BharatiyaStories

  The story of a bhakta – Narahari Sonar- Part 1 Narahari was steadfastly refusing to even visit the Vittala temple. While this a cause for anger and amusement for many, for Narahari it was a matter of irritation that the towns folk kept asking him to go to this temple. One day while Narahari was sitting in his shop, a merchant he knew from the neighbouring town came to Narahari. Narahari enquired about his family and other matters. The merchant then told Narahari that he had come to give him some gold work. He added “It is going to be a challenging task for you. One thing about Narahari was he was very proud of his skill. He also liked a challenge. Narahari eagerly replied “ Tell me. I have been doing too much of routine work. I want to do something challenging.” The merchant replied “As you know I remained child less for many years. I had prayed that if I get a child I shall make an offering. I want you to help me complete my offering.” Narahari was happy to get some chal...

  Bana and the Lord of Madurai, Sundareshwara Banabhadra was a singer in the temple town of Madurai. He used to play a string instrument called the yazh in Tamil. Every day Bana used to come to the temple in the night and sing songs in praise of the Lord while playing his instrument. Rain or shine, work or illness, the Lord and the townsfolk always used to see him standing behind Lord Nandeeshwara in front of the main deity. Bana was particularly fond of singing when the priests and devotees carried the Lord towards the silver roofed hall (Velliyambalam) towards his sleeping quarters near the sanctum of Devi Parvati. (This daily ritual in Madurai is famous and is followed even to this day where the dancing Lord reaches his sleeping quarters after his day’s activities of blessing the millions who throng the temple). While people liked his music and saw him everyday, he did not expect any praise from the public or money for his service. The Lord and the mother were pleased with...

  The story of a bhakta – Narahari Sonar- Part 1 There are bhaktas of all kinds in Sanatana Dharma. We have many Gods and many forms of worship. Does it mean that only a particular form of God will help me? Is there a hierarchy in the Gods? These are questions that many of us have daily. Let us see if we can find the answers through a story. We all know that the naughty but powerful Vittala resides in the beautiful temple of Pandarpur. One of the defining traits of Vithoba (as Vittala was fondly called by the townsfolk) was to play with his devotees and give them his blessings. This is about one such blessed person who was felt by Vittala as deserving of his grace and blessings. In the temple town of Pandarpur where Vittala resided, there lived a gold smith called Narahari. Narahari got the name of Narahari Sonar as he was a gold smith by profession. He was an excellent craftsman and was known across the many towns in the area for his jewellery and silver ornaments. He was ...

  The story of a bhakta – Sakkubai- Part 2 We saw in the last story about Sakkubai, a young girl born in a pious and humble family in Pandarpur. The father of a young man from the town of Karaveerapuram Krupanaraya came to Pandarpur and asked Sakkubai’s father for her hand in marriage to his only son, Oaduraya. Sakku’s dad gladly agreed without knowing that the whole family – Krupanaraya, his wife Gayyalibai and the bridegroom, Oaaduraya were mean, unkind and miserly and were disliked in their town. Sakkubai came to her new home fully of hope and happiness. A different truth awaited her. She was pushed into a life of slavery doing household work, fetching water and even pounding grain from morning till night. Her mother in law did not even give her proper food. Her husband and father in law instead of intervening were also mean and angry with her all the time. Sakku’s parents once visited her and were tearful to see their precious daughter wearing torn clothes and looking thin ...

The story of a bhakta – Sakkubai Once upon a time, in a small village near Pandarpur there lived an old couple. They were humble, pious and hard working. They did not have any children of their own and prayed to the Lord of Pandarpur to bless their home with a child. The Lord of Pandarpur blessed them with a beautiful girl chid. The happy couple named their daughter Sakkubai. Sakkubai, was very devoted to her parents and imbibed their sense of bhakti and love for Vittala of Pandarpur at a very early age. She used to assist her mother in the chores in the house. She used to gather flowers for the puja, clean the puja mantapa and participate in the daily rituals with her parents. When Sakkubai reached marriageable age, her parents looked for a suitable bridge groom for their daughter. During that period there was a beautiful town on the banks of the Krishna river called Karaveerapuram. Karaveerapuram had lush fields, beautiful water bodies and flowers and fruit orchards. The town...

