Karma Yoga

Parvati bathed in Mandakini river when her hungry attendants begged for food. The compassionate goddess severed her own head, and three blood streams emerged - one feeding each attendant and one feeding her own severed head. Supreme self-sacrifice as life-giver.

A monkey king leading 80000 monkeys uses his own body as a bridge when archers attack, letting his troop escape by walking across his back. Though trampled and mortally wounded, he saves everyone. True leadership means self-sacrifice.

Four unlikely friends - deer, crow, mouse, tortoise - live in harmony. When a hunter traps the deer, the mouse gnaws the net while the crow scouts. They nearly lose the slow tortoise but teamwork saves everyone. True friendship means standing together.

When Draupadi was dragged to the assembly after the dice game, Vidura was one of only two voices protesting. He called Duryodhana a snake and argued her enslavement was invalid. His protests were ignored by paralyzed elders.

When Duryodhana was born, jackals howled and storms raged. Vidura counseled Dhritarashtra to abandon the child for the kingdoms sake, but paternal attachment prevented him from heeding the warning about impending disaster.

King Shrenika, hunting, encountered monk Yamadhar in deep meditation. Enraged when the monk ignored him, he released hunting dogs and shot arrows, but all attempts failed. Queen Chelna tended the monks wounds. Yamadhar showed no anger toward his attacker nor gratitude toward his healer, demonstrating perfect equanimity. Both became devoted disciples of Mahavira.

After Krishnas failed peace mission, Duryodhana called Vidura son of a maid. This was the breaking point. Vidura dropped his bow, resigned as Prime Minister, and left - recognizing his obligation was to dharma itself, not to those who fed him.

Aged vulture king Jatayu fought Ravana to protect Sita despite impossible odds. Mortally wounded, he lived to inform Rama and attained moksha.

Three demon brothers receive invincible cities of gold, silver, and steel from Brahma. When they become proud and reject Shiva worship, Shiva destroys all three cities with a single Pashupata arrow when they align at a rare cosmic moment.

The demon Hiranyaksha dragged Earth (Bhudevi) to the depths of the cosmic ocean. Lord Vishnu incarnated as Varaha (the cosmic boar), composed of Vedic sacrificial elements, dove into the primordial waters, battled Hiranyaksha for a thousand years, slew the demon, and lifted Earth on his tusks to restore cosmic order.

Only weapons from Dadhichis bones could slay demon Vritra. When Indra approached, the sage willingly sacrificed his life. Vishvakarma fashioned the thunderbolt Vajra from his spine, which Indra used to defeat the demon.

The wise birds explain that Draupadis five sons were actually five guardian deities cursed by Vishwamitra to be born as humans when they criticized his harsh treatment of King Harishchandra. The curse specified they would remain unmarried and die young, explaining why they were killed by Ashwatthama despite having Krishna and Arjuna as protectors.

After death, the soul (Atman) undergoes a 49-day journey where it is judged based on its karma. It passes through the Preta state, crosses the Vaitarani River, and travels to Yamaloka where Chitragupta reads the karmic record and Yama decides the souls fate - either rebirth, heaven, or hell.

After being insulted at her father Dakshas sacrifice where Shiva was not invited, Sati resolved to end her life rather than endure further humiliation. Using yogic techniques, she controlled her vital energies and burned her body through internal fire. Her death caused Shivas attendants to attack the sacrifice and set off cosmic destruction.

The Garuda Purana describes 28 types of Naraka (hell) where souls are temporarily punished for specific sins before rebirth. Each hell has punishments corresponding to the sin committed - teaching that karma determines ones fate. Punishments are finite and proportional, ending once karmic debt is settled.

Lord Ganesha broke his own tusk to continue writing the Mahabharata as dictated by sage Vyasa without interruption. When Vyasas stylus broke mid-dictation, Ganesha sacrificed his tusk to ensure no pause in the sacred work, demonstrating his dedication to duty and the preservation of knowledge.

The Kashi Khanda describes the sacred geography of Varanasi, including Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Manikarnika Ghat. It details 56 forms of Ganesha arranged in a seven-layered spiral and the spiritual benefits of pilgrimage there, promising prosperity, longevity, and liberation to devotees.

When the demon Hayagriva steals the Vedas from a drowsy Brahma, Vishnu incarnates as a tiny fish that appears to King Satyavrata. The fish grows progressively larger, revealing its divine nature and warning of an impending deluge, instructing the king to gather all life forms onto a boat which Matsya guides to safety using the serpent Vasuki as a rope.

When Parashuramas mother Renuka momentarily entertains impure thoughts, her husband Jamadagni orders his sons to behead her. While elder brothers refuse, Parashurama obeys without hesitation, impressing his father who grants him a boon - he requests and receives his mothers restoration to life.

When King Kartavirya Arjuna forcibly seizes the divine cow Surabhi from sage Jamadagni and murders him, his son Parashurama receives divine weapons from Vishnu including his legendary axe. He then wages a relentless campaign, severing Kartaviryas thousand arms and eliminating the corrupt kshatriya class twenty-one times.