
The katha read during Chhath: how King Priyavrat's stillborn son was brought back to life by Shashthi Devi — Chhathi Maiya — and why she has been worshipped on Shashthi ever since. Also the popular Chhath traditions of Karna, Draupadi and Sita, and who Chhathi Maiya is.
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The Story of Nachiketa and Yama
A boy given away to Death by his angry father waits three nights at Yama's door, and wins three boons. He refuses kingdoms, long life and pleasures for the one answer he wants: what happens after death? The Katha Upanishad's story of Nachiketa, and what Yama taught him.
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The Story of Sudama and Krishna
A poor brahmin walks to Dwarka with a handful of flattened rice tied in a rag, too ashamed to offer it to his childhood friend, now a king. The Bhagavatam's story of Sudama — the welcome, the memories of the gurukul, the rice Krishna ate, and the gift Sudama never asked for.
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The Story of Gajendra Moksha
The king of elephants, seized by a crocodile in a mountain lake, struggles for a thousand years until his herd and his strength desert him — and then calls on the Lord. The Bhagavatam's story of Gajendra, who he and the crocodile were in past lives, and what the story teaches about surrender.
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Karwa Chauth Vrat Katha: The Complete Stories Read at the Puja
All four stories of the Karwa Chauth booklet in full: the moneylender's daughter and her seven brothers, Karwa the washerwoman who bound a crocodile, the story Shri Krishna told Draupadi, and the Ganesh ji ki kahani that closes the katha.
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The Story of Dussehra: Rama, Durga, the Shami Tree and Raghu's Gold
Every story told on Vijayadashami, as its source tells it: Rama's last battle with Ravana, Durga's victory over Mahishasura, the Pandavas' weapons in the shami tree, and the gold that rained on Raghu's treasury.
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Pitru Paksha Katha: Nimi's First Shraddha and the Story of Karna
How shraddha began, as the Mahabharata tells it: the sage Nimi's offering to his dead son, and Atri's reassurance. Plus the popular story of Karna.
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Jivitputrika Vrat Katha: Jimutavahana and the Kite and the Jackal
The two stories heard at the Jitiya fast: Jimutavahana, who gave himself to Garuda to save a Naga mother's son, and the kite and the jackal who kept the fast.
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The Story of Dhruva
How a five-year-old prince, turned away from his father's lap, won a vision of Vishnu within six months and became the pole star.
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The Story of Prahlada
The story of a young devotee whose unwavering faith in Vishnu protected him from his own father's wrath.
Read more →Why these stories matter
Many festivals, rituals and even specific mantras only make full sense once you know the story behind them — Holika Dahan without the story of Prahlada and Narasimha is just a bonfire; with it, it's a story about faith outlasting persecution.
Told in full, not summarised away
Rather than a one-line mythological reference, each story here is told with its actual narrative detail — characters, motivation, and the turning points that give the story its meaning — sourced from the Puranas, the Ramayana or the Mahabharata rather than a paraphrased summary of a summary.
Where a story connects to practice
Where relevant, a story page links onward to the specific festival, deity or mantra it explains the background for, so you can move from the narrative straight into the associated practice.