Epics of India - Vinay Kalvacherla

Sati was happy with Shiva. Her road to marriage was difficult and laden with obstacles. She had fallen in love with Shiva at a young age, and had fixed her eyes on him for marriage. Her father, Prajapathi Daksha, was a strict devotee of Vishnu, and would not accept Sati's proposals. At the end, Shiva himself had come to take Sati as his bride, and Daksha had no choice but to accept. He did not confer his blessings on the marriage, but Shiva and Sati were satisfied nonetheless. And now news had just come to Sati that her father was holding a yagna , a holy sacrifice, and had invited all the gods and celestials except Sati and Shiva. Sati felt a little embittered about it, but decided she would go uninvited anyway. "A daughter can go to her own father's house uninvited," Sati replied when Shiva tried to object. "I'm sure that's why my father didn't extend an explicit invitation to us." But the reality was vastly different. Shiva stayed behi...

Arjuna was born to fight wars. No, literally - he was born into the Kshatriya caste, which constituted the warriors and rulers. He had been preparing for battle and warfare since he was born. He had been the most astute warrior ever known, never faltering with his bow and arrow. And, today, he was faced with the hardest battle of his life. He stood in the Kurukshetra Battlefield, facing his cousins and teachers. Drona, Bhishma - the whole crew. He didn't know what to do. He stood and stared at everyone sharpening their weapons and preparing for battle before leaning in to his charioteer, Krishna, and whispering, "I don't think I can do this anymore. I've fought the toughest of wars in the world, but this is tougher than those. I cannot bring myself to kill my cousins and teachers, Krishna." Krishna immediately grabbed the reins and steered the chariot into the middle of the battlefield. Everyone on both the Pandavas' and Kauravas' side froze and st...

The jungle is a hard place to live. The bugs are after the grass, the insects after the bugs, the lizards after the insects, the birds after the lizards, the mongooses after the lizards, the bobcats after the mongooses...it's a competitive world, and the cost of losing is death. At every moment in time, everything - and I mean everything - is about survival. One slow step under the eyes of a leopard or tiger and you're dead. The lions lived in their own den on one side of the jungle, the tigers on another side, and the monkeys high up in the trees. Everyone lived segregated, and creatures rarely interacted with animals outside their species. You never know who's the predator and who's the prey in any situation. Even at common-ground water holes, no one went for a drink haphazardly or alone. I like to think of it as a war. A tense, prolonged war that began at the inception of the universe and which will never have an ending. It's the war of life. This war had...

'Twas a joyous occasion. The three contenders for the throne of Hastinapur were born: Dhritarashtra, Pandu, and Vidura. The throne would not go unoccupied! The people of the city celebrated with music, drink, and food for three days and three nights straight. They thanked the gods for their generosity in ensuring that Hastinapur's royal legacy passed on. However, there were problems. Prince Dhritarashtra was born blind, and Prince Pandu was always sickly thin and pale. Of the three, the wisest and healthiest was Vidura. This persisted even as the three princes grew up. Dhritarashtra was always fair and just in his judgment, using his sense of hearing to make up for his lack of vision. Pandu was a good warrior, but got tired very easily. Vidura, however, was both just and valiant. No one beat him in the warrior training grounds, and even the court elders looked up to his fair judgment. The people absolutely loved him. The time came for one of the princes to be crowned King...

The Bhagavad Gita: Revised Arjuna looked out at the battlefield, eyeing his enemies across from him. He caught sight of Bhishma, Drona, Duryodhana, Dussahsana...all his cousins whom he had grown up with. They had been raised as brothers under the same roof and eating the same food. How unfortunate it was, he thought, that now they get ready to spill each others' blood.  It was overwhelming. The thought of having to spill the blood of his teachers and brothers in order to acquire rule of a kingdom seemed so petty in that instant. Arjuna couldn't do it.  He put his sacred bow down and removed his crown.  "Krishna," he said to his divine charioteer, "I cannot fight. These are my teachers and brothers; I cannot bring myself to kill them." Krishna drove the chariot out into the middle of the battlefield, between the two armies. Everyone stopped and stared, confused at what was happening. "If you don't want to fight," replied Krish...

Draupadi's Strength Draupadi watched, dejected and disappointed. Yudhistira had gambled away everything  - all the Pandavas' wealth, their land, their horses, and even themselves. How stupid could he be? Could he not tell that Duryodhana's dice were magically altered so that he would win every time? All these Pandavas were supposed to be sons of the gods, yet they seemed to lack the brain of humans.  On top of that, he would not stop betting. He had lost everything at this point, but he was again preparing the dice. What would he gamble this time?  "I refuse to stop until I win. This time, I gamble our wife, Draupadi," exclaimed Yudhistira.  Emotions flooded Draupadi. An amalgamation of sadness, anger, and disgust. How could this man who loved her so much be crass enough to gamble her ? Nay, how dare  he gamble her, a woman whose origins were from a holy swayamvara ?  Of course, Yudhistira lost. That fool.  "Aha, this comely dame...

Sita's Injustice The trek from the hermitage to the well was about half a mile - which wasn't very far in actuality, but in the sweltering heat of the sun, even a single step seemed like a marathon. Sita pulled the hem of her headscarf over her eyes to block the harsh rays of the sun. "Although," she said to herself, "this is but a drop in the ocean of despair that I've endured in my life." Sita knew that she would never hurt even an ant. She was the gentlest, kindest soul one could know - and, to her, so was Rama. The handsome, valiant king of Ayodhya who won her over by lifting Shiva's holy bow. The one with whom she was prepared to spend fourteen years in exile for a cause unrelated to herself. And, the one who saved her from the clutches of Ravana.  But, in the back of her head, Sita had unanswered questions. People had always exalted Rama for his ability to not only pick up and string Shiva's bow, but to break it by brandishing it...

The Plight of Bhumi Sometimes, it just becomes too much. I know you all know me. You have to know me; you wouldn't be alive if it weren't for me. I've been around for nearly 4.5 billion years, and have sustained every single life form to ever exist on this planet. From that ancient dinosaur whose bones are deep underneath your yard to the bacteria that caused your illness the other day, I've sustained all life. I'm behind the plants and animals you eat, the water that quenches your thirst, and the zephyr that cools your skin - be grateful that I'm here. Usually, I keep to myself in the background. I know (at least, hope) that you all know you rely on me for sustenance, and I just let you be. That is, until I saw the terrible woes of my daughter, Sita. As the queen of Ayodhya and the wife of Rama, she's enjoyed a fair share of honor in her life. She's an incredibly pious and respectable woman, dedicated to her family and extremely gentle and ca...

The Ordained Horse Grass tastes good. Luscious, green, dripping with dew; these images are enough to make any horse's dream. If only I could eat in peace, without those Brahmins monitoring me in the distance. They don't even eat grass, anyway! They've been following me for about a year, now. It was relatively agonizing when I first saw them. The feeling of being watched would initially never desert me; I bet you humans know exactly what I speak of. You probably wouldn't like it if you were constantly followed around with, say, a camera, would you? What was more disturbing than the fact that they were watching me at all was the fact that I didn't know why they were there. They let me roam as I pleased, let me chew on my scrumptious grass as I pleased - only under their supervision, however. Why did they need to be there at all? Eventually, I got used to it. I just let them be now, although I cannot say that I enjoy their presence. I go back to munching on my...