Tag Archives: Devotional folktales in English

There was once a great rishi (Saint) whose name was Mrikandu. Some times he felt very sad since he had no son. So he prayed to God Shiva day and night. At last, Shiva appeared before Mrikandu, and said: “Mrikandu! I am very pleased with your tapas (Prayer). Ask for any boon that you desire.” “O great God”, said Mrikandu, …

Tulsidas And Thieves: Many years ago, when the great Emperor Akbar ruled at Delhi, there lived a man named Tulsidas who wrote the Ramayana. Valmiki wrote the Ramayana in Sanskrit, but Tulsidas wrote it in Hindi, the spoken language of the people. That is why Tulsidas’s Ramayana is more popular than that of Valmiki’s. It is enacted every year as …

The Pandavas were in exile. They had lost their kingdom and everything they had in a game of dice with their cousins the Kauravas. The Pandavas were living in jungles and the 12-year period of exile was nearing its end. They began to think of their future. They were not sure that the Kauravas would give them back their kingdom …

There was once a powerful king whose name was Bana. He was an Asura, or demon. So he was known as Banasura. Banasura was so strong and fierce that everyone was afraid of him. Even the kings on earth and many gods in heaven feared him. Banasura was a devotee of Lord Shiva. He once worshiped Shiva with such devotion …

The Devas and Asuras were always fighting each other. The Devas were from amongst the Gods. The Asuras were demons. The Asuras were powerful, capable of all kinds of wickedness. Some of them were great rulers and mighty kings. In their fight with the Devas the Asuras had an advantage. They had on their side a great saint and teacher, …