Stories Of India Retold
Indian Mythology Simplified One Story at a Time. A retelling of stories—and the stories behind the stories—from Indian epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana, puranas, and folklore through the eyes of a book-loving, history buff. Find stories about fantastical creatures; mortals and immortals; or just ordinary men and women achieving extraordinary feats.
Listen on:
Episodes
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Monday Nov 07, 2022
Part 2 of the story of the birth of Pandavas and Kauravas–the lead characters of the Mahabharata. (Part 1 - Episode 13)
Both Dhritarashtra and Pandu are married, and the responsibility of continuing the royal line is theirs. Dhritarashtra is denied the throne because of his blindness and Pandu was made king.
Listen to the story of:
- Pandu's curse–a King who could not procreate
- How Gandhari had 100 sons, the Kauravas. (With some help from Veda Vyasa!)
- How and why Pandu convinced Kunti to have sons through niyoga
- How Kunti and Madri conceived their sons, the Pandavas
Music: Jesse Gallagher
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
The Mahabharata 1: Complete and Unabridged; translated by Bibek Debroy. (2015). Penguin Random House India. (Original work published 2010)
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Friday Oct 14, 2022
Part 1 of the story of birth of the Pandavas and Kauravas. After the birth of the Kuru princes Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidhura, Bhishma took up the responsibility of both the thriving kingdom and also the growing princes. The members of the family were keen to see the princes marry well, have sons and continue the dynasty.
Listen to the story of:
- Who the princes married
- How and why the girls were selected
- How Gandhari and Kunti received boons to have sons.
Music: Jesse Gallagher
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Saturday Sep 24, 2022
Daughter of the great King Uparichara; mother to the author of the Mahabharata and the divider of the vedas; mother to 2 princes who became king; and the wife of King Shantanu, Satyavati was an intelligent and beautiful woman. Born to a Puru King and a fisherwoman mother, Satyavati was destined for great things and her adoptive father made sure to give her the best he could.
Listen to:
-the origin and stories of her ancestors
-the circumstances of her birth
-her affair and the time she fell in love
-how she received the boon
-her son–Veda Vyasa Krishna Dwaipayana
-what she did to save the Puru lineage from extinction.
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Monday Sep 19, 2022
Souti Vaishampayana tells the story of the births of Dhritarashtra, Pandu and Vidura, who are seen as the saviors of the Kuru lineage.
Listen to the story to learn more about:
-How and why the Kuru lineage was in danger of going extinct
-The princes' parents and how their births were planned in order to guarantee the continuation of the Kuru lineage
-How the kidnapped princess Amba convinced Bhishma to let her go
-How the author of Mahabharata, Krishna Dwaipayana, is connected to the Kuru lineage.
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
Sunday Sep 11, 2022
Vasus are children of Manu, who is the son of Brahma, and are collectively called the Ashta Vasu or Eight Vasus. They are deities who represent the eight elements—earth, water, fire, wind, sun, sky, moon and the stars; in the Mahabharata, they are named Dhara, Aha, Anala, Anila, Pratyusha, Prabhasa, Soma and Dhruva, respectively. Vasus lived a privileged life in the heavens. But, one day, they got in trouble with the great sage Vasishta and were cursed very harshly.
Listen to:
-the events that led to the Vasus being cursed by Vasishta
-the details of the curse and how the Vasus managed it
-Goddess Ganga's role in their forced entry into earth as mortals
-Prabhasa's identity as a mortal on earth.
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
Sunday Sep 04, 2022
Sunday Sep 04, 2022
As commander of the Kuru army and the grand-uncle to both the Kauravas and Pandavas, Bhishma is one of the main protagonists of the story. The son of King Shantanu and goddess Ganga, he was named Devavrata at birth. In Indian culture, Bhishma is widely loved and admired because of his dedication to dharma and his selflessness.
Listen to how:
-Shantanu and Ganga were married and then separated
-Bhishma was born
-Shantanu was heartbroken because he couldn't marry the woman he loved, Satyavati.
-Bhishma gave up his claim to the throne and took up a vow of brahmacharya
-Shantanu granted his son the boon to choose the time of his death
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
Saturday Aug 13, 2022
Saturday Aug 13, 2022
Govina Haadu,or Song of the cow (also called, Punyakotiya Kathe or Punyakoti's story) is a story about a cow named Punyakoti, who inadvertently crosses path with a very hungry and fierce tiger named Arbhuta. Based on a story in Mahabharata, this beautiful, soul stirring song has been part of Kannada folklore for thousands of years.
Listen to know how:
-Punyakoti convinces Arbhuta to let her see her young calf one more time before he makes a meal of her.
-Arbhuta is influenced by Punyakoti's beliefs and actions.
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
Thursday May 19, 2022
Thursday May 19, 2022
Puru, son of Yayati, belonged to the Lunar dynasty. He was the founder of the Puru or Kuru lineage-key players in the Mahabharata.
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Instagram: @storiesofindiaretold
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
The Nagas are semi-divine serpents. They were cursed by their mother and condemned to die in the snake sacrifice conducted by the descendent of Pandavas, King Janamejaya. Under the threat of the decimation of their race, the Nagas searched for a cure to beat their curse. Their grandfather, Brahma, revealed that the key to break their curse lies in a child named, Astika.
Listen to learn about how and why:
-Nagas were cursed
-King Parikshit was cursed
-King Janamejaya vowed to kill the Nagas
-Astika stopped the snake sacrifice.
-Also learn about the Nagas in ancient Indian history.
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
Friday Apr 08, 2022
Friday Apr 08, 2022
A love story like no other. Young Dushyanta and Shakuntala meet in an enchanting hermitage in an equally enchanting forest. After spending a few moments in each others company, they fall in love and decide to marry. Alas! they are soon separated. Years later, the time comes for them to reunite, but things don't go exactly as Shakuntala had expected.
Listen to the story of:
-How Dushyanta and Shakuntala met and married;
-How Shakuntala and her son, Bharata, were reunited with Dushyanta;
-Also learn about attitudes about marriage and relationships in ancient India.
Blog: http://storiesofindiaretold.com
Podcast website: https://storiesofindiaretold.podbean.com
About
“Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here.”
Sue Monk Kidd, author.
For the people of India, stories from ancient Indian literature is a window into who we are as a people. These stories may be thousands of years old, but they have survived in the hearts and minds of millions of people over generations.
The Epics (Mahabharata, Ramayana), Vedas, Puranas and the folklore of India are not only entertaining, but also tell us about the history of our people and their values. The stories are often times highly exaggerated and layered with fantastical elements—but that is what makes it for a fun reading, and is probably the reason why they have survived, and are beloved still after all these years.
I have been a lifelong lover and reader of books and stories. I am also a parent to two young kids and I wish to share with them the same stories I grew up listening to; the same stories our ancestors, going back thousands of years, grew up listening to. And that is how I started reading books, collecting the stories, and—most important of all—sharing the stories with my two kids, who love to hear all about the superheroes of ancient India.
The stories I publish in this blog is my humble effort at retelling these beautiful stories. The goal is to remain true to the original story (that we know of) as much as possible, but presenting it in a way that is more relatable to children (and adults) today.I read books and research papers and whatever materials I can get my hands on to give you the most authentic stories.
Please join me to explore the world of men, women and gods; mortals and immortals; flying chariots; otherworldly, shapeshifting dragon-like serpents; or just ordinary people achieving extraordinary feats.
Peace and Love.
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