Bhakti Yoga

A monkey befriends a crocodile who visits daily. The crocodiles jealous wife demands the monkeys heart. When the crocodile reveals his plan mid-river, the clever monkey claims he left his heart in the tree, convincing the crocodile to turn back and escaping to safety.

Sati became so hungry she swallowed Shiva. When she disgorged him, he cursed her to become a widow. Another version: Dhumavati rose from the smoke of Satis burning body - all that remains after destruction, representing the void before creation.

Brahma created Shitala to address smallpox. Her lentils became infected with disease germs. When King Birat refused her full authority, she unleashed 75 types of pox. Only complete surrender healed his people - she is both cause and cure of epidemic disease.

When demons Chanda and Munda attacked goddess Kaushiki, a fearsome dark form emerged from her forehead - gaunt, wearing skulls. This terrible form devoured demon armies and beheaded both generals, earning the name Chamunda from their combined names.

An old crane tricks fish by offering to carry them to a larger lake but eats them instead. A clever crab sees fish bones, grips the cranes neck with his claws, and kills him. Presence of mind defeats deceivers.

Hungry infant Hanuman mistook the rising sun for fruit and leapt to catch it. When Indra struck him with a thunderbolt, his father Vayu withdrew all air until gods apologized and blessed Hanuman with immortality.

When Maha Kali, Lakshmi, and Saraswati unified, a girl named Trikuta was born. The demon Bhairon Nath pursued her. She fled to Trikuta caves where she slew him. Seeking forgiveness, he was granted that no pilgrimage to her would be complete without visiting his temple.

Young Krishna sneaks into homes to steal butter, forming human pyramids with friends to reach pots hung from ceilings. When caught, he looks up with innocent eyes and blames the monkeys. Divine mischief as spiritual play.

Elephants accidentally crush mice on their path to water. The mice request a detour, promising future help. Later, when hunters trap elephants in nets, mice gnaw through the ropes. Even the smallest friends can provide great help.

A man reborn as a golden swan gives his poor widow family one golden feather at a time. But the greedy mother grabs all feathers at once - they instantly turn white, ordinary. The swan never returns. Greed destroys blessings.

Crows suffer owl attacks at night. A wise crow pretends to be banished and gains owls trust, learning their caves location. The crows pile logs and set fire during daytime when owls are blind. Cleverness defeats strength.

Chanakya secretly added poison to Chandraguptas food to build immunity. When pregnant Queen Durdhara unknowingly ate the poisoned meal, she died instantly. Chanakya cut open her womb to save the baby, who was named Bindusara.

A weaver meets a tree fairy who offers one wish. His wife suggests becoming king, a jealous friend suggests extra limbs for more weaving. Following bad advice, he wishes for two heads and four arms - villagers mistake him for a demon and kill him.

A young man hears that a clever person could make fortune from a dead mouse. He sells it as cat food, trades up through woodcutters and potters, eventually becoming wealthy. He returns to thank his inspirer with 100000 gold coins.

When Chanakya was publicly humiliated and dragged out by his hair from Nanda court, he swore not to tie his tuft until he destroyed the entire dynasty. He dedicated his life to this vow, eventually installing Chandragupta as emperor.

A discriminatory teacher believed seeing certain people would make him a donkey in the next life. Tenali saluted donkeys, explaining he was honoring the teachers ancestors who became donkeys after their sins. The satire ended the bigotry.

A beautiful woman dies; three suitors react differently - one collects bones, one sleeps on ashes, one learns resurrection. Betal asks who deserves to marry her. Vikram answers the one who slept on ashes showed true lovers devotion.

A poor man survives a night in freezing lake but is denied reward because a distant lamp supposedly warmed him. Birbal cooks khichdi with pot hung far above tiny fire. When Akbar laughs at the impossibility, Birbal proves his point.

Years after the war, Yudhishthira found Vidura performing extreme tapasya. Without a word, Viduras life-force left his body and merged into Yudhishthira. Vyasa revealed Vidura was Dharma incarnate, completing his mortal mission.

When the Vindhya mountains grew so high they blocked sunlight, Agastya commanded them to bow before him. He asked them to remain prostrated until his return - and since he never returned from the south, they remain lowered today.