Bali

Published on 15th October, 2017, in Mid-day. A few months ago, there was a war going on in Kerala about whether Onam has to be celebrated as the annual return during harvest of Maha-bali, the asura-king, from Pa-tala, his subterranean realm or as Vaman Jayanti, the triumph of Vishnu's dwarf avatar, Vaman over Bali. But, very few commented on the fact that unlike Kerala, in the rest of India, Bali's return is celebrated on the first day of the waxing moon, known as Bali Pratipada, the fourth day of Diwali, following the new moon night when Lakshmi is venerated. According to Vishnu Purana, there was ..

Published on 23rd April, 2016, in Mid-day. In Hindu mythology, whenever an asura asks for immortality, Brahma tells them that they can have whatever they wish except that. The clever asura then asks for a boon that will render him immortal for all practical purposes. But, embedded in the boon is a loophole, a vulnerability that the devas take advantage of, to kill him. Thus, we are reminded that no one is immortal in the world. However, this concept is countered by the concept of 'Chiranjivi' or the immortals of Hindu mythology. These are male characters from various stories in the Ramayana, Mahabharata and Puranas ..