  DharmaVyadha – Knowledge from any source In Bharat, knowledge was a repository of everyone and one could learn from any person. The story of Dharma Vyadha is given as an example of this principle of being a seeker of knowledge irrespective of the source or the social status of the giver This is the story narrated by Markandeya to Yudhistira. Kaushika was engaged in intense tapasya in the middle of the forest. The penance had been going on for many years and he had been at it without food and water. Intense tapasya by someone means that the said person has the ability to focus on things. This focus is very powerful and can cause intense heat and power. Kausika was sitting under a tree reciting the Vedas. The excreta of the crane fell on Kausika   Once he was sitting under a tree reciting vedas. A crane sitting on the tree left excreta on him from above the tree. Kausika who was immersed in his chanting looked up got ir...

  Narahasura – The end Naraka the son of Lord Narayana and Bhudevi had moved from being a warrior with some divine blessings to an asura who was misusing his power and strength to kill dharma. His friendship with others of the adharmic kind like King Kamsa and Banasura made his arrogance and atrocities worse. His kingdom Pragjyotisha was fertile and prosperous due to the presence of Devi Kamakkhya. Despite his atrocities, he was powerful due to the blessings from his parents and the presence of the Devi. The doings of Naraka earned him the name of Narakasura. During this period, Sage Vasishta used to reside in the Nilanchal hills of that region. He once visited the Kamakhya temple and wanted to take the darshan of the Devi. Narakasura’s powerful ministers prevented the sage from entering the kingdom. Angered at this disrespect the Sage cursed Narakasura that Devi Kamakhya will vanish from his kingdom and his death will soon occur in the hands of his mother. (The local folklor...

  Narahasura – The beginning   It was the Krita Yuga. There was complete silence in the Brahmand. The various worlds were distressed as the balance was upset. Why? Because Mother Earth or Bhudevi was held captive in the primordial ocean There were no yagnas on earth. The regular pujas and sacrifices had stopped. There were no seasonal cycles. The Devas together prayed to Lord Vishnu for deliverance. Vishnu took pity on the plight of the inhabitants of the various worlds. In order to save his beloved, Bhudevi, he took the form of a giant boar. The boar looked huge and majestic and its roar made all the worlds tremble. The Devas rushed to pay their respects to the majestic boar and sang its praises. The boar jumped into the primordial ocean liquid and went   straight he to the bottom of the ocean. He looked around the murky liquid for his Bhudevi. After searching for a long time, he finally found her in a cave under the water. The cave was guarded by the dreaded Hir...

  Shakthis Who Shaped our Society #9 Jaswantiben Jamnadas Popat – An entrepreneur   It was a hot humid afternoon in 1959 in Mumbai. A large joint fam lived in a small apartent. The men were doing work but the women wanted to do something to supplement the income in order to improve their lot. They tried to get some employment but did not get any as they were not educated. Suddenly Jaswanti said “Why work for someone? Let us give ourselves jobs.” Jaswanti with six of her sisters decided to roll out papads and sell them. They made a few packets of the papad that were sold almost immediately. Their original investment was Rs.80 borrowed from a social worker. Opportunity and the desire to beat poverty was the one thing that was common among these women and many others in that area. The number of women who wanted to participate in this enterprise had already grown in few months. They had one problem though – the long and intense monsoons of Mumbai that made drying the pap...

  Introduction In the lush landscapes of Tamil Nadu, where agriculture plays a pivotal role in the economy and culture, organic farming is gaining momentum as a sustainable alternative to conventional practices. One notable figure in this movement is Pappamal, an inspiring organic farmer whose dedication and innovation have made significant contributions to sustainable agriculture in the region. This essay explores her journey, methods, challenges, and the broader impact of her work. Early Life and Background Pappamal hails from a traditional farming family in Tamil Nadu. Growing up amidst the verdant fields, she developed a deep appreciation for agriculture and the land. However, like many farmers, she witnessed the adverse effects of chemical farming practices on the environment, health, and soil quality. This realization prompted her to seek a more sustainable approach to farming. Embracing Sustainable Practices Pappamal's transition to organic farming began with exten...

  Kittur Rani Chennamma Her husband, king Mallasarja Desai was dead. His only son had also passed away. The heir to the throne was a minor and an adopted son as well. The colonial powers were greedily waiting to snatch the small but prosperous kingdom. Anyone would have just crumbled in such a dire situation. But Kittur Rani Chennamma was made of sterner stuff. The first armed rebellion against British forces Exactly 200 years ago…October 1824- The Battle of Kittur led by Rani Chennamma saw the death of Thackeray, East India Company’s political agent and hundreds of British soldiers. A woman regent was able to successfully foil the attempts of the British to capture the realm.   Born Achiever The spark was seen right from the beginning in Chennamma. Born in the small village of Kakati in Belagavi district of Karnataka, in 1778, Chennamma was known for her bravery even at an early age. She was trained in horse riding, sword fighting and archery. From Kakati native ...