Though he only has about a dozen hymns addressed to him in the Rig Veda, Varuna seems to be one of the most important of the Vedic gods. In pre-Vedic times, he was the supreme lord of the cosmos, the keeper of divine order, the bringer of rain, the enforcer of contracts. He is called [...]
The boar incarnation or avatar of Vishnu, assumed in order to deliver the world from the power of the demon Hiranyaksha. The latter had seized the earth and carried it to the depths of the ocean. After a battle which lasted for a thousand years, Varaha killed Hiranyaksha and returned the earth to the surface.
According [...]
Vedic tree spirits.
In Vedic Hinduism, the fifth avatar of Vishnu, in the form of a dwarf. It was in this form that Vishnu tricked Bali into giving up heaven and earth. He asked Bali to be given a plot of land a mere three paces wide. Bali agreed, and Vishnu returned to his usual size and paced [...]
A series of Hindu sacred texts, philosophical commentaries to the Vedas.
Tvashtri is the artisan god of Hindu myth. He is the giver of life, forming husband and wife when they are born. He was the son of Adita and the father of Surya, the sun god. He created the three worlds with the shavings from the sun. It was he who built the heavens of [...]
Trisiras was the son of the Brahman Tvashtri. He had three heads. With one head he constantly read the Vedas, with the second he took in nourishment, and with the third he observed all that was happening around him. He daily increased his power, and Indra grew wary of him, fearing that he would eventually [...]
Taraka is the name of a powerful demon who threatened to subjugate the world. He was able to grow so powerful because he had followed his austerities to such an extent that he became more powerful than the gods. Fearing his power, the gods went to Shiva, imploring him to help them against this terrible [...]
In Hindu mythology, Tara was an astral goddess who was the wife of Brihaspati. A heavenly adventure was played out in the night sky when Soma, the moon, lusted after and abducted Tara, who was the pole star, from Brihaspati, the planet Jupiter. Soma kept Tara hostage, not releasing her at either the urging of [...]
In Indian mythology, as in all mythologies all over the world, there are stories of many lovely maidens.
This story is of Tapati, a beautiful maiden who lived in the foothills of the mighty Himalayas. Tapati was the daughter of Surya, the sun god, and his substitute wife Chhaya (shade). Tapati grew up to be a [...]
