Vedanam 2023

  Bhagirath, Dileepa’s son, handed over the reins of his kingdom to his trusted people and left with only one mission in his mind – to bring Ganga to the earth and to help his ancestors attain salvation. He performed severe and devoted Tapas. So intense was his devotion that the river Ganga had no choice but to appear before him in her divine form. “What do you need? You have been devotedly meditating on me since a long time.” Ganga asked Bhagirath. With folded hands, Bhagirath said, “My ancestors need salvation, and only you, the blessed Mandakini, who had the great fortune of touching Lord Narayana’s feet, can liberate them and deliver them to the Pitraloka. I humbly request you to come down to the earth and provide salvation to my ancestors.” Ganga smiled and said, “You do not know the extent of my force and the power of my waters, do you? If I were to fall directly on earth from the heavens, the earth won’t be able to bear my force. Also, the earth is filled with sinners ...

  (Image credited to the respective owner) There was a king named Sagara who wanted to perform the Ashwamedha Yajna. The ceremonial horse for the Yajna had been let out to roam over the kingdom. However Indra stole the horse and kept it hidden in a place unknown to anyone.   When the horse didn’t return after a very long time, Sagara advised his sons to search for the same. They all left the kingdom and searched for the horse all over the world. Not finding it anywhere, they decided to search for it in the nether world. They dug the earth with their powerful arms and went into the nether world. After searching for a while they came across a cave inside which a Rishi was sitting in meditation with his eyes closed. The sons of Sagara also found the ceremonial horse grazing outside the cave. Anger overtook them. “Look at this thief!” One of the princes exclaimed. “He steals our horse and is now sitting here with his eyes closed as if he doesn’t know a thing!” The princes dr...

  (Image credited to the respective owner) There was a king named Ambarisha who was a just and pious man. He had already attained the ultimate knowledge that everything on earth is fleeting and temporary and one should not lose their purpose or wisdom by hankering after trivial things. Even though he was a king, he was not materialistic or worldly-minded. He focused his devotion on Lord Narayana and lived his life in detachment. Maha Vishnu was immensely pleased with his devotion and gifted him His Sudarshan Chakra as a protective shield. Once Ambarisha and his wife followed the rituals of Dwadashi Vrat for a whole year and were about to break their fast on a particular Dwadashi when Sage Durvasa visited them. The king and his wife received and worshipped the sage appropriately and invited him to have food at their home. Durvasa was pleased with their humility and said that he would come to their home after taking a bath. A lot of time passed and still Durvasa Rishi hadn’t come...