This is the story of another of the famous Nayanmars, Tirunavukkarasar. Tirunavukkarasar literally means ‘Ruler of the tongue’ (speech) and this title was bestowed upon this Nayanmar by Lord Shiva himself. He is counted as one of the ‘Nalvars’ or foursome who extensively sang on Lord Shiva. In the 7th century AD, in the village […]
In ancient India, there lived in a village, a girl by name Prabha. She lived with her father as she had lost her mother at a young age. Her father had married again. The step mother Rambadevi, did not like Prabha . She had also a daughter a little younger than Prabha. Even though she […]
This is a story from the Panchatantra from the chapter Labdhapranasam or Loss of Gains – where one loses due to improper planning. Once there lived the King of frogs in a huge well in a forest. His name was Gangadutta. He had a host of relatives in the well and more often than not […]
Andal was the only woman saint among the Azhwars, the Vaishnavite poet saints of South India. Azhwar literally meant “immersed” – in the love of the Lord. The twelve Azhwars were, along with the 63 Nayanmars (devotees of Lord Shiva) responsible for reviving the “Bhakthi” movement in Southern India. They established the truth that salvation […]
Birbal, as we all know was a master in the art of using the right words/ sentences at the right time. This combined with his sharp intelligence and brilliant wit earned him the adulation of the Emperor and all others and of course he also got what he wanted. We shall see two such instances. […]
The Jataka tales talk about the various lives of the Buddha when he was born as animal or bird and how he showed mercy and virtuousness in whichever form he was. This is one such story where the Buddha (Bodhisattva) was born as a deer in a herd of Banyan Deer in the forests adjoining […]
Amaraneedhi was a rich merchant belonging to the town of Pazhayarai which was the ancient day capital of the Chola kingdom. It still exists with the same name in Tanjore District of Tamilnadu, India. Amaraneedhi traded in gold, gems, jewellery and silks. He was a very honest trader and also an ardent Shiva devotee. Though […